Music:
Morning Becomes Eclectic is a local LA radio broadcast show on KCRW (89.9) featuring the freshest hits of the times. It’s been on the air every weekday from 9a-12p since 1977 (!) and has accompanied many of us locals through our mornings with ease, grooves, and much welcomed head bobs.
One particular Tuesday on October 17, I was out and about runnin errands and jivin through the morning. By default, I had KCRW on the radio and every time I stepped in the car, MBE would turn up and that day, it was on fire. No matter where we were in the 3 hour segment, they played hit after HIT. Every jam was a hell yes. This isn’t always the case so I knew it was something special.
Here’s that day’s playlist to guide you through your day when you could use some freshness or a lovely groove. Start at any point of the show and you’re bound to hear somethin good.
May your morning be eclectic!
[All can enjoy the show’s livestream and past playlists here at any time of day.]
Recipes:
My sister/cousin “B” (real name Jannell) is a chef and writer and a whiz in the kitchen specializing in yummy Asian-Canadian gluten free recipes.
I’ll be honest; I am not a great cook. Some people can find recipes and whether they follow it step by step or wing it intuitively, it comes out dope and delicious. I’m not one of those people. I panic the moment things don’t “feel right” and FIDDLE SPIRAL. Anyone know about the fiddle spiral?
Anyways, I recently made B’s Laksa and Charred Baby Bokchoy recipes and they both came out AWESOME. I felt like a mf champ. Enjoy these fool proof recipes that are perfect for fall/winter!
Laksa - Malaysian style noodle soup, comfort food to the max
Charred Baby Bok Choy with Pickled Red Onions and Peanuts - this was given a standing ovation at the table
Book: Proposals for the Feminine Economy by Jennifer Armbrust
Once in awhile, I’ll daydream about how things would be different if we lived in a matriarchal, or femme led society.
As a fellow female business grower, I was recommended this short but simple book by my sister/cousin master of gluten free cuisine B (see above)! This book has been critical in guiding my values and how I form the foundation for this doula work.
Armbrust makes a sharp contrast between the hard, linear, material “masculine economy” that we are currently living in and the soft, interdependent, empathetic “feminine economy” that we need to work towards (see below).
While I’m not a fan of placing rigid gender labels on values and virtues nor do I believe one is inherently right or wrong, what I do believe in is the natural need for rebalance. Capitalist values have dominated our economy for generations and have tipped the scale. It’s only natural for us to tip back when it has becomes too unstable and unsustainable in an effort to rebalance and evolve.
You can feel it in the ether; in the needs of people. People are yearning for compassion, for softness, for collaboration and integrity. People yearn to trust each other again. I’ve experienced it in the reflections from our elders who are aging and dying. Competition, profit, and individualism become meaningless to what makes a good life.
It’s a wise book and I’m glad it exists as a guide for us. Within the book, she also offers 12 Principles for Prototyping a Feminist Business. Here are a few that I like:
You have a body. Create structures that support and nourish your body and all the other bodies you know.
Tell the truth. Say how you're feeling. Admit when you don't know. Speak your truth. Repudiate lies, deceptions and misrepresentations. Hold yourself and others accountable.
Cultivate abundant consciousness. Feel your deep connection with the earth—nature is abundance embodied. Scarcity teaches us gratitude and responsibility. Nourish, nurture, savor.
Free yourself from the myth of meritocracy. Divest your ego of the want to prove itself through struggle and sacrifice. Become attuned to your needs and honor them as they arise. Feel into your body. Let inner wisdom be your guide. Go where you are called. Eat when you are hungry. Rest when you are tired.
Woop!
Love you be happy,
Erika