Page 12
November 13, 2019
Erasure of Women in Juarez
c ontinued from p age 5
pression is more difficult than
it looks. We want answers; we
want to solve the mystery. At
most, we want to locate the sto-
ry outside of anything that could
touch us, to congratulate our-
selves for attending to a story
that is tragic, or sad or powerful.
Although there are no definitive
answers to what has happened
to many or most of the disap-
peared women of Juarez, the
play could do more to help au-
dience members ask themselves
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the questions that would awaken
appropriate
self-examination.
What does it suggest about
American culture that now hun-
dreds of Mexican women have
disappeared while employed at
subsistence wages by American
companies, and yet so little has
been done to protect them and
stop the killings? What does it
suggest about how much we
value the lives of these women
-- of women at the margins and
women in general -- that most of
us know so little about this pat-
tern of disappearances? What
connects our lives to theirs?
Although I expect audience
members will be moved, the
play could do more to prompt
them to internalize such ques-
tions.
With that said, holding space
for stories like these is an im-
portant starting point. It is a
move against the erasure of
these women; it helps us to
visualize their faces and voic-
es, and guides us toward the
practice of empathy and of
treating their lives as valuable.
The music of this production --
traditional Mexican folk songs
sung by the cast -- give voice
to their dreams and hopes. And
this play, based on the stories of
real women, gives them names:
Yolanda. Marisela. Ivonne.
Brenda. Zaide. Desamaya.
Artists Repertory Theater’s
production of “La Ruta” plays
through Dec 1 at the Portland
Opera stage.
Darleen Ortega is a judge on
the Oregon Court of Appeals
and the first woman of color to
serve in that capacity. Her mov-
ie and theater review column
Opinionated Judge appears
regularly in The Portland Ob-
server. Find her blog at opin-
ionatedjudge.blogspot.com.
F OOD
This super slow-cooker recipe has been a lifesaver. It
cooks while I’m away and smells heavenly when I walk in
the door in the evening.
Fruited Chicken
INGREDIENTS
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken
breast halves
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• Hot cooked rice
DIRECTIONS
Place onion and chicken in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine the orange juice,
soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, orange peel and garlic; pour
over chicken. Sprinkle with apricots and cranberries. Cover and cook on
low for 7-8 hours or until chicken juices run clear. Serve over rice.
Slow cooked
chicken
breasts in a
rich, peanutty,
slightly spicy
sauce. Serve
over rice.
Slow Cooked Thai Chicken
INGREDIENTS
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch
strips
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded
and sliced into strips
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 3 green onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
DIRECTIONS
1. Place the chicken breast strips, bell pepper and onion into a slow
cooker. Pour in the chicken broth and 1/4 cup of soy sauce, then season
with cumin, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir to blend, then
cover and cook on Low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
2. Remove 1 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker, and mix this with the
cornstarch, peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and lime juice. This
should blend into a fairly thick sauce. Stir the sauce back into the slow
cooker, and place the lid on the pot.
3. Cook on High for 30 minutes. Garnish with green onions, cilantro and
peanuts before serving.