Live Deliciously or Die Trying

Washington Post is paywalling the article but it looks like Taylor Farms — a consumer bagged salad brand that also supplies produce to grocers and fast food chains like Taco Bell, Walmart, McDonald's, Chipotle, Burger King, KFC, and Meijer —may be at least one of the sources of the current cyclosporiasis outbreak.

Prior to this point, when Odysseus tries to exercise Xenia (ancient Greek guest rites/hospitality code), he did what he was supposed to do. (Well, we think so anyway — notably, the most famous books of the Odyssey are told by Odysseus, who isn’t exactly a reliable narrator.)

But when Polyphemus kills and eats some of the men, the game changes. The Cyclops makes it clear he has no intention of abiding by Zeus’s laws, and will cannibalize the lot of the men. So, Odysseus responds in kind — he breaks Xenia and lies. He introduces himself under a false name as part of a trick. Polyphemus then breaks Xenia again — he tells Nobody he’ll be eaten last, and that is the Cyclops’ guest gift to him.

Odysseus’ transgression is clearly the lesser one. The Nobody trick works. It gets Odysseus and most of his crew out of the cave alive.

But, crucially, before leaving Odysseus sheds his disguise. He admits his true identity, in detail, so he can boast of his achievements and add vanquishing a Cyclops to the list. And it bites him in the ass spectacularly.

The only reason why Polyphemus can curse Odysseus, can bid his father Poseidon to curse the man who blinded him, is because he now knows who did it. If Odysseus had kept his mouth shut, he might have safely made it home from there. But while a big part of why the Nobody disguise vs. real name reveal is showing Odysseus’s hubris, it’s not just about that. It’s also about the start of a pattern that hurts him more than it helps him.

From this point in the Odyssey on, Odysseus lies about his identity constantly. And sometimes it protects him, but more often it’s a detriment or at least unnecessary. He’s lying about his identity primarily to people who are on his side — a kindly loyal swineherd, his son, his faithful wife, his ailing father.

The last one is especially damning, because happens when Odysseus has already killed the suitors and returned home and reunited with the rest of his family sans disguises. He knows from everyone else that Laertes never betrayed him or his legacy, but was mourning his son and heartbroken for almost a decade. Odysseus has publicly declared his return to everyone else — his father doesn’t know because he’s living in squalor remotely. But Odysseus doesn’t tell his father who he is. He makes up a fake identity and tells a story implying Laertes’ son is dead. And when Laertes bursts out crying, then Odysseus drops the charade and finally admits who he really was.

There was no utility to that lie. No loyalty to test. No hidden threats to worry about. But Odysseus still instinctively lies to his beloved father about who he is, only dropping the charade when he sees the damage it’s doing to his relationships.

Because at this point, lying is pathological for Odysseus. He can’t seem to stop doing it. Because with Polyphemus, a lie protected him and the truth hurt him. That is the point of the “ Nobody” disguise.

Explaining that the prominent iced coffees and chocolate-glazed Munchkins were essential to director Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of the ancient Greek epic, actor Matt Damon defended Tuesday the placement of Dunkin’ Donuts products in the upcoming film The Odyssey. “Look—for a voyage that long, you’d need 50 sausage, egg, and cheese croissants, at least,” said the actor, who added that he spent countless hours consulting with historians while preparing for the starring role of Odysseus to get a sense of what the hero might have ordered from the Massachusetts-based chain in Greece during the Late Bronze Age. 

Also consider Mikinakoos' as they're extending support beyond their traditional service areas due to the scale of this emergency!

Donations for Namaygoosisagagun First Nation:

Donations for Whitesand First Nation:

the plentiful app creates seamless and accesible ways to find food banks and visit them through their app to communicate directly with providers

foodfinder is another source that helps locate local food banks and food pantries

feedingamerica has their own food banks and pantries under their program which one can search for locally here

projectfoodbox offers food boxes curated by dietitians if ones insurance qualifies for it

foodpantries lists more than 16k food pantries, banks and soup kitchens

ampleharvest has local food pantries which accept donations from farmers with a surplus of fresh food

the little pantry helps find small, neighborhood pantries in areas supported by neighbors for free, similarly to the concept of little libraries

freedge helps create or find small groups in which people can share their food supplies and others can accept their surplus of foods locally

yhunger gives resources to young teens and adults in their local areas to help create budget friendly recipes, receive resources and receive any help

too good to go is an app that gives you restaurants, grocery stores and bakeries which donate their unsold foods to prevent food waste

i share these resources for anyone who may need them whether to feed their families through these times or who are willing to volunteer to support their local neighborhoods. many of these are free and need our support in this coming time of need for billions, just getting these out there to people in itself is enough. reblog, share, donate if possible or add on if you know any more resources that can help anyone at this time! 🤍