6/23/2024

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Sorry to miss you yesterday! I had to go to the grocery store to get ingredients for pasta carbonara. In particular, I needed Pecorino Romano cheese, only available at our fancy(ish) market. My husband got his heart set on the recipe, so I promised to make it for his birthday, along with the chocolate-strawberry cake I told you about.

Gourmet cooking is a wonderful diversion. I’m grateful to my mom for being a “foodie.” She became one when she discovered that the way to my dad’s heart was through his stomach. The same can be said about pleasing my husband these days.

            I hope the debate prep continues apace. The news folk speculate it’s a make-it-break-it moment for the election. They also suggest it will all hinge on some serendipitous event that you won’t be able to prepare for. May your better angels guide you to an excellent performance & may your extensive prep give you the confidence to think clearly on your feet.

            News from Burma continues to trouble me. RFA says, “In rare backtrack, junta says it will investigate senior monk’s shooting death.” The Irrawaddy says, “The Myanmar military junta was left red-faced when its cover-up of a deadly shooting of a senior Buddhist monk was exposed by another monk who was with the victim at the scene, in another grim reminder that the regime is totally untrustworthy.” Another indicator of troops run amok.

We heard from a Burmese gender activist at our Yangon Friends Meeting on Sunday. She’s tired of NGOs, the UN & others dictating what Burma needs to do to get assistance. She imagines a world where Burma is beholden to no one & left to figure things out or themselves. She’s tired of the patriarchy exploiting suffering people for personal gain. What do you suggest we tell her?

            BYBS,