Hollandaise sauce is an oil and water emulsion made with egg yolk, clarified butter and a small amount of acid; I prefer lemon juice. These ingredients do not like to mix into a smooth and silky substance and the finished product is very sensitive to heat. One must whip the egg yolk over heat without allowing them to become scrambled, and then slowly, very slowly, add the butter while constantly beating the sauce like you caught it stealing your car. Adding the butter slowly starts and builds the emulsion and lack of focus on this step will result in an oily mess.
Properly executed, hollandaise is rich, creamy and slightly tangy, a suitable and welcome partner for many a food product. It’s the classic component of eggs Benedict and nothing quite compares to the yolk of a properly poached egg mixing with a well-executed hollandaise.
Delightful and wonderous flavors resulting from the finessing of ingredients, that in nature would never willingly combine. Would never agree to share the same space or work toward the common goal of elevating a simple poached egg to heights previously unimagined. Reminds me of what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they created our form of government.
Why do we have a government anyway? What is its purpose? Some folks think that government was invented because people are naturally selfish, hostile and violent and that we needed a system to protect ourselves from each other. Not only from those outside our group, but from those within our group as well. We would like to think that the invention of government has more altruistic roots, but it is a question way beyond my capability, but government we have.
The purpose and function of the Government of the United States is articulated in the preamble of the Constitution.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
The Constitution proceeds to delineate how these functions are to be achieved, and how changing circumstances enable the document to be altered. No law can be made anywhere in the United States that is contradictory to its principles or doctrines. The Constitution is both specific and ambiguous by design. It has served us well. Now I’m not so sure.
Justice is about rule making and dealing with those souls that don’t abide. Domestic Tranquility is all of us just getting along. America is crazy good at providing for the common defense: These colors don’t run! I have to admit that I don’t really understand what the blessings of liberty are, but assume since I live in America, I must have them. For that I am grateful.
Through the centuries, the world has obviously become more complex and difficult to navigate which has led to government becoming more complex and difficult to navigate. Ever been to the DMV?
On May 25, 2020 George Floyd was killed. Protests broke out around the nation and without question some of them turned violent. Looting and burning occurred in some cities and people even died. No matter the nature or justness of the cause, violence transforms a protest into a riot which is rightly condemned by a civilized people.
On January 6, 2021 President Trump held a rally in Washington D. C. This rally turned violent at the Capitol and people even died. No matter the nature or justness of the cause, violence transforms a rally into a riot which is rightly condemned by a civilized people.
Left leaning protesters demanding social justice. Right wing President Trump supporters questioning the results of an election. Let the demonizing begin. It has been non-stop since last summer. It matters not that the violence on both sides is propagated by a minority. We are doing what we do; painting with a broad brush, condemning those we disagree with and sympathizing with those we agree with.
But there is something happening here that to my mind is getting zero attention. Not by the media and certainly not by politicians. Maybe I am off the mark with this, but here goes anyway.
When we have both left leaning and right leaning groups taking to the streets and their frustrations turning into violence, the only conclusion I can draw is that the Government is failing to do any of this:
Establish Justice
Insure Domestic Tranquility
Promote the General Welfare
Secure the Blessings of Liberty
Government is not improving people’s lives, whether they are right wing or left wing. Nobody is happy, well maybe, Zuckerberg and Bezos and Musk, but almost no one else. Government is not responding to the needs of our people, Government is not even listening. Leaders are not leading, they are barely even following. They simply say over and over what they think their supporters want to hear. Working with people you disagree with is seen as weakness; it makes you a spineless loser.
Most of our so-called leaders that I see on TV are hopelessly out of touch with the realities of American life. They can in no way relate to the rural folks struggling to make a living in our small towns and communities or the urban African-American struggling to make a living in a low wage inner-city economy. This is pitiful.
Nancy Pelosi was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1987. That was over thirty years ago. Mitch McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1894. That was over thirty years ago. They have been in perpetual campaign mode ever since.
We all know that campaigns cost money and that most of us cannot afford to contribute at the level that guarantees access and thus influence. We get left behind and it makes no difference if we are liberal or conservative. Being liberal or conservative just determines who you protest with and how you subsequently get demonized.
The social justice protesters of last summer don’t really want to burn down the cities they live in. They don’t hate our country and they don’t want socialism. The people that attended President Trump’s rally don’t really want to overthrow our system of government or install Mr. Trump as King, both these groups just want their lives to show some progress. They just want an advocate in their government. They want somebody to listen and right now nobody is.
I would suggest that instead of being angry with one another, we begin to direct our anger where it may actually be productive. Nancy and Mitch have both been in Washington for over thirty years. They both say they want to improve our lives, but recent events clearly show they have failed miserably.
Here comes my cynicism. “Will you still greet me when I’m 64?”
Maybe, just maybe, they benefit if we focus on each other instead of them. They can hide behind their campaign coffers, talk about how much better off we would all be if not for the other guy. She’s the problem. He’s the problem. Camps defined, tribes joined, let the games begin.
What would happen if rural folk, joined forces with city folk to attack the issues that confront them both. I’ll help you get jobs back to your rural community if you help me get a living wage.
What would happen if regular people created their own emulsion to elevate the dialogue in this country? Could people who think they have nothing in common with one another come together like butter and egg to create something greater than each is capable of separately?
I think both these demographic groups, urban and rural, have more in common with each other than they do with the technology billionaires or the financial services billionaires or the hedge fund managers, or the media moguls or any of the monied interests that Nancy and Mitch and all their little minions really listen to.
To have these seemingly disparate groups join forces would be Washington’s greatest nightmare. The emulsion from Hell! Washington would have no idea how to react or respond. Our division is their ticket to continued power. I vote for Nancy because she’s a fighter, you vote for Mitch because he’s a fighter. How’s dat working fer ya?
We have allowed them to point fingers at our fellow Americans long enough. That guy wants to take your cookie, all the while they are the ones taking our cookies. They have encouraged us to demonize each other and our frustration has made us all too eager to oblige. Our frustrations are misplaced.
We can no longer rely on politicians to do the right thing. They have shown they are either incapable, incompetent, or as I suspect, unwilling to:
Establish Justice
Insure Domestic Tranquility
Promote the General Welfare
Secure the Blessings of Liberty
I hope we can create our own American Hollandaise and decide we can do this in spite of the politicians, I’m pretty sure they will follow along. I fear if we don’t, we are going to end up with an oily mess.
God Bless America, Pretty Please!
R.I.P.T.N.L.J. 8119