The Passion of Sister Dottie S. Dixion

After hearing on the radio an advertisement for this show, something along the lines of "Sister Dottie S. Dixon, bridging the gap between the LDS and gay communities one casserole at a time", I knew this was a show I could not miss! I promptly got tickets and enjoyed "The Passion" today, along with a healthy dose of poorly played primary songs, hymns and patriotic tunes, thanks to Dottie's friend Dartsey FoxMoreland.

This show is a one woman (er...man?) show with Dottie played by Charles Lynn Frost. It depicts her journey growing up as a 10th generation Mormon, marrying in the LDS temple, raising their child Donny (who comes out to his parents at age 16), and ultimately dealing with her deep alliances to and love of both her gay son and the LDS church. She believes she has received a calling from the Lord to bring together the LDS and gay communities by the year 2012 and promptly begins in the only way she knows how (by cooking a casserole for each of the Apostles and the First Presidency of course!). The show was equal parts humerous, sincere and serious with one of my favorite moments being her depiction of driving to Nevada to play the nickle slots with her friend Dartsey only to have the car breakdown on the way there. Of course they knelt down and prayed for help, first asking for forgiveness (although they hadn't really sinned yet and they were, after all, only going to play nickels) and then asking for the Lord to start their car so she could complete her newly found calling.

In the end the message of the show really was that every person's journey to God is a deeply personal one and that no one can follow the same path as another. You could tell that most of the audience members connected to the show on a very personal level and could easily relate to the experiences of this mother. The show gave each person there the recipe to living an authentic life with the key ingredients being to be true to themselves, stand up for what they believe is right, be courageous in the fight and finally to add in a can of Cream of Mushroom soup!

I loved this quote that she continually referred to as well:

"Well behaved women seldom make history."

I also about died when she was wondering how her son could be gay, after all he had grown up doing all the right LDS things and singing all the LDS songs, including "I'm a Mormon, yes I am".

In honor of this fantastic show and my childhood memories growing up LDS, here's a link to all those great songs on the "I'm a Mormon" record by Janeen Brady! Go ahead, sing along...I won't tell! =)

Something Other Than the Olive Garden

Okay, folks. After one too many of my friends have told me how they came downtown and went to the Olive Garden before such and such event, I feel it my duty, to step in, and give you all some advice on the many other options you have for dining in Salt Lake City! Friends!! If you are coming downtown, I implore you to try something new, and enjoy all the various options you have when dining in the city! To that end, here are some of my local favs (along with my favorite dishes)! Try them out! You won't be disappointed.

Bruges Waffles
This place just opened across from Pioneer Park. I know what you are thinking but it is actually a really nice place to hang out in during the day. Trust me. Bruges makes the best waffle I have ever had. Ever. Even compared to Waffle House waffles (and those of you who have tried Waffle House waffles will know what i mean) Anyway, back to Bruges, their waffles are more like dessert tho, so to round out the meal I suggest getting some of their tasty Frites (french fries). Thats at least two food groups, right?

Banbury Cross
The best donuts in town. Hands down. Try a cinnamon one or a bear claw. Delicious!

ACME Burgers
Everything is good at ACME! Everything. It is a great place to go for Sunday Brunch. My favorite dish being the Rabanada French Toast - think, churros for breakfast. But not a bad idea to split that with someone who is getting something a little less sweet, like possibly the Frittata.

For lunch or dinner they have amazing burgers and amazing everything else. My fav is the ABC Mini (a small burger) with sweet potato fries. If you want to go all out try their Cheese and Beer Fondue with Zuchinni sticks as an appetizer. Also, the bread pudding is a tasty dessert.

Settabello
Settabello serves Napoli style pizza (very thin crust) that is light and yummy. They use the finest imported ingredients and everything is cooked in minutes in their wood fire brick oven. My favorite pizza is the Margherita. If you are planning on sharing the pizza, then you may want to get a salad as well. I recommend the Caprese salad (fresh tomatoes and mozzerella covered in olive oil).

Red Rock
Right next door to Settabello is another Salt Lake staple. Apparently they make great beer but I tend to favor their homemade rootbeer! Everything I have tried there is good so you really cannot go wrong with anything on the menu. Their dark chocolate cake, tho, is perhaps the best reason to go.

Blue Iguana
Great, fresh mexican food. Salt Lake also offers the Red Iguana on North Temple, but I like the way the Blue Iquana prepares my favorite dish, the Enchiladas Suiza.

Thaifoon
Thaifoon serves Thai and Chinese dishes and the dishes are fresh and original. My favorite is the Sizzling Beef w/Asparagus. If you know someone who doesn't think they like Chinese food, have them try this dish and they may just change their mind. Also good are their coconut shrimp and their tasty chocolate volcano dessert.

The Bakery
All around best desserts. Tons of options and they are open late (I think 9 pm). They also have a good lunch and dinner menu but really, its the desserts. They are amazing and plentiful.

Ben's Cookies
Best cookies in town. They close at 9-ish (really, that's is what it says on the door) so go before the show to pick out some treats for intermission or for afterwards. Its at the Gateway so parking can be a bit tricky, if you are driving with someone, I recommend dropping them off and let them run in and get the cookies while you drive around the block. Yeah, I know, probably more than you needed to know, but I just don't want anyone to miss out on the yummyness that is Ben's Cookies because they couldn't find a convenient parking place!

Belief-o-Matic

I tried this out and found the results interesting and somewhat entertaining. I wasn't surprised my beliefs most closely fit with the Unitarian Universalists but what exactly is a "Liberal Quaker?" Isn't that an oxymoron? Anyway, if you try it out, post a comment with your "scores"!

1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Liberal Quakers (98%)
3. Reform Judaism (96%)
7. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (79%)
8. Mahayana Buddhism (75%)
9. Secular Humanism (70%)
14. Scientology (62%)
18. Islam (58%)
19. Hinduism (49%)
23. Seventh Day Adventist (31%)
24. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (28%)
26. Roman Catholic (20%)
27. Jehovah's Witness (13%)

A Day In the City

So I'm standing in front of three African young women in the Starbucks line today...I was intrigued and couldn't help listening in on their conversation... Here are a couple of the interesting fun quotes from that conversation (From what I could gather it seemed they were somewhat recent immigrants from Africa)

"Everyday is Mother's day [in America] for women from Kenya"

In looking at the Ethos water bottle ...."Rural Kenya? Where is that? It says the sale of the water benefits the children in Rural Kenya...." Which just struck me as funny, since it seems they were from there and were trying to figure out where, exactly, rural Kenya was...

"The Arabs have all the money, and we ended up in America!"

Then on my way home another random guy on the streets wished me a Happy Mothers day. Which was almost as good as last week when another random guy passed me and said "Hey Baby, what's goin on?"

I Read History Books

There, I said it. Not only do I read them, I get excited about reading them...I can't wait until the end of the day when I can take 45 minutes to an hour and dive into all those delicious facts and dates, places and well, people. All this coming from a person who didn't even try taking the AP History test in high school because she just couldn't seem to remember all those dates and places and names! And honestly, not much has changed...I still find myself getting lost in the numerous dates and names but it is the stories...the stories of the people who lived through all these different times and places, those who lived through both the tragic and the mundane that so intrigue me. At at risk of sounding cliche, I will say it anyway...there is so much to learn from what has happened in the past!

I started reading "Massacre at Mountain Meadows" a few months ago but just couldn't get past the first chapter. Too many dates, names and places and not enough story. So early this week, I somewhat guiltily decided, "Hey this is my book, if I want to skip the first 100 pages, that is my right!" and quickly proceeded to the more captivating middle chapters. I have had my nose stuck in that book in every spare moment ever since.

It's a book about a tragic event that happened in Southern Utah in the late nineteenth century. It's tragic on so many levels...tragic for the poor folks that were so wrongfully deceived and ultimately massacred, tragic for the Indians who were put in the middle of the conflict and, later, fully blamed for the outcome and tragic for many of the those who did the deceiving and killing all in the name of following the orders of their religious and civic leaders.

To elaborate on the last point, the citizens of southern utah blindly followed their leaders without question to personal morals and what they may have personally thought was good and right. In the investigation following the massacre "one man after another said he had gone to the Meadows because of military orders". A military that was led by the religious leaders of the area. Nephi Johnson, an Indian interpreter, said that "A good many [men] objected, but they didn't dare say anything". They were told it was the right thing to do, and despite their misgivings, followed their leaders into "battle". The women left behind were instructed by Sister Haight (wife of Issac Haight who was a chief leader in the planning and execution of the massacre)

"the necessity of being obedient to their husbands" and not to be fearful in these "troublesome" and "squally" times". "We ought to attend to secret prayer in behalf of our husbands, sons, fathers, & brothers" and teach their children "the principles of righteousness, and to implant a desire in their hearts to avenge the blood of the prophets".

They were told it was the right thing to do, and in the name of obedience, the Mormons in the area followed the counsel of their leaders.

Additionally, this singular event in Utah history so clearly demonstrates the dangers of the us vs. them mentality. When a group of people separate themselves so fully from another group that they honestly believe they are better and more privileged, it is a recipe for disaster. As I think about it, I am reminded of a class I had in college. The teacher had everyone stand in a line as she listed off the many things that we judge people by (and by doing so, separate ourselves from them) and for each thing (sexual preferences, religious preferences, etc. etc.) the students in the class that fit the descriptions stepped across the room, becoming the "them". It was a truly eye opening experience as I realized that people I had put in the "them" category before, were really friends, acquaintances and classmates - people who up until that point I had considered to be just like me. How could the tragic events of the massacre have turned out differently if the Mormons in the southern Utah community had attempted to get to know the families in the Arkansas train headed for California instead of considering them "their common enemies"? Surely they would have realized how similar they really were and would never have felt "justified in distroying them."

Although this event occurred over century ago the key ideas that led to this disastrous event are still prevalent today. As a society and responsible citizens we must always listen to our conscience and fight for what we believe is right, even if it is unpopular. We must embrace and celebrate our differences, instead of condemning those that are not like us.

Who Determines What is Moral?

Today in the Deseret News there was an article about Vermont's Legislature overriding the Governor's veto to legalize gay marriage. That makes four states now with legalized gay marriage. Hooray for progress! However, in reading some of the comments in the article this one really struck me...

The economic downturn is troubling but nothing compared to the immoral practices this country is starting to embrace. Legalizing gay marriage is just plain dangerous and destructive. Our society becoming immoral will destroy us. I hope for our countries sake that this trend does not continue. It amazes me how blind people have become.

As I read that it sounded eerily familiar to things I have been reading in the book "Reading Lolita in Tehran". In this book, the author describes the many freedoms that were slowly taken away from the Iranian people all in the name of morality. If you replace the words "Legalizing gay marriage" in the comment above with any number of other freedoms that were withheld from the Iranian people all in the name of morality you start to see the problem with this line of reasoning. Freedoms such as:

"Allowing people to read fiction from American authors"
"Allowing women to go outdoors uncovered"
"Allowing freedom of speech"
"Allowing religious freedom"
Etc. Etc.

So my question is: Who gets to determine what is moral and what is not? Just because the majority believes something is immoral, does that make it so? Every right that was taken away from the Iranian people (women especially) was similarly explained away as being "immoral" and destructive to society as a whole. Now, these same arguments are being used in the United States to justify the restriction of rights of a minority or, rather, the rights of our friends and neighbors.

As has been proved by history, what is considered "moral" will vary greatly depending on religious and political influences. Maybe instead we need to focus on love. If we love our neighbors, wouldn't we want them to be happy? Wouldn't we want them to have the same freedoms we have? Its time for those who think gay marriage is immoral to examine a little more closely that other Christian value... "Love thy neighbor as thyself".

Freaky

After putting in my order at the local sandwich shop today, they call out "Jan" to let me know my order is ready. Me and another woman step to the counter...Apparently I am not the only Jan ordering a sandwich which is actually pretty unusual...I mean you may think Jan is a somewhat common name, but it's no Michael or Jennifer, for sure. Stranger, tho, was that we had both ordered half an egg salad on wheat. Yeah, I know, freaky, right? I think I ended up with her sandwich...Hopefully she is not upset when she finds salt and pepper added to hers! Oops!