Reflections on Literacy

        I liked the idea of writing about anything nearby. That way, students do not feel pigeonholed into writing what they know nothing about. For example, we had  an old coal pot at home and my mom would reminisce about all the things her mom made using just that pot. She would talk about how the food tasted so much better than what I might get at some of these food places.        If a person has writer’s block, she could start writing about say, the howling wind. Like on some days, the wind is so strong, everything rattles outside. Other days, it can be so quiet and then the neighbor dog starts barking. She could then talk about whether she prefers the quiet or the noise. In one of his books, Ernest Hemingway was at a café and starting writing about a girl who had just sat down. He described her and wrote about why he thought she was there. It is like observing people and creating a story from our surroundings but this ...

Inflation, inflation, inflation! A couple days ago, I got ground pork that was raised with no hormones and antibiotics for $2.99/lb. Ground pork is good for Lion’s Head Meatballs or Ma Pao Tofu, but the meatballs are easier to make. I needed some other ingredients: bok choy, ginger, and water chestnuts. I stopped in at 99 Ranch and Jusgo Supermarket on my way from school. At Jusgo, I got my ginger and guess what? Taro was cheap too! Taro pudding, taro with my meatballs. Bok choy was expensive at Jusgo and 99 Ranch was next door. I got the bok choy, but that could never have been 2lbs, the tofu was heavier. Oh, well! Extras for soup with Korean dumpling that I got on sale some time ago. I had forgotten the water chestnuts, but Kroger nearby had water chestnuts. Still about $2.00 per meal when I was done.