I don’t want French fried potatoes, red ripe tomatoes, I’m never satisfied….
Okay, so it’s not Pre-Prohibition Delmonico’s, nor is it Maxim’s of Paris. It’s not even close to Horn and Hardart’s Automat. For that matter you get more choice at any fast food burger joint. What you don’t get from these other establishments is the love, caring and selfless dedication that goes into presenting and preparing every morsel that appears on the food tables at Occupy Orlando, and every other occupation site. The al fresco dining arrangements are not quite as elegant as those, say on Las Olas Boulevard or Park Avenue or the Rue de la Paix but nobody seems to be complaining.
Christmas dinner consisted of roast turkey, honey baked style ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, string beans, Brussels sprouts, selections of pasta and salad. Desserts were pumpkin and apple pies, cupcakes, cookies and a fabulous gingerbread layout of the original occupation site at Senator Beth Johnson Park.
The unsung heroes of all the occupations are the people who keep the food coming. Every day new donations arrive from people just like you and I who may or may not do anything else yet feel the need to contribute something. Every time the city comes up with new barriers to overcome, the food team uses its collective imagination and finds a way to deliver. Every day volunteers come and take the food that needs preparation home so that hot meals can be served. City regulations do not allow cooking of any type on site. They outdid themselves for this special day.
The move from Ivanhoe Boulevard is having a beneficial effect. Approximately 50 people have been arrested since the occupation began and most of them were for trespassing. They were denied access to the park, which won’t happen at City Hall. Since they can’t camp out or have permanent structures they follow the rules and there’s nothing the city can do about it. The number of occupiers has just grown to include the trespassers. The occupation is also much closer to the seats of power in both the city and the county and they will continue to occupy those chambers as is necessary. They also can march with signs along much more crowded streets to the approving honks of a lot of cars. The shouts of “Get a job!” or other epithets are few and far between. Working groups and teach ins are attracting a lot more people. GAs are becoming less tedious and more pointed. The redistricting and political lessons being learned are having their effect.
This week many occupiers are away visiting family and enjoying a much needed R&R from the rigors needed to be there every day, yet a goodly amount still showed up for Christmas dinner. It was a genial group that talked about their individual experiences. During the holidays there’s not much being done but come the first of the year this group is going to become more active and make its presence felt. Those 50 arrestees are not going to go gentle into that good night. The courts are going to have their hands full all at city expense for absolutely ridiculous charges, and the city’s frivolity is going to cost the taxpayers a lot of money for nothing. The direct action team is going to come up with more imaginative ways to occupy, and cause the city and county a lot of heartburn, especially since it’s an election year. It’s going to be a long winter. Be prepared to take a lot of Prilosec.
I want the frim-fram sauce with the ausen fey, with chafafa on the side.
(Now if you don’t have it, just bring me a check for the water!)
