By Jacob Day, Communications Manager

Living through the past two years has been tough on all of us. It feels like the next shutdown is a Greek alphabet character away. I’d never heard the term, “cautiously reopening” before, but now it feels as common place as “sorry we’re closed, please come back soon.”

As a musician and someone that lives for performing and going to shows, it’s been a different kind of tough. Many of us make our living from performance or at the very least find refuge in sharing our art with others. 

As The Good Table approaches closer to officially opening its doors to the public, plans for a post-COVID world must be considered. Here’s another term for you, ‘hybrid event.’

If you’re not familiar with the term, you are certainly familiar with the idea in 2022. Hybrid events are, quite simply, a mix of live and virtual events. You take your live event, complete with an audience, content, and more, and you add a virtual component to it so your audience can participate and engage with your event, no matter where they are. 

Pastor Melinda leading hybrid worship in El Cerrito, August 2021

These plans have been on the table, so to speak, long before 2020, but now more than ever seem necessary to engage with a community not only here in El Sobrante, but for the world. We look forward to opening our doors to you here 5166 Sobrante Ave, but are also excited to open our Virtual Doors to a larger community.

As we are building walls and doors to house our café plans are also being made to lay industrial grade cat5e cables for cameras and streaming. We are excited for the opportunity this will give us the chance to share our space and all those that are ready to share their art with the local and world community.

Jacob Day is our new communications manager. He studied Music Theory, Performance, & English at Berklee College of Music Boston & the University of New Hampshire. Jacob moved to the Bay area in 2014 to pursue working in the local community arts and music scene. He’s a multi-instrumentalist and writer of numerous musical collaborations & solo projects. He currently lives in Albany with his cat Oskar.

Do plan to join us THIS Saturday, May 28th for our Community Work + Fun Day, 12-3p. We will be gardening (bring tools for weeding), filling a debris box, and sorting through recent donations of furniture and equipment to consolidate, secure, and organize our storage for the next phase of construction. Wear sturdy clothing and shoes, a mask to protect you from dust and COVID, and bring your favorite work gloves. We’re also happy to simply give you a tour of the site!

by Janine Bedon

Courtesy of Amauri Mejia via unsplash.com

In the Community

Happy May, Good Tablemates! For this edition of Meet Your Tablemates, let’s meet Vivian Lew, one of our community volunteers. Vivian will be teaching some of our community yoga classes, plus offering holistic wellness teaching when we open.

Special thanks to Kelly Knight for taking the video and conducting the interview, Nicole Morin for editing, and Vivian for chatting with us.

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Join us for our next Work + Fun Day!

When: Saturday, May 28th from 12-3 PM

Where: 5166 Sobrante Ave, El Sobrante 94803

We host Work + Fun Days on the last Saturday of every month. Get a chance to tour our new 1.3 acre location, meet fellow Tablemates, and help get the site closer to Opening Day-ready!

Since a lot of construction is taking place at the site, we ask that you wear sturdy shoes, clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and a face mask for dust and covid protection. Plus, don’t forget to bring your favorite gardening gloves and tools if you want to get down and dirty with us!

Help us share the Good word by following us on Facebook and Instagram

by Janine Bedon, Communications Manager for the Good Table

Courtesy of Pixabay via pexels.com

In the Community

It’s time for another installment of Meet Your Tablemates! This month, let’s meet Tamika and Bailey, volunteers for the Good Table.

Tamika is a physician who is passionate about community health. Bailey is Tamika’s daughter and is excited for the possibilities that our space can bring to the community. Watch the video below to learn more about why they’re excited to welcome the Good Table in the El Sobrante community!

Special thanks to Kelly Knight for taking the video and conducting the interview, Nicole Morin for editing, and Tamika and Bailey for chatting with us.

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Join us for our next Work + Fun Day!

When: Saturday, April 30th from 12-3 PM

Where: 5166 Sobrante Ave, El Sobrante 94803

We host Work + Fun Days on the last Saturday of every month. Get a chance to tour our new 1.3 acre location, meet fellow Tablemates, and help get the site closer to Opening Day-ready!

Since a lot of construction is taking place at the site, we ask that you wear sturdy shoes, clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and a face mask for dust and covid protection. Plus, don’t forget to bring your favorite gardening gloves and tools if you want to get down and dirty with us!

Help us share the Good word by following us on Facebook and Instagram

Good Friday is not about us trying to "get right with God." It is about us entering the difference between God and humanity and just touching it for a moment. Touching the shimmering sadness of humanity's insistence that we can be our own gods, that we can be pure and all-powerful. ― Nadia Bolz-Weber, Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People

It’s been a tough few years for those of us who are naturally inclined to be cock-eyed optimists. Worse still for those raised with the old-fashioned notion that “if you don’t have anything good to say, say nothing at all.” Instead, especially if you dare to spend more than 30 seconds on social media, it is the reverse: “if you don’t have anything foul and repulsive to post, don’t bother”. 

Sure there are always folks posting cute cat videos, adorable baby pictures, and lovely scenes from nature. And it is amazing to be able to stream so much gorgeous music and look at inspiring photos and art on any device around the house. But this sort of positive media engagement only provides a temporary respite from the multitude of global and local crises all happening at once. Plus, of course, every single person is contending with their own problems from poverty to unemployment and/or so many different life afflictions from addiction to terminal cancer.

And suddenly, the calendar tells me it’s Holy Week again and here comes Good Friday, the day of remembrance for the crucifixion of Jesus. Over the years, I have found that grappling with the horrifying death of Jesus has indeed been good, in that, it has made space for contemplating suffering in the communities I serve and in my own life so that I can grow in compassion and spiritual maturity.

In some years, my contemplation has taken the form of political protest against needless suffering due to HIV/AIDS, the plight of the unhoused and hungry, the constant violence against women and children, and over 25 years of ministry, we seem to always be able to see “Jesus crucified again” in yet one more war. 

This year, even as the unjust war against Ukraine continues, I am more mindful of the necessity to be sure that the contemplation of suffering built in to the observance of Good Friday leads to new life and not just more destruction.

We are seriously overdue for a real Easter celebration.

Several United Church of Christ congregations nearby will be gathering for Good Friday @First Church, Berkeley at 7p. And while we will yet again dive deep into the challenges of contemplating the death of Jesus, it will also be a joy to simply be in the same room together after two years of online only gathering. And, because the pandemic has brought some gifts, the service will also be available via livestream for those near and far who cannot be “in the house” with us.

Moving between a Good Table where all are welcomed with love and joy to the suffering of Good Friday where we all confront the suffering of our own lives and the whole world creates a necessary balance for our souls, even though it can be awfully hard.

May we all find new wells of compassion that will deepen our joy when Easter finally comes again.

by Janine Bedon, Communications Manager at The Good Table

Book Highlight

April is both Earth Month and National Poetry Month, so in honor of these two celebrations, I’d like to share with you a poetry book that contemplates on our ecological legacy to future generations.

Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American Land, by N. Scott Momaday, is written in free verse and interspersed with art that Momaday created himself. The book is split in two parts: “Dawn” and “Dusk.” “Dawn” is the first part, where he recollects childhood memories in Oklahoma and the earth-centric consciousness instilled in him by his Kiowa heritage. Meanwhile, the verses of “Dusk” lament what was lost and what we will lose if we continue to sever our connection to the earth. Spiritual in its essence, the Kirkus review for the book describes each verse as “almost like prayers to the natural world.”

“Will I give my children an inheritance of the earth?
Or will I give them less than I was given?”

— Earth Keeper, page 40

Earth Keeper is available to buy online or to borrow through the Contra Costa County Library. It is also available as an e-book and as an e-audiobook.

What’s on your Earth/Poetry Month to-read list? Let us know on our Facebook page or through our Instagram!

“Celebrant” by N. Scott Momaday, Earth Keeper page 13

by Janine Bedon, Communications Manager for The Good Table

Photo by Matheus Frade on Unsplash

In the Community

The Good Table is possible because of the many hands, minds, and hearts that have gone into the project. We want to highlight their contributions through our video series, Meet Your Tablemates. Let’s meet one of them today!

Soheila Bana is a Good Table volunteer and the founder of 94803 Emergency Preparedness Alliance. She's an incredible resource for our project, and we're happy to have her! Watch the video below to learn why she joined the Good table cause.

Special thanks to Kelly Knight for taking the video, Nicole Morin for editing, and Soheila Bana for chatting with us.

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Do you want to become a Good Tablemate? 

Join us on our next Work + Fun Day!

When: Saturday, March 26th from 12-3 PM

Where: 5166 Sobrante Ave, El Sobrante 94803

We host Work + Fun Days on the last Saturday of every month. Get a chance to tour our new 1.3 acre location, meet fellow Tablemates, and help get the site closer to Opening Day-ready!

Since a lot of construction is taking place at the site, we ask that you wear sturdy shoes, clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and a face mask for dust and covid protection. Plus, don’t forget to bring your favorite gardening gloves and tools if you want to get down and dirty with us!

Help us share the Good word by following us on Facebook and Instagram

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P.S. Hello there, I’m one of your new #goodtablemates! My name is Janine and I’m helping the GTUCC with their blog, newsletter, and other communication needs. I recently graduated from UC Berkeley where I studied climate justice and global development. I joined the Good Table team because I share their passion for food justice, alternative economies, and fostering community spaces. Feel free to send me a message via the Good Table Facebook or Instagram.

by Kelly Knight, Marketing Manager for The Good Table

Image: Kelly Knight

From the Kitchen

Tortilla Espanol or Spanish tortilla is one of Spain's most popular national dishes, and it is pretty much eggs, potatoes and onions cooked gently in olive oil. It’s basically an omelette, but denser, and used as an appetizer or snack.

I ate it fresh out of the pan, but I’m told it’s even better at room temperature. I’d have it with a side green salad, or breakfast meat if you want a heartier meal.

SPANISH TORTILLA
Recipe adapted from The Mediterranean Dish

INGREDIENTS
10 medium eggs
Salt
1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika, optional
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ lb russet potatoes (or 2 to 3 russet potatoes), peeled, halved and sliced cross-wise
1 large yellow onion, peeled, halved and sliced cross-wise
4 scallions, trimmed, chopped (both white and green portions)
Optional: a handful of greens like baby spinach or baby kale

DIRECTIONS

1. In a big bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, and paprika. Set aside for now.

2. Prepare a 10-inch oven-proof nonstick skillet or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking.

3. Add the potatoes, onions, and scallions to the oil (at first, they won't all seem to fit, but with a little stirring, they'll compress as they cook). Lower the heat immediately to medium-low and watch to control the heat and make sure it continues to gently bubble. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender.

4. Use a heat-safe strainer over a heat-safe bowl to drain the olive oil (reserve the oil aside for now).

5. Season the potatoes well with kosher salt and add them to the egg mixture in the bowl.

6. Turn the oven broiler on.

7. In the skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the reserved olive oil over medium heat. Pour in the egg and potato mixture, and gently press to even out the top. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until you see the edges of the omelet begin to set and firm up then put the pan under the broiler to finish cooking. Broil for about 5 minutes, watching carefully until the eggs are cooked through and the top of the omelet browns slightly (see notes if you prefer to finish cooking on stovetop).

8. Allow the tortilla a few minutes before serving.

9. To serve, invert the tortilla onto a large serving platter (you may need to loosen the edges using a spatula). Cut into 6 slices and serve.

by Kelly Knight, Marketing Manager for The Good Table

Community

One of my favorite things these days is Substack, a platform for journalists and writers to distribute and get paid directly for their writing. It takes out the middleman, and allows that community to benefit from the folks who’d like to support them.

In honor of this, I’d like to share some of my favorite posts on social justice and community from the last couple months. I’m hoping you’ll discover some writers you like, and some communities or movements that are new to you.

Link roundup:
How to Build a Rugged, Resilient Society, by Anne Helen Petersen
It’s Time to Stop Panic Giving, by Virginia Sole-Smith
The Antidote is Always Turning Deeper Towards Each Other, by Garrett Bucks
"I had been hating my body like it was a job for years and I wasn’t happier, healthier, or thinner. I was just…tired." , an interview with Regan Chastain
"Our collective courage is flagging and there is no time for that”, by Chris LaTray (this is from 2020, but it’s still really good.)

From the Kitchen

In our spiritual - and soon our café community - we have a strong commitment to serve foods that are delicious and nutritious, but also meet the various allergy limitations of some members. Of course, one of the most difficult and challenging items on our menu is bread.

Bread is an ancient human food that has significant liturgical significance in Jewish and Christian communities, but it is now a challenging food to offer when so many folks have developed gluten intolerance or are choosing to eat vegan, paleo, or keto.

Amongst clergy colleagues, we’ve had a lot of conversations about how to provide a single loaf that most, if not all, could share together for communion. Here’s my favorite that I regularly bake for our Good Table church community that I found on the blog:  An Edible Mosaic.

It’s basically an egg bread made with almond flower, arrowroot, tapioca starch, and flaxseed meal. It is leavened with salt and apple cider vinegar. You can use coconut oil or ghee, almond milk or cow’s milk if you want to make it vegan. While you may not have all these ingredients in your pantry, they are easily sourced in bulk in natural groceries and may even be readily available through some chain stores. But best of all, it is easy and delicious! And unlike many gluten-free breads, it isn’t “crumbly” or dry and holds together well, making it versatile for many uses.

Image courtesy An Edible Mosaic

Best Paleo Sandwich Bread
by An Edible Mosaic

Prep Time: 10 mins. 

Cook Time: 40-45 mins 

Yield: 1 (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch) loaf or 1 8” round, or 4 mini-loaves

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

6 tablespoons arrowroot starch

4 tablespoons golden flax seed meal

2 tablespoons tapioca starch

3/4 teaspoon fine salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly, plus more to grease the baking pan

4 eggs lightly beaten

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or cow’s milk

1 1/2 teaspoons apple sider vinegar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, generously grease baking pan

2. Whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot, tapioca starch, flaxseed meal, salt and baking soda in a large bowl

3.  Whisk together the slightly cooled ghee or coconut oil, eggs, “milk”, and vinegar in a medium bowl or large measuring cup. (I melt the ghee in the microwave)

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once and stir until combined, but do not over-mix (if you stir it too much, it will not rise)

5. Immediately pour batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes our clean, about 40-45 minutes (depending on the pan.)

6. Cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving. Freezes well and keeps in the fridge for up to five days.

Enjoy!

by Rev. Dr. Melinda V. McLain

“Isolation” by Fabio Barbato

Spiritual Touchstone

During my 25+ years as a pastor, one of the most common worries I hear from parents with regard to their children (no matter what age!) is about friendship. Will my child make friends? Will those friends be a good influence? And, of course, what can I do as a parent to help my child make good friends?

There are no easy strategies for parents confronting this problem on behalf of their children. And the problem of loneliness and a lack of friends is certainly not limited to children. We recently learned from The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, the book our Mindfulness Circle is reading that at least 10% of Americans say that they don’t have any close friends at all.

Not surprisingly, as we move into the third year of a global pandemic, loneliness appears to be on the rise. A new report from Harvard states that: “36% of all Americans—including 61% of young adults (18-25) and 51% of mothers with young children—feel ‘serious loneliness’.” And not surprisingly, loneliness appears to have increased substantially since the outbreak of the global pandemic, although a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study in 2019 found that at least 1 in 5 Americans reported feeling lonely or socially isolated.

Rising loneliness and social isolation are serious health problems with real world consequences. Human beings are social animals like all primates, and we are meant to be in relationship. But somehow, we’ve lost the art of being in community. It might be that we honor rugged individualism too much. Or that we are distracted by media and technology. Or it could be that we’ve just forgotten (or never really learned) how important it is to take time for friendship and to be in community.

The Harvard report suggest three immediate strategies including “raising awareness”, such this blog post or by simply thinking about your friendships or lack thereof. Their second recommendation is to “increase and improve our social infrastructure”. The Good Table is designed to do that for folks in El Sobrante, but we can all take advantage of existing social infrastructure such as volunteering with a local organization or becoming part of a spiritual community such as a temple, gurdwara, church, mosque or synagogue. And the third recommendation is to work “to restore our commitments to each other and the common good”.

From a spiritual perspective, the best antidote to loneliness is to develop a warm and compassionate heart toward others. There are many meditation and prayer practices that can help anyone to become more aware and connected to one another. These practices also help us turn away from focusing on our problems and become more compassionate. This “turning” then helps us to make new friends and strengthen our existing community connections.

My own view is that the fastest way to decrease our own loneliness and self-centeredness is to actively choose to becoming a helper and volunteer. This can be hard for young adults and parents trying to juggle a challenging schedule, but the results can be miraculous.

Try doing one new thing “out in the world” once a month such as participating in a community work day. Here in El Sobrante, there are many opportunities including our monthly “clean-up the town day” every 3rd Saturday (including this Saturday, Feb. 19) from 10a-12n (meet at the library) or come to our site (5166 Sobrante Avenue) on the last Saturday (Feb. 26) from 12n-3p.

Here is some final wisdom to ponder from Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the subject of loneliness.

“Much depends on your attitude. If you are filled with negative judgment and anger, then you will feel separate from other people. You will feel lonely. But if you have an open heart and are filled with trust and friendship, even if you are physically alone, even living a hermit’s life, you will never feel lonely.”

— Archbishop Desmond Tutu

May we all find happiness and friendship.