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C4 EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE East Oregonian Saturday, January 5, 2019 Murals highlight Atlanta’s civil rights legacy By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA — As Atlanta pre- pares to host the Super Bowl, art- ists there are painting murals that highlight the city’s civil rights and social justice legacy. The artwork adorning neigh- borhoods near the downtown stadium where the game will be played is part of an initiative called “Off The Wall: Atlanta’s Civil Rights and Social Justice Journey.” The project is a collab- oration between arts advocacy group WonderRoot and the Super Bowl host committee. While the murals’ installation was timed to coincide with the Feb. 3 sports extravaganza, they are meant to be lasting public works of art for Atlantans to enjoy long after the football fans have left. The idea was to celebrate Atlanta’s role in the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s and connect that rich legacy with more contemporary struggles for justice and equality, WonderRoot executive director Chris Appleton said. “We definitely have works that, for good reason, make Atlanta proud of its role in the civil rights movement and the human rights movement, and we have murals that invite and challenge us in Atlanta to continue striving for that beloved community,” Apple- ton said. The term “beloved commu- nity” was made popular by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., an Atlanta native, to describe a soci- ety centered on equal opportunity and justice and rooted in the phi- losophy of nonviolence. Several dozen “commu- nity conversations” brought out unheard and untold stories about the struggle for justice that needed to be elevated, Appleton said. The artists sat in on those conversations and used them to inform their mural designs, which then went through two rounds of community feedback. “I really believe the artists have done a great job of amplify- ing and complexifying narratives around justice issues in Atlanta and beyond,” Appleton said. “The murals, as a collection, are cele- AP Photo/John Bazemore, File Muhammad Yungai paints a mural on a building near the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 13, 2018. A series of about 30 murals on walls around the downtown Atlanta stadium that will host the Super Bowl aims to highlight Atlanta’s civil rights legacy. Shanequa Gay paints a mural on a MARTA station wall near the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 14, 2018. bratory in some cases, are aspi- rational in some cases and are rooted in truth-telling.” A nomination and selection committee invited artists from around the country to apply, and the panel chose 10 applicants. An 11th spot, dubbed “Atlanta’s choice,” was open only to Atlanta area artists and was voted on by the public. In total, they plan to install roughly 30 murals. Muhammad Yungai, the muralist selected by public vote, drew inspiration from a commu- nity conversation held at Spelman College, where he learned about The 44-year-old middle school art teacher and professional muralist said his work often focuses on education. “I believe education is the big- gest thing that we can do as a cul- ture to ensure that everyone can achieve the life they want,” Yun- gai said. Shanequa Gay, 40, was inspired by a community conver- sation at Covenant House, which provides housing and support for homeless young people. Her mural, “Excuse me while I kiss the sky,” adorns the walls of the Vine City transit station, across students who volunteered at a nearby community farm. His mural, “Community Roots,” is on a wall in Atlanta’s Castleberry Hill neighborhood. It showcases actual students from four historically black col- leges and universities in Atlanta — Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta and Morris Brown — and the produce they help grow. He wanted to shine a light on the four schools, which sit a stone’s throw from Mercedes Benz Sta- dium, where the Super Bowl will be played, and on urban farming and community gardening. AP Photo/John Bazemore, File the street the stadium. Gay said she wanted to rep- resent people who sleep under the trees and bushes. Dark out- lines of leaves and flowers that she said are inspired by Geor- gia’s abundant vegetation are lay- ered over brightly colored profiles of young people she met at Cove- nant House. “I went and took photographs of these young people making kissy faces to kind of humanize homelessness because we don’t attribute kissing with being home- less — or joy or laughter or young people,” she said. AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN For foolproof poached chicken, turn to sous vide cooking Carl Tremblay/America’s Test Kitchen via AP Tabbouleh as it appears in the cookbook “Complete Mediterranean.” Key tips on how to avoid making your tabbouleh salad soggy Tabbouleh is a signature Levan- tine salad made of bulgur, parsley, tomato, and onion steeped in a pen- etrating mint and lemon dressing. We started by salting the toma- toes to rid them of excess mois- ture that otherwise made our salad soggy. Soaking the bulgur in lemon juice and some of the drained tomato liquid, rather than in water, allowed it to absorb lots of flavor as it softened. Chopped onion overwhelmed the salad; two mild scallions added just the right amount of oniony fla- vor. Parsley, mint, and a bit of cay- enne pepper rounded out the dish. Adding the herbs and vegetables while the bulgur was still soaking gave the components time to min- gle, resulting in a cohesive dish. Don’t confuse bulgur with cracked wheat, which has a much longer cooking time and will not work in this recipe. Tabbouleh Servings: 4-6 Start to finish: 2 hours, 30 minutes 3 tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces Salt and pepper 1/2 cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed 1/4 cup lemon juice (2 lemons) 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 1/2 cups minced fresh parsley 1/2 cup minced fresh mint 2 scallions, sliced thin Toss tomatoes with 1/4 tea- spoon salt in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl and let drain, toss- ing occasionally, for 30 minutes; reserve 2 tablespoons drained tomato juice. Toss bulgur with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and reserved tomato juice in bowl and let sit until grains begin to soften, 30 to 40 minutes. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, oil, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in large bowl. Add tomatoes, bulgur, pars- ley, mint, and scallions and toss gently to combine. Cover and let sit at room temperature until fla- vors have blended and bulgur is tender, about 1 hour. Before serv- ing, toss salad to recombine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Poached chicken gets a bad rap for being tough, dry, and a little squeaky between your teeth. But that’s probably because poaching is a relatively imprecise cooking method. If your poaching water’s too hot, the meat overcooks; if you leave the meat in the water too long, it overcooks; if you use too little water, the meat—you guessed it—undercooks. There are a lot of variables when poach- ing chicken. Thankfully, cooking sous vide eliminates most of them. For foolproof poached chicken, we cook chicken breasts at a mod- erate temperature for about an hour, which results in a juicy, ten- der texture that’s just firm enough that it doesn’t fall apart. While this recipe is finished in an hour, you can hold the chicken in the bath for up to 3 hours before the texture starts to change—giving you some flexibility. This perfectly poached chicken is great on its own or sliced over salad. In addition, this method is a great starting point for experimen- tation and variation, so feel free to add spices, herbs, or boldly fla- vored marinades to the bag (just don’t add fresh garlic; it is partic- ularly susceptible to botulism). Foolproof poached chicken breasts Servings: 4 Sous Vide Temperature: 150 F Sous Vide Time: 1 to 3 hours Active Cooking Time: 25 minutes 4 8 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed Salt and pepper 1/4cup vegetable oil Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 150 F in 7 quart container. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken and oil in 1 gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and toss to coat. Seal bag, press- Steve Klise/America’s Test Kitchen via AP Foolproof Poached Chicken Breasts as they appear in the cookbook “Sous Vide for Everybody.” ing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until chicken is fully submerged, and then clip top cor- ner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours. Transfer chicken to paper tow- el-lined plate and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve. Variations: Foolproof Lemon-Thyme Poached Chicken — Combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 tea- spoon garlic powder, 1/2 tea- spoon minced fresh thyme, and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest in bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt mixture. Foolproof Soy-Ginger Poached Chicken — Omit salt and pepper. Whisk 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and 1/2 teaspoon white pep- per together in bowl. Substitute soy sauce mixture for oil.