An anniversary of Yin and Yang

Wedding in Central Park

July 17, 2010 in Central Park surrounded by our loved ones and beautiful weeping willows overlooking the water, my husband and I were married "in the heaven of Thy mercy". Blessed "that from the union of these two seas of love a wave of tenderness may surge". I’m so grateful that I found the love of my life in 2007 in a small town in the beautiful Tanzania. Together we are Yin and Yang. In fact, once people get to know us this is often what they say. And not just because we’re a biracial couple ;)

“At its heart are the two poles of existence, which are opposite but complementary. The light, white Yang moving up blends into the dark, black Yin moving down. Yin and Yang are dependent opposing forces that flow in a natural cycle, always seeking balance. Though they are opposing, they are not in opposition to one another. As part of the Tao, they are merely two aspects of a single reality. Each contains the seed of the other, which is why we see a black spot of Yin in the white Yang and vice versa. They do not merely replace each other but actually become each other through the constant flow of the universe."
~ Aaron Hoopes, Zen Yoga: A Path to Enlightenment though Breathing, Movement and Meditation

Thank Loving

Thank you Mrs. & Mr. Loving

If I was born 45 years earlier I,  an African America woman, would not have been allowed to marry my husband (who is a white man) in many US states. Thank God for people like the Lovings who refuse to accept unjust laws.

The International Photography Center (1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street) has an exhibit on The Lovings now until May 6. And it's free on Fridays :)

"Forty-five years ago, sixteen states still prohibited interracial marriage. Then, in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court considered the case of Richard Perry Loving, a white man, and his wife, Mildred Loving, a woman of African American and Native American descent, who had been arrested for miscegenation nine years earlier in Virginia. The Lovings were not active in the Civil Rights movement but their tenacious legal battle to justify their marriage changed history when the Supreme Court unanimously declared Virginia's anti-miscegenation law—and all race-based marriage bans—unconstitutional. LIFE magazine photographer Grey Villet's intimate images were uncovered by director Nancy Buirski during the making of The Loving Story, a documentary debuting on February 14, 2012 on HBO. The exhibition, organized by Assistant Curator of Collections Erin Barnett, includes some 20 vintage prints loaned by the estate of Grey Villet and by the Loving family."

Whole Foods' Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Cake

Whole Foods' Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Cake

* * * * * (*), 5 out of 5 stars plus a bonus star. I've

now made it part of my weekly shopping experience to buy a slice.

It's the kind of cake that I try to savour but I finish

in one setting and I feel such a sadness that it's all eaten.

There's a 85% chance this cake will be our wedding cake come July. Mmmmm

Vegan Pizza! and introducing people to the joys of vegan food

My mom drove in to visit me yesterday. I decided to take the time to try out Peacefood Cafe. My mom was apprehensive and suspicious at first; joking that she might need a hamburger afterwards. But after she saw 'Kale and Lentil Soup' on the menu she cheered up. The food was fantastic, an instant favorite. The cafe is lovely, comforting candlelight setting, excellent staff and great food. Mmmm, I'm still dreaming of the dumplings and mushroom pizza (see the end for details of our meal or my fiancé's yelp review).

I do not understand why some people freak out at the mention of vegan food. To me vegan food is just another genre like Chinese or Mexican food. In America it's common for the average person to try all genres of food. However, mention vegan food and they think the worst. Just like with every other genre of foods there are great vegan restaurants and bad ones; there are extremely strange food items and common ones.

It's been a struggle trying to incorporate vegan items for our wedding in July. Since I will be the only vegan there, it's assumed the food will be all meat/dairy etc. However, I am the bride. If the bride can't eat at her own wedding, there's a problem. I've made many concessions to include BBQ chicken, non-vegan pies etc on the menu. All I want is vegan cake/cupcakes and a small portion of West Indian style vegan food from Strictly Roots. My fiance and I used to go to Strictly Roots every month, it holds great memories. In the end a wedding should represent the bride and groom. I'm so tired of the "consumer driven" and "cookie cutter" wedding industry. But we are standing strong in our goals to plan an environmentally and budget friendly wedding that represent us and our beliefs. For anyone trying to plan an out of the box wedding I recommend you check out OffBeat Bride and The Green Bride Guide.

What we ordered at PeaceFood Cafe:

1. Pan-Seared Shanghai-Style Dumplings (homemade dumplings filled with chinese chives, shitake & wood ear mushrooms, marinated tofu & vegetarian protein, served with a ginger balsamic dipping sauce)

2. Chickpea Fries with dipping sauce

3. Mushroom Duxelle Pizza with roasted sweet peppers, onions & zucchini (I got half with soy cheese and half without)

4. Thai Curry

5. Kale and Lentil Soup

Peacefood Cafe Inc

www.peacefoodcafe.com

460 Amsterdam Ave

New York, NY 10024

(212) 362-2266