PASSIONATE RATIONS

The public radio station I used to listen to in Los Angeles (KCRW) had, in the late ‘90s, an occasional series called the “United States of Los Angeles” which explored the diversity of ethnic communities that make up the patchwork that is L.A. I always deeply appreciated that title since it was so descriptive of what I loved (and now miss) about L.A. For all its flaws, it is a truly international city, bringing the best and the worst of the world to one’s doorstep.

For some reason, I thought of this while eating peanuts this afternoon. As I popped one of the small crunchy dry-roasted bits into my mouth, my thoughts wandered first to North Carolina. In the south, peanuts have a much wider range of expression. Specifically, my thoughts turned to the tin cans of boiled peanuts you can purchase in any southern grocery looking, tasting, and exhibiting the texture of a type of bean. Here in the Northeast, peanuts come pretty standard—dried and roasted, maybe some exotic ingredients added during roasting. But that’s it—they’re all roasted and crunchy. They do not resemble a bean in either look (except maybe shape) or texture. Most Yankees, I wager, would be incredulous at the thought of peanuts packed in fresh water.

Thus, boiled peanuts got me thinking about how culturally different various pockets of the U.S. really are, as exemplified by the types and variety of food products offered. Despite the “global economy,” you still may not be able to get something here that you can find over there. We are not just one city, but an entire nation composed of distinct pockets, united for certain purposes and not for others. No, we don’t always get along, but we must try to remember how rich we are in this diversity. Homogeneity be damned!

I, for one, plan to keep eating my way to world peace. Now, where did I put those peanuts?