I AM GRATEFUL

On an ongoing basis, for the love and grace of God. But most recently and more temporally, for Cafe Gratitude! Let me explain–

A few years ago, a phenomenal culinary delight for organic, raw vegan folks thrived on Valencia Street – it was called Urban Forage and it was a haven for that .005% of the population that seeks out raw, organic, vegan food. I often thought it was too good to be true that body pierced hippy types could run a business…and alas, I was right: it flamed out in less than a year. I mourned for quite a while. Then my friend Kelley gave me a gift certificate to a place in the inner mission called Cafe Gratitude…I could never bring myself to using it because I never thought anything else would match up to the heights that Urban Forage took me.

Luckily, my friend Antonio – another health foodie – assured me we should meet there. And now my pocketbook will never be the same. Ok, there is a “forced feel-good” vibe that sort of permates the place (for example, there is a “question of the day” that goes along the lines of, “what do your friends love most about you?”; and all menu items begin with “I AM…” – I assume it is not heretic….) – but – the fare is to die for! I went twice this weekend. Somebody stop me!!

alienation of labor?

On a stroll in Berkeley I passed by what was formerly one of my favorite shops, Tupper & Reed. It was a music store. But no more: it’s quaint awning has been usurped by the digital age…

Now I’m not a luddite, but does this bode the end of instruments (at least, those without a keyboard)? Do we lose something by not making music more “mechanically”? Is typing different than writing? Do we lose something of the creative process as we evolve into the age of bits and bytes? Just as Marx bemoaned the alienation of labor that came with mass production, I fear we will lose something of our cognitive and creative abilities as we increasingly automate.

For example, when was the last time you did – without the aid of any tool – math?….

is it worship or a song?

At aforesaid bbq, we sang worship songs and The Star Spangled Banner and America The Beautiful. Normally I bristle at such syncretism, but some verses in the latter song really struck me:

Confirm they soul in self control, Thy liberty in law

I admit, I was able to pray while singing that line…not only for our country but myself. Perhaps patriotic hymns & worship hymns were much more aligned back in the day? Always a dangerous line to walk, but I do know that I sure agree with that line.