#c-u

Firstly, thanks to the editors at Smile Politely writing this article Five cuisines we need in C-U. I've lived in Champaign since 2011 and I appreciate a range of cuisines and palates. However, when I think of all of the food I've eaten (and it's a lot) and which of those cuisines take me to the upper room, it is not the five cuisines you mentioned. And that's no shade, because I love Mediterranean/Middle Eastern/North African food. But if someone asked me that question (and I know you didn't), I'd add the following necessary cuisines that are missing from Chambana (in the following order).

"Injera" by Pen Waggener is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 

1. Ethiopian - because lentils, greens, and tibs is manna from heaven. Shout out to Tesfaye who has been sharing little hints of Ethiopian food at Common Ground Co-op during the cooking classes. And that sour but delightful injera that soaks up all the juicy flavor of what you're eating! Ethiopian is one cuisine that everyone is required to try before you die.

"Kale and Smoked Salmon Jollof" by Pearlsa is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

2. West African (Nigerian/Ghanain) - because jollof (regardless of who made it first) is amazingly delicious. Eat some ofada stew and spinach stew - dishes that are based in meat and stockfish - and tell me your life didn't change for the better!

"File:Mofongo en Kaplash Cuchifritos Coney Island.jpg" by Jason Lam is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

3. Puerto Rican - because it's everything you want that you wish you could have on a regular basis. Boricuas have been making it do what it do for ages and the food is drenched in flavor. So much so that you might not ever want to eat rice the way you normally make it again. Arroz con damn near anything is bomb! And the grilled pork, the empanadas, and the sweet bread. Let me count the ways that the people of Puerto Rico prepare plantains! I won't actually count because it's that many.

"Haili's Hawaiian Foods" by hawaii is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

4. Hawaiian - I've eaten at a Hawaiian restaurant (not in Hawaii) but in California and my mouth squirted. Fantastic pork that's sweet, savory, and saucy. The layering of seafood and vegetables could easily make you forget that you live in the cornfields. Just good!

"Collard Greens 09" by Key West Wedding Photography is licensed under CC BY 2.0

5. Black Soul Food. Last but not least is the food I grew up on. It's the ingenuity of people who were abused, torn, and tattered away from their home lands to help make American the great economic power that it currently is. (Yes, I'm talking about slavery!) It's the endurance of hope. It's the scraps and leftovers. It's the celebration food. It's family reunions. It's at the root of every Thanksgiving dinner I ever attended. Salted meats. Cornbread (or cornbread patties). Mac n cheese. Pie. And more pie. All the greens - kale, collard, turnip, mustard, cabbage. Or as my grandma likes to call 'em "integrated greens." This food needs no elevation. It's historical and always contemporary. It has no other name than its essence... soul...food.

The last article I wrote for Smile Politely before moving to Chicago was a profile of C-U based hip-hop duo Mother Nature—probably the best thing that C-U has going for it! They performed at C-U’s biggest annual music event, The Pygmalion Festival, in September opening up for Run the Jewels. I think they took a lot of people by surprise—myself included. I’d listened to some stuff on their bandcamp and enjoyed it, but going to hip-hop shows has never really been my thing, so I had yet to check them out.

The first thing I learned from them was not to take shit from anyone about your right to create. These two black women obviously face a lot of obstacles, but they show no shyness on stage. Even on the Pygmalion festival stage in front of a mostly white audience full of dumb alt-bros who’ve been soaking up boring indie-pop all day. They fucking owned it and it’s inspiring that they even got there in the first place.

By way of a show review of that Pygmalion set, I learned about myself and my purpose as an editor. Ruth Nicole Brown is a UIUC professor both halves of Mother Nature (they go by T.R.U.T.H and Klevah) have taken GWS classes with. She wrote the coolest article I’ve ever been tasked with editing. The most annoying part of Music Editing at SP was getting writers to write, so when I got Professor Brown’s email submission, I flipped. I think my managing editor was a unsure of it since the writing style was decidedly black. I’ve never seen anything like that before in music writing, but I think it was the best review that could’ve possibly described the Mother Nature Pygmalion set. It was a joy and a learning experience to edit, and it helped me cement my values as an editor.

Reissue: HUM – You’d Prefer an Astronaut

Champaign-Urbana’s favorite post-rockers HUM are reissuing their zebra-clad third LP You’d Prefer an Astronaut on 180 gram vinyl, through ShopRadioCast. The record comes out on March 4, but you can preorder it here.

I smell a “HUM Day” coming up at Exile on Main Street.