This week’s edition covers stories
from October 20th to October 26th, 2022.
Today’s issue is 711 words, a 5.5-minute read.
Isabella and Helene talk about Owamni, Ondara, the Penumbra Theater, the harvest season, Indian food, and Ye.
Good morning.
Helene here. NPR recently released a story about Sean Sherman, otherwise known as the “Sioux Chef”. He’s the co-founder of Owamni, which you may remember because it won the James Beard award for best new restaurant this year. I had the chance to eat there before I left to return to school at the end of the summer, and I hope you’ll be able to eat there too. It was a special experience, and I ate wild salmon, sweet potatoes, and maple baked beans dusted with powdered Cedar. They tasted exactly like how a Cedar tree smells. Let us know if you’re lucky enough to spend an evening there.
I’ve been listening to Minneapolis-based artist Ondara lately. He just released a new album, Spanish Villager No. 3, which is a delightfully rhythmic ode to international cities, beginning, of course with “An Alien In Minneapolis”. The song feels close to home for the artist who grew up in Kenya and moved to Minneapolis in 2013 to pursue a career in music. Give it a listen! And please do let us know if there’s any other local talent that we should know about. We love music here at NewPrensa.
The Penumbra Theater in St. Paul received a 5 million dollar gift from MacKenzie Scott’s foundation last year, which will allow the theater to be transformed into a center for racial healing through art. The theater will be rebranded as Penumbra Center for Racial Healing, and will target racial healing through The Arts, Racial Equity, and Wellness. They’ll still continue the important work of developing and performing plays, however, with their newest play, Weathering, running currently. Weathering “reflects the pain of generations of Black women in a story of deliverance from grief” as a couple struggles with pregnancy loss. Penumbra has been doing important healing work for decades, and will be able to continue this work thanks to the recent gifts they’ve received. If you haven’t yet, do pay them a visit.
Hello folks, Isabella here. Harvest season is coming to an end, which means a few celebrations are coming our way. It also means that it gets darker earlier and Daylight Savings Time ends. Halloween derives from the pagan Celtic religious festival, Samhain (pronounced saw-win). Celebrated from Oct. 31 to the evening of Nov. 1, when barriers between the physical and spiritual world are broken down allowing for easier communication between the two. I don’t want to make this a history class, but there’s one more holiday I’d like to touch on. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated Nov. 1 to Nov. 2 and also believes in the passageway between the two worlds. Maybe you’ve seen the Disney movie “Coco”, where they touch on these themes. Despite people dressing up for Halloween this weekend, it’d be fair to commemorate those who have passed away in our families and light a candle in their honor (or any traditions that apply to your culture). If you’re not familiar with building ancestral altars, here’s an article from HipLatina on how to build one.
If there’s one food that’s been on my mind, it’s Indian food. As I searched through Google on the best options Minnesota has to offer, I stumbled across Spice & Tonic – Indian Cuisine and Bar. The former owner of Taste of India opened his restaurant in Downtown East Minneapolis on 903 South Washington Ave. The restaurant’s chef, Jorginder Cheema inspired the menu on Northern Indian cuisine. From Samosas, to Pakora, Chaat, flatbreads, soups and more. Meals at Spice & Tonic are affordable and extremely delicious.
Have you heard about the several brands who’ve cut ties with Kanye West? If you remember, last week we spoke about Ye’s speculations on George Floyd’s death. This past week it has been anti-semitic and anti-black comments, which have gotten him blocked on Twitter and Instagram a couple of times. Balenciaga, Gap and Adidas decided to cut Ye off and oh, is he mad. There’s a little controversy around what Ye has said online, Adidas allegedly stealing his designs, and whether his moves on social media are to be a provocateur with an underlying purpose – or maybe he just thinks like that.
That’s all from us this week. We hope you have a great Thursday!
Isabella and Helene, for NewPrensa
We’re Communications Specialists by day and looking forward to Halloween by night!
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