I wrote this entry last Friday and Murphy’s Law prevailed as my password to this site had expired.  When I went to reset it, the link went to an email I no longer maintain (more on that shortly) and turned into a bit of a project to regain access.  So, my apologies for the time lapse but here is what I intended to send in its entirety three days ago…

I thought it was only befitting to retire this blogsite on Groundhog Day.  Punxsutawney Phil woke up this morning and predicted an early spring, and I tend to agree.  I started this post cruising at 35K feet with my youngest enroute to a select computer science honors college interview day.  Even cooler is we were then joined by my oldest later in the day once we landed since he already attends the flagship university.  They weren’t cornborn as they say in the Midwest but likely will be cornfed!

I began this site with the goal to present topics of interest and through audience participation extend the discussion.  My catch phrase that followed was that maybe this exchange would lead to a new “what if” or “why not” that would make the current day more informed than those before it.  As I complete this final post, it seems natural to conclude with “why now?”

For starters, I have a new opportunity that will allow me to influence education policy affecting nearly 900K students.  It’s in a new state but one we’ve lived in and are familiar with – a bit colder than Texas also 😊.  In less than six months both our boys will be in college learning skills they will carry their lifetimes forward.  For those old enough (or old like me), growing up the tag line from a cartoon I used to watch was “knowing is half the battle.”  It may not qualify as an aphorism since it involved pretend miniature army figures, but I tend to agree with its simple wisdom.  My decision to start something new has been reaffirmed by the many colleagues that reached out and shared their support.

My dad used to respond to questions of mine he did not want to answer with “does a bear have freckles?”  It was intentionally a retort that avoided whatever the topic in question was – I’ve never been more clear or certain on next steps for my family.  It will be a new adventure for me and my wife and one we will be taking without the kids for the first time (at least as the primary dwellers).  We’ll have our dog along, but it will be different for sure; why now is answered each time we look to the future.  The same can be said for what if…

It’s been my experience the what ifs stick with you longer and you wrestle with them more.  I make it a practice to do my homework before making decisions of importance.  I may not always get it right, but it generally puts to rest the second-guessing what ifs.  In a perfect world, we’d all get sprinkles.  Maybe then we wouldn’t be wondering what if the Ravens actually ran the ball more during their AFC Championship loss!

I made my first entry on this blogsite in September 2018 – after 4.5 years I think it may be time to explore other mediums.  A lot has happened since that time, and I’ve always tried to evaluate impact, and influence in layers.  This evening I was watching a food show and it referenced the title of this entry; my wife and I both enjoy cooking but it’s still at the level of the “chicken being involved, while the pig is committed.”  We’re chickens, but we both spend our days feeding children in different capacities.

NPR ran an article today entitled “Toblerone is no longer Swiss enough to feature the Matterhorn on its packaging.”  According to the article, being Swiss requires a certain threshold of Swissness with the government justification being that “the value added by the Swiss branding can represent as much as 20% of the sale price for certain products — and up to 50% for luxury goods — compared to those from other places.”  Here is the link to the article.

Toblerone is an inside joke with my family.  My parents, well into their earned retirement days, traveled overseas some time ago.  We as a family are light on fancy gifts and prefer the living stories and firsthand accounts instead regarding travels; however, I did score a Toblerone as a souvenir from my parents’ travels.  In full smart mouthed rebuttal, I’m sure I said something like “hang on while I run to CVS to pick up a few more exact same chocolate bars.”  I quietly embarrassed myself today when my college son said he wished he had a job to get a little more cash flow because he was running light; I agreed as much.  I had just dropped a small personal loan on a car repair that was not expected and it made me consider all options. 

The obvious difference is I have the privilege as an adult of feeding children as it should be – my kids and your kids don’t shoulder that responsibility.  I’m a car guy, maybe not a full connoisseur, but definitely an aficionado.  Both my boys learned to drive on a car Born from Jets; a relic at best but one I take great pride in (1 of 17 like vehicles available on last search).  My current ride is “Vorsprung Durch Technik” which loosely translates to “advancement through technology.”  I was ready to part ways with my Audi and then I started thinking about what it has meant to me.

I bought it in January 2018; parked my SAAB to get it ready for my oldest when it came time for him to drive.  Both cars to most folks are just cars but to me they represent my personality at different points and their quirks are such that I wished to share.  Both my boys learned to drive from the singular legacy of the Swede’s Born from Jets, albeit a 4 banger with a temperamental starter.  My Audi wasn’t new but was grand and it took my oldest and me across many, many miles in style while we chased competitive tennis.  It also started every morning at 5:42 while I took my youngest to swim practice his freshman year in high school.

Feeding children is a much more complicated obligation – this is not gift certificate work.  Feeding children in short is fulfilling the next generation’s needs. 

We once lived within 2 hours of Punxsutawney, PA. 

noun: Groundhog Day

February 2, when the groundhog is said to come out of its hole at the end of hibernation. If the animal sees its shadow – i.e., if the weather is sunny – it is said to portend six weeks more of winter weather.

The legend of Punxsutawney Phil is one that should be respected although his prognostications tend to fall short of any reliability (you’re better off trusting a coin toss).  I planned two trips to this unusual gem and both times the weather did not cooperate.  So in all honesty I can’t describe first hand what a Groundhog Celebration in Punxsutawney, PA, is like but I can offer readers a glimpse of this year’s events:

Wednesday, Feb 1, 2023

Gobbler’s Knob Got Talent.  1:00pm-3:00 pm

Groundhog Club Members Only Reception. 3:30-5:30 pm

Annual Groundhog Banquet.  Doors open 5:30 pm, Banquet begins 6:00 pm

Dueling Pianos.  Doors open at 8:00 pm. Event begins at 9:00 pm-12:00 am

Thursday, Feb 2, 2023

Gobbler’s Knob Grounds will open at 3:00 am

Friday, Feb 3, 2023

The Groundhog Ball at the Punxsutawney Country Club. 7:00-11:00 pm

Saturday, Feb 4, 2023

Lunch with Phil at Gobbler’s Knob Visitors Center Hall. 11:00 am-1:00 pm

And for perspective, this town boasts 5,700 residents on its biggest days; come Feb 2 they welcome as many as 40,000 new friends!  I even learned that a film professor from down under decided to watch the movie “Groundhog Day” in its entirety … every day … for a year.

We’ve been in a loop ourselves of repeat days as we wind down Day 3 of weather-related school closure and have Day 4 bringing much of the same.  In Texas, this month generally proves to be our nemesis with cold bursts and icy roads – Punxsutawney Phil may have better odds calling our weather than speaking for winter nationwide!

February is also Black History Month and this month’s designation to remember the accomplishments and contributions of the Black community.  The general consensus is that February was chosen because of the birthdates of two of the most influential figures in American history, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.  We’ve been on a bit of a loop as well with history…

My oldest will attend his first professional engineering conference this weekend in Atlanta as a student ambassador – I sent him a note about walking through Hartsfield-Jackson in the summer of 2006 and being a part of a spontaneous crowd applause for troops returning from Afghanistan.  It was such a cool impromptu experience, and it definitely impacted my world view.

What a loop this month offers:  it’s short on days, adds one every four years, throws in Cupid, and reminds us about the work we still have with one another.  Maybe February is on a loop for a reason; maybe Groundhog Day the movie recognized we need to keep at it until we get it right.

The Original Nike Principles from Rob Strasser in 1977

Rob Strasser is best known as the right-hand man of Phil Knight, Nike’s founder.  Strasser is credited with leading Nike out of a bit of a slump in the mid-80’s by introducing the Air Jordan shoe line, arguably the most iconic foot apparel ever sold.  As I did my homework on this Nike Exec, I came across this fascinating write-up about him and you don’t have to be a sports junkie to love (but if you are one, buckle up).  It chronicles the exchange between Strasser and two other industry insiders in 1984, one who happened to be the sports agent representing college phenom Michael Jordan.  The agent (David Falk), while the three men negotiated potential monetized fandom, offered up “Air Jordan” as the branding to the future multi-million-dollar apparel question:

“The moment I said it…Moore (Nike designer) was sketching in this pad that he carried everywhere.  On the flight back to Portland, Moore asked a flight attendant for a set of wings, the kind airlines give kids. That little pin became the inspiration for a logo featuring the words ‘Air Jordan’ arced over a basketball, set between two wings in flight.”

Strasser, Nike’s unofficial chief dealmaker, was by all accounts a bit of a wild card, akin to the most famous movie quote box of chocolates.  Some seven years before the Washington DC ‘Jordan’ negotiation, Strasser penned what came to be known as the Original Nike Principles.  A Jerry Maguire manifesto if you will twenty years before the blockbuster hit.

While the memo lacks any “thou shall not” commandments, it leans that way in conjecture.  I tried to work my way through the ten bullets and relate them to public education.  I immediately nixed #4, #6, and #10, and largely dismissed #9.  I worry about #7 given what I have observed and knowing how counter to productive that bully decree can be.  I’m on board with #1 and #5, but struggle with #3.  #8 feels a bit of low hanging fruit strategy which always makes for easy head nods so I’m going to pass on it as well.  And then we’re left with #2.  There is a reason why you should avoid quicksand and debating #2 likely would provide the fodder for gimmick commentary.  But if you do your homework and respect the science, it is impossible for a human to sink entirely into quicksand.  You might get to about waist deep but that’s it and thus begins the process of climbing out and persevering.  It’s at that moment, you just do it.

My wife and I celebrated nothing in particular tonight other than a special meal at an actual restaurant.  I spent the first ten minutes on my phone responding to something I needed to respond to – maybe a little too much #7 from above.  And then we enjoyed a great meal.  I smiled because the table next to us had a little one and they were itching for a family pic which my wife obliged; the couple was celebrating their 9 year anniversary and my wife laughed knowing we were nearly 3x on that comment!  And it was fun knowing we were celebrating nothing in particular on a gift card from a family member much like we did on our first date to Jason’s Deli and the Imax Movie Theater (fully gift card covered).

Yesterday the Doomsday Clock moved closer to catastrophe than ever – I’m going to remain on the optimist side of the fence.  Maybe we should just ‘Be Like Mike’ and ‘Just Do It’ and I think a modified #5 for educators aligns well with this work:

Assume something. Help people keep their promises. Push yourselves, push others. Stretch the impossible.

What if? Why not?

As the holiday season approaches, I once again find myself drifting often and thinking longer.  Admittedly, I’ve become a bit of a Grinch around Christmas time so my resolution this season will be focusing more on what was had rather than what was lost.

A few weeks back I woke up early and finally witnessed the tall tale my wife had been spewing about our dog child.  There was enough indirect light from the streetlamps and nighttime lights for me to see Hope (our chocolate lab) lift herself up yoga style and gently rest her front paws on my wife’s side of the bed.  She then proceeded to take one paw and tap my wife gently on her shoulder, that type of nudge you give someone in an attempt to gain their attention without startling them.  It was the most precious exchange and yet I wanted no part in it because this is their 5 am routine without fail.  Until yesterday morning…

Somehow 5 am moved up an hour and a half earlier and it just made for a very unusual Saturday.  At 5:15 my wife said she was going to Walgreens (mainly because that was about the only store open at the time) and by 6 am I still couldn’t go back to sleep, so I went out to the front yard and started raking leaves in the dark.  The weather forecast called for rain all day beginning at 9 am so I figured we’d get the yard cleaned up a bit before the skies cut loose (and we did; and they did).

In a lucid moment recently I suppose, I jotted down the title for this entry and immediately thought of teachers.  From my observations, this postulate sums up the heartache and heartsake they reckon with every day.  And quite honestly, this closeness maxim likely applies to all PK-12 staff, regardless of their role. It likely applies to just about everyone in any type of transactional relationship.

A couple months ago, Gallup (as in THE Gallup polls) published some data that gave me pause, a sad pause.  Survey results by the company across many industries found workers in PK-12 education, including teachers, report significantly higher rates of burnout than full-time workers in any other industry.

The Closer We Are, The Harder the Challenge

Last weekend I was invited to keynote speak an event on school safety and accelerating student learning.  I landed just after the first quarter of my Frogs battling Kansas State so I was a bit frantic on getting to the hotel and finding the game on display.  TCU played tough and came back, only to fall in overtime.  Our QB’s story (LINK) is a great one and led me to this conclusion.

This is life.  This is real.  This is the body of our work.

And finally, I once worked for a UPS competitor in college with the 6 to 10 pm shift loading trailers for delivery.  I lasted 3 weeks.  I did a decent job (not great) but my shift supervisor said (and I’ll never forget it) “man you need to get as far from us as you can so you can be great.” Broke my heart that night – still weighs on me I guess. And indeed, the closer we are, the harder the challenge.  These connections ironically create the most chaos for us. But if you stick with them they can also create the greatest rewards. 

I hope everyone takes time this holiday season and puts aside the differences to just enjoy the closeness with those you hold close.

Richard Davis is the retiring president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.  He’s a banker by trade and I’ll detail his background shortly.  The foundation he leads, as many of you may know, grants hundreds of thousands of life-changing wishes to children battling critical illnesses.  Wishes that give families hope through dark times, maybe the strength to persevere, and hopefully experiences that forever change their lives.  I’d like to share some history about this organization as I’m learning it firsthand myself.

Make-A-Wish traces its inspiration to Christopher James Greicius, an energetic 7-year-old boy battling leukemia who wanted to be a police officer.  In 1980, his Phoenix community came together to make his wish come true.  Little did Chris know that his wish would create a movement that would transform millions of lives.  Frank “Bopsy” Salazar is the first official Make-A-Wish kid.  He was 7 and had leukemia—just like Chris.  So, the Phoenix Fire Department gives Bopsy an experience like Chris’; he becomes a member of the Engine 9 crew.  Since the first wish is also the first Disney wish, the Anaheim Fire Department picks up the baton, taking Bopsy and his family around Southern California.

The A list that supports this organization is overwhelming – Nike, Netflix, Southwest Airlines, Mozilla, Walt Disney, multiple sports franchises, food empires, and financial goliaths.

Davis was a bank teller at age 18 and had a meteoric rise by any account.  He was sporting Executive Vice President titles in major banking institutions 10 years after getting his undergraduate degree in economics from Cal State Fullerton.  He then went on to serve as president of the banking behemoth U.S. Bancorp, from October 2004 to January 2016.  If you have a bit of time, a good thirty minutes start to finish to be honest, you should take in this entire podcast (officially released under Corporate Competitor Podcast).  I sent it to both of my boys for different reasons – the banter between Don Yaeger as podcast host and Richard Davis as personal friend makes for a one-of-a-kind exchange.  Here is the link to the podcast.  The podcast in general leans towards former athletes now in corporate life and when Richard gets asked about his proudest early on achievement, he turns the table.  Even though he was a standout tennis and basketball player in high school, the moment he recalled was as a band rat in the highest of competitions.  If you’re short on time, click the link above and go directly to the 28:30 mark.  When Richard was asked to recall a high school sports moment that made him most proud, he toggled and asked to share a performing arts accomplishment instead.  His retelling of a state band competition is one I’m not going to attempt to retell – take three minutes and listen to him firsthand – I promise it’s worth it especially when the former CEO of the 5^th largest bank in America takes most pride in a high school band competition.  He goes on to say practice makes perfect – a familiar mantra at any level of competition.

The final message from Mr. Make-A-Wish:  Learn and be curious every step of the way.

My last post headlined in Latin; this time I’m going Español.  To be clear, The Day of the Dead is not Halloween.  For starters, today kicks off Día de los Muertos and it is more of a two-day celebration widely embraced in Latin American culture.  It’s not about the spooky but more about remembering lost loved ones.  The first day is believed to allow the spirits of children to visit their families.  The second day is for the adults and elderly to visit.  All Hallows’ Eve [Halloween] roots way, way back to Ireland and Scotland and tends to be more of a secular holiday. 

Last night was the start of some return to previous patterns as we welcomed trick or treaters.  They came in waves and overall attendance was still low compared to peak years.  But it was still nice to see kids and adults making their rounds in silly or scary costumes enjoying a time-honored tradition.  My wife even got a sweet little note from one of her students wishing her a “super duper Happy Halloween.”

By the time I got home our neighborhood streets had swelled with cars transporting the best of our future we have to offer.  I’ve blogged about our newest canine member several times before and we are a dog family; this Halloween was Hope’s first real test encountering multiple visitors.

So, she kind of failed ☹.  At first when the doorbell would ring, she would go berserko and I would grab her collar which led to even more unpleasant gag reflexes because she kept pulling while I was trying to just hang on to her.  Then I put her body harness on, and it was a game changer.  I was amazed at how quickly she could be conditioned to just chill or relax.  And then I had a lightbulb moment.

And granted while my internal lightbulbs are incandescent and not LED, I can still push more than 40 watts!  This weekend my wife and I allowed ourselves to indulge in the superficial about our dog – we paid for the dog DNA report just to prove how royal our four-legged friend was.  But what I learned as I held on to our Hope while my wife passed out candy was how protective she is of our family.  As the kids came to the door and I held her with some restraint, she relaxed and became less tense.

Trick or treating showed me a new dimension in our lab – she becomes super anxious with outsiders but calms quickly with those we invite in.  I think I have a better appreciation of how teachers must feel with outside visitors.  I’m not suggesting they don’t want any, but this Halloween seemed to connect some dots. Our dog Hope has clearly staked out some protective boundaries – why would we think teachers don’t do the same?  And it magnifies as each marking period comes to a close.  Assigning grades is not just an evaluation of student progress but often an internalized measure by teachers on their effectiveness.  It’s a natural response when you’re tasked with growing kids and I’m sure every parent can relate.

I’ve decided to create a new day of observance and in my best attempt at using Google Translate to honor my own roots in Cajun parlance, “Jou Vivan An” will now come to be known as the Day of the Living!  It celebrates teachers each and every day school is in session!  What if and why not?

I read an article this week that I wanted to share with readers but it’s paywall protected so I’ll give you a brief overview but still link you to the real material you need to access.  And as full disclosure, I’m an agnostic storyteller and not interested in random debate on most days.  The article I was reading in the Washington Post was “The Onion files Supreme Court amicus brief defending the right to parody.”  You likely will not be able to access unless you have a subscription but the over abbreviated version is an Ohio wannabe comic created a fake social media page that spoofed his town’s police department’s FB page.  He did a good enough spoof he ended up getting arrested by the police department he poked fun of.

Insert First Amendment

The Onion for those not familiar is a parody powerhouse, likely the leader in this genre.  While humor is a driving force in the publication it likely is more of a tactic to ease people into more complicated ideas to maybe think a bit longer about or discuss further.  In response to the amateur comic’s case, they have now actually filed a serious response to the Supreme Court but did so in pure Onion fashion as they introduced themselves in the brief:

The Onion is the world’s leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally revered coverage of breaking national, international, and local news events. Rising from its humble beginnings as a print newspaper in 1756, The Onion now enjoys a daily readership of 4.3 trillion and has grown into the single most powerful and influential organization in human history.

As a fairly firm rule I do not allow mobile phones at the dinner table but my youngest son is an exceptionally gifted writer, so we all read a bit on the Onion brief one night this week while eating.  He understands that being funny doesn’t mean you’re just silly; sometimes wit and humor make all the difference in negotiations.  Sometimes, laughter coupled with levity produces remarkable outcomes.

I’ve been meeting with our campus principals and they’re feeling like an onion – not the Onion – but an onion.  We used to think we were cute in describing peeling back those tough walls kids put up like peeling back an onion.  What’s cute about creating unprotected vulnerability or maximum exposure?  For the record, those are my words and no one else’s.  Our campus administrators are top talent, and yes some are better than others and that’s how a good organization grows its pipeline.  Our experienced principals will run circles around newbies, as it should be, but they also have a commitment to growing the profession.  New principals call and text 911 my way for those areas I support on Day 1; experienced principals send me an email after a marking period and say, “it’s your turn now.”  And that’s the great thing about this work although we somehow have allowed small nitpicks to define the service we provide here lately.  Campus administrators are not a dime a dozen and they indeed are a special breed; they have to navigate and negotiate for their campus needs while tiptoeing on top of an often shaky landscape.    

And back to the title of this entry – it’s Latin for you are dumb (or stupid or a fool) depending on which Google translate search you land on!  My oldest kid took Spanish; my youngest chose German.  Can you imagine a teacher telling a child you are dumb in any language?  My guess, if we’re all being honest, that answer is no.  Can we imagine a principal permitting a teacher to say as much about one of our children?  I’m tired of not having checks and balances on false accusations – teachers deserve more compassion and less criticism.  But what do I know, I’m just trying to be one and the same, and I’m sure there are plenty saying I am dumb.  I welcome the debate on any day and every day on the work I get to see firsthand. Bring it to me first so I can let our teachers keep doing great things each and every day.   

I was trying process a lot of intersecting events today when I recalled the first car I ever owned, more accurately the first car my parents purchased for me.  I remember the drive with my dad to an unfamiliar neighborhood, I kind of remember our exchange as we exited his car, and then I remember us walking back to his car with no second car.  I’m piecemealing grainy memory artifacts here but I’m a numbers guy and I remember clearly the $900 asking price and the $675 buying price my dad finally negotiated for my first car – a 1980 Chevy Monza.

Mine had a luggage rack bolted onto the trunk which made it a “sport” edition.  It wasn’t until I wrote this entry that I put together the connection that the Monza competed with the Ford Mustang II – the same car my parents purchased for my older sister years before.  Her car was red; mine was primer grey (but I waxed that matte like no other).  The interior was burgundy vinyl so imagine the armadillo groom’s cake from Steel Magnolias on wheels!  And as I’m starting to learn based on the varied ages of my readers, we may not all have the same shared experiences.  Steel Magnolias was a wildly popular movie set in my home state many, many moons ago.

My sophomore year in high school I drove the Monza to Homecoming after picking up my date from a neighborhood close to where I used to golf.  She was a year older, and we met in math class – pretty and nice to a fault; she surely had other invites but went with my friend date offer.  I remember showing up at her house and her father straightening my collar; I was still shaky nervous because it was a date, albeit a friendly one.  I remember her mom fastening the boutonniere on my sports coat and off we went.  I was a sophomore out of his league driving a Chevy Monza.  I loved that car and would honestly buy it again for the memories.  I had buddies driving new cars and I can honestly say I loved my Monza – memory fades but if mine holds true the engine block had a crack in it so I carried 2 liter water bottles around to fill up the radiator when it got hot.  Good times!

Last Friday my youngest had his own Homecoming event.  Times have changed for sure, but my wife and I attended the football game along with our son which was nice.  He hung out with us for a bit and then moved on to the student section.  He had some friends in general to meet, one in particular.  These days it’s a lot less about a single dance and more about events and activities leading up to the football game.  Our local news even featured a neat article on an area school district that set a Guinness record for the largest mum (article).  And in the midst of all this I sent my oldest some of my old golf clubs – they may or may not ever get used but I’ll inspect them when I’m onsite regardless.  He had been on my mind because I had recently given a presentation to parents of middle school and high school students on the college admissions process.

Old cars, old traditions, old memories.  One of my wife’s students knew she would be at the game last Friday and looked for her to no end (his older brother is in the high school band).  He came in on Monday and said as much.  Even though they didn’t connect with each other, they now both remember something together about that game.  I had to baby my Chevy back in the day to keep it going, homecomings are unpredictable, and collectively their reminders live on.  While these days there seems to be more noise and drama in our work space, it’s still pretty cool to be so directly connected to generations experiencing these memory makers.

Four years ago, I launched this site with little forethought on its lifespan.  My first post drew attention to heat islands and food deserts.  At the time I shared with readers an article I had read that suggested poor city neighborhoods are often much hotter than wealthy ones.  Beyond the more obvious reason for this due to affordability of air conditioning, low-income areas are prone to “heat islands” which is a term used to represent communities with little vegetation and lots of concrete.  They lack greenery, public parks, adequate landscaping, and so forth.  These parts more often lack indoor respites like movie theaters and malls and share another phenomenon – food deserts.  Back then I didn’t elaborate on this latter concept – I’m older now (four years to be exact) and I feel a bit more obligated to offer a voice.

This time around I’m reading an article from BNN Bloomberg talking about London’s best Mexican Restaurant, one that does not serve avocados! My wife and I are small, small-scale foodies which means we basically love to eat all types of food without judgement 😊. After reading the interview with Santiago Lastra, the chef and owner of this pseudo-guac restaurant, I was honestly impressed. Before I give my two cents, here is THE LINK so you can decide for yourself. And for what my couple of pennies might be worth, you have a culinary MacGyver who can basically do it all but if he has to do it without the necessary ingredients, he’s going to improvise. It’s a fascinating quick read on the insights of an industry giant and I’ll do the one more by pasting some of the reveal below:

His most brilliant innovation might be his “avocado,” made from pistachios and served pureed as a garnish on such dishes as crab and mushroom chalupas. “If you had a magic wand and could convert an avocado, it would become a pistachio,” says Lastra of the sweet, nutty taste they share. He purees the nuts with water to make a smooth, guacamole-like condiment that also includes roasted garlic, his fermented gooseberries/lime juice concoction, and a little chilis. The approximation to a very good avocado puree is uncanny.

I can’t make you read the article but there is a reason this Michelin-starred restaurant and its chef go to such links.  In many ways, Chef Lastra is simply trying to source locally and sustain his local community.  Can you imagine a legend in his or her field and at the apex of his or her career saying “I know I can get what I want” but it’s about getting what others might want as well?  He’s building capacity within his sphere of influence.

I hope Santiago Lastra is a good guy.  His story inspired me in particular as I negotiate a household with a child who does not like guacamole.  It’s weird these days because I’m down to just one picky eater, and that’s actually been a lot to take in – the drinking from a fire hydrant is a good analogy as I adjust to our family growing up (and out).  If nothing else, trust me, here is your new favorite guac recipe (I promise).