Still had that head of broccoli in my fridge that my father-in-law gave me a week and half ago from his trip to the farmers market. Figured I should finally do something with it. Credit for this recipe goes to all the random websites I visited to get some ideas, most of all to My Husband Hates Veggies’s Zuppa di Broccoletti.

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Recipe taken from Smitten Kitchen, who got it from the New York Times. It was originally for a Clementine Clafoutis but she said that turned out horribly and suggested using cherries. I made two little ones instead of one big one. Clafoutis is a custardy-soft cake type dessert and the cherries work well with the custard. It was a little bit too “eggy” for me, so I might add more sugar and vanilla next time.

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Bhindi - Okra with tomatoes and onions

This is one of my favorite Desi dishes to make and eat. It’s all about freshness. Fresh okra is fried and then sautéed with fresh onions and tomatoes and sprinkled with bright green cilantro at the end. The tomatoes and onions make the dish slightly sweet and frying the okra keeps the whole thing from becoming slimy and gooey. My usual shortcut of frozen, pureed onions and tomatoes will not work - the fresh onion/tomato mixture is what gives the whole thing the spicy, tangy flavor that makes this dish so delicious.

It’s really not that difficult and completely worth the effort - try it!

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Chicken with Chickpeas (and Potatoes, for fun)

Seasoned chicken cooked with chickpeas and potatoes. Delish. My mom cooks it with whole chicken pieces, which I think tastes better, but I didn’t have any so I shortcutted it with boneless chicken breast.

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To: Mr. —, Union Facilities Manager
Mr. —-, Associate Director, Carolina Union

CC: Ms. —-, Director, Carolina Women’s Center
Dr. —-Chair, UNC Department of Women’s Studies

Dear Mr. — and Mr. —-,

Thank you very much for your response to me and to Ms. — of the Carolina Women’s Center. I truly appreciate you noting the inconvenience and your efforts to restock the restrooms with urgency. I did not know about the vandalism and theft concerns and I appreciate your efforts to keep the machines stocked despite these problems.

I am sure I speak for many women when I thank you for paying attention to this issue on a regular basis. It is also great relief to know that when a student raises a matter of serious concern, the officials who make this University the wonderful place that it is respond with their efforts to help. I very sincerely thank you again for your work as you continue to follow up and keep the feminine products machines consistently stocked.

Please let me know if I could be of assistance in the future.

Thanks again,

Taiyyaba

The whole story:
Keeping Feminine Products Machines Stocked
Attempt 2: Feminine Product Machines
The Response
Update: Manager Response

Sheeza [see comment] brings up a good point.

For me, it was part of both (big issue & manager not responding) but I think I was angrier that they didn’t respond *because* it was such a big issue to me. The fact that the machines are there and they don’t stock them feels unjust to me. If they’re there, I expect them to be stocked - otherwise, don’t give us false hopes of putting them there! Sorry to throw a law term out, but I think of it as an “undertaking” - you start doing something, allow someone to rely on you for it - and if you stop doing it, you can’t pull out and say “Well, I never really had to do that anyway, I was just doing it because I’m nice.” Follow through!

I guess I’m angry at the principle of the thing. Here, fine, I was close to the Student Stores and I could go buy a pad; no harm done. What if you walk out in the middle of class, in a building in the middle of campus, and there are no pads there and no store nearby - what are you supposed to do?

I’d even go so far as to say that there should be more bathrooms with these machines in them - stocked, of course. The facilities managers make sure the toilet paper, soap, etc. is always stocked -why not these machines? The users pay for it with a quarter, so the cost to the facility is offset. By now, I think it has become or should become a part of the etiquette of “bathroom stocking” that pads and tampons should be available in women’s bathrooms.