Poem: "Science on the Side"
Jun. 6th, 2021 09:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the May 4, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from kelkyag. It also fills the "uncertainty / job insecurity" square in my 5-1-21 card for the Leaky Pipeline Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Science on the Side"
[Summer 1975]
Beulah Mack earned
a degree in food science,
but found that nobody wanted
to listen to a black woman scientist.
So she said "fuck it," dumped science,
and changed her name to Zella Mozambique.
She started a food truck called ReFresh,
which featured foods high in vitamins
and other nutrients useful for
boosting mood and energy.
She served sandwiches made of
whole wheat or multigrain bread
with ricotta and jam and fruit,
or tuna salad or chicken salad.
There were salmon patties
that fried up fast, and you could
get paper cones of spicy fried okra
or sweet potato fries sprinkled
with brown sugar and cinnamon.
For lunch she sold salads of
spinach or other dark leafy greens
topped with boiled eggs, vegetables,
and optional chicken, tuna, or salmon.
There were cups of cold oatmeal,
cottage cheese, or Greek yogurt
to be topped with fresh fruit like
bananas and raspberries.
You could get a cup of hummus
with whole-wheat pita bread
and stoplight pepper sticks.
On hot days, Zella offered
dripping wedges of watermelon,
cantaloupe, and orange
fresh from the cooler.
On cold days, she made
kettles of 21-Bean Soup
with spicy ham hocks
and hot multigrain buns.
There were big bowls
of brown rice topped with
Sweet Potato Hash or
Peanut Fried Chicken.
As a snack, Zella sold bags
of homemade trail mix with
almonds, pistachios, walnuts,
roasted chickpeas, oat rings,
pumpkin and sunflower seeds,
raisins, and dark chocolate.
Her menu changed with
the seasons, but ReFresh
always had something good,
something to pick you up
on a long hard day.
It was a little bit soul food,
a little bit hippie food,
a little bit health food,
and all damn good with
science on the side.
When the men who
had disrespected her
lined up in front of her truck,
Zella Mozambique hid a laugh
and took their lunch money.
* * *
Notes:
Zella Mozambique -- Born Beulah Mack, she changed her name to Zella Mozambique in 1975. She has brown skin, brown eyes, and nappy black hair worn in an Afro. After earning a degree in food science, Beulah tried to convince people to use food for healing and get vitamins from real foods rather than pills. But nobody wanted to listen to a black woman scientist. So she said "fuck it," left science, and changed her name to Zella Mozambique. She started a food truck called ReFresh, which featured foods high in vitamins and other nutrients good for boosting mood and energy.
Qualities: Good (+2) Food Scientist, Good (+2) Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, Good (+2) Stamina, Good (+2) Ujamaa, Good (+2) Uppity Black Woman
Poor (-2) Bullshit Tolerance
1. Ujamaa (Cooperative economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
* * *
The leaky pipeline reduces the number of women and black people in STEMZ.
Black activism in the1970s includes such hallmarks as the afro hairstyle and name changes.
The African heritage food pyramid is the only one with a base layer of dark leafy greens.
Foods for all day energy and improve mood include:
Whole Wheat Bread with Ricotta
Multigrain Bread and Multigrain Buns
Fish and Shellfish
Salmon
Chicken such as Peanut Fried Chicken
Okra
Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Potato Hash
Spinach
Eggs
Oatmeal
Cottage Cheese
Greek Yogurt
Bananas
Raspberries
Watermelon
Oranges
Hummus and Whole Wheat Pita
Red Bell Pepper and Stoplight Peppers (red, yellow, green)
Brown Rice
Pulses such as Beans and Lentils; see Spicy Ham and 21-Bean Soup
Homemade Trail Mix
Almonds
Pistachios
Walnuts
Roasted Chickpeas
Chocolate
Trail mix can include a wide range of healthy and delicious ingredients. You can suit the ingredients, calorie load, and healthy/indulgent settings to your preference. Explore some recipes for your inspiration.
Many-bean mixes come in many sizes; the most common have 3, 5 , 9, 13, 15 or 19 beans. You can make your own bean soup mix with spices. Take a look at African legumes.
Compare soul food, hippie food, and health food.
kelkyag. It also fills the "uncertainty / job insecurity" square in my 5-1-21 card for the Leaky Pipeline Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series."Science on the Side"
[Summer 1975]
Beulah Mack earned
a degree in food science,
but found that nobody wanted
to listen to a black woman scientist.
So she said "fuck it," dumped science,
and changed her name to Zella Mozambique.
She started a food truck called ReFresh,
which featured foods high in vitamins
and other nutrients useful for
boosting mood and energy.
She served sandwiches made of
whole wheat or multigrain bread
with ricotta and jam and fruit,
or tuna salad or chicken salad.
There were salmon patties
that fried up fast, and you could
get paper cones of spicy fried okra
or sweet potato fries sprinkled
with brown sugar and cinnamon.
For lunch she sold salads of
spinach or other dark leafy greens
topped with boiled eggs, vegetables,
and optional chicken, tuna, or salmon.
There were cups of cold oatmeal,
cottage cheese, or Greek yogurt
to be topped with fresh fruit like
bananas and raspberries.
You could get a cup of hummus
with whole-wheat pita bread
and stoplight pepper sticks.
On hot days, Zella offered
dripping wedges of watermelon,
cantaloupe, and orange
fresh from the cooler.
On cold days, she made
kettles of 21-Bean Soup
with spicy ham hocks
and hot multigrain buns.
There were big bowls
of brown rice topped with
Sweet Potato Hash or
Peanut Fried Chicken.
As a snack, Zella sold bags
of homemade trail mix with
almonds, pistachios, walnuts,
roasted chickpeas, oat rings,
pumpkin and sunflower seeds,
raisins, and dark chocolate.
Her menu changed with
the seasons, but ReFresh
always had something good,
something to pick you up
on a long hard day.
It was a little bit soul food,
a little bit hippie food,
a little bit health food,
and all damn good with
science on the side.
When the men who
had disrespected her
lined up in front of her truck,
Zella Mozambique hid a laugh
and took their lunch money.
* * *
Notes:
Zella Mozambique -- Born Beulah Mack, she changed her name to Zella Mozambique in 1975. She has brown skin, brown eyes, and nappy black hair worn in an Afro. After earning a degree in food science, Beulah tried to convince people to use food for healing and get vitamins from real foods rather than pills. But nobody wanted to listen to a black woman scientist. So she said "fuck it," left science, and changed her name to Zella Mozambique. She started a food truck called ReFresh, which featured foods high in vitamins and other nutrients good for boosting mood and energy.
Qualities: Good (+2) Food Scientist, Good (+2) Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, Good (+2) Stamina, Good (+2) Ujamaa, Good (+2) Uppity Black Woman
Poor (-2) Bullshit Tolerance
1. Ujamaa (Cooperative economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
* * *
The leaky pipeline reduces the number of women and black people in STEMZ.
Black activism in the1970s includes such hallmarks as the afro hairstyle and name changes.
The African heritage food pyramid is the only one with a base layer of dark leafy greens.
Foods for all day energy and improve mood include:
Whole Wheat Bread with Ricotta
Multigrain Bread and Multigrain Buns
Fish and Shellfish
Salmon
Chicken such as Peanut Fried Chicken
Okra
Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Potato Hash
Spinach
Eggs
Oatmeal
Cottage Cheese
Greek Yogurt
Bananas
Raspberries
Watermelon
Oranges
Hummus and Whole Wheat Pita
Red Bell Pepper and Stoplight Peppers (red, yellow, green)
Brown Rice
Pulses such as Beans and Lentils; see Spicy Ham and 21-Bean Soup
Homemade Trail Mix
Almonds
Pistachios
Walnuts
Roasted Chickpeas
Chocolate
Trail mix can include a wide range of healthy and delicious ingredients. You can suit the ingredients, calorie load, and healthy/indulgent settings to your preference. Explore some recipes for your inspiration.
Many-bean mixes come in many sizes; the most common have 3, 5 , 9, 13, 15 or 19 beans. You can make your own bean soup mix with spices. Take a look at African legumes.
Compare soul food, hippie food, and health food.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-06-07 04:49 am (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2021-06-07 05:33 am (UTC)Yeah, me too.
>> The idea of good multigrain sandwiches alone, because even the decent places I know usually use sad dry multigrain breads, but I am absolutely convinced Zella would use the good kind...Oh! <<
She uses the soft, nutty, chewy kind.
Used to be, in the 1970s and early 80s, it was possible to get good multigrain products and flours. Then for a long time it was all terrible, and that's what people thought multigrain was. Now there are starting to be good products again, though it's hit or miss. I still can't find much in the way of multigrain flour. :/
I also really miss when places would put sprouts on the sandwiches instead of shredded lettuce. Sprouts have SO much more nutrition and taste better too.
The reason T-America has more and better food trucks is they support the business model more, and they zone the trucks according to quality. Healthy food gets the best locations (near entrances, exits, bathrooms, crossroads, etc.) and if you want a funnel cake, you can have it but will need to walk farther to get it.
I figure if I keep describing T-American food trucks, maybe someone will take that as inspiration.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2021-06-07 09:48 am (UTC)I figure if I keep describing T-American food trucks, maybe someone will take that as inspiration.
So mote it be!!!
(no subject)
Date: 2021-06-09 05:25 pm (UTC)I ADORE that closing line. Damn!
😂😂😂