Happy Halloween! Scrambled Brains with Beets are so beautiful, but also worthy of a Halloween scare. In honor of Halloween, I digress from my usual nutrition soapbox or nudge toward self-care. I am finishing Permanent Record by Edward Snowden, and want to comment on something truly scary to me: our collective loss of privacy and civil liberties at the hands of the US government.
I have no idea how this could play out in the long term. Like everyone else, I am reluctant to completely fall off the grid because I appreciate the connections and joy that I stumble upon using technology. This blog. Social media accounts. Twenty plus years of email. I’m writing this post to create more awareness. The thought of all this truly scrambles my own brain and I’m asking you to take a moment, over Scrambled Brains perhaps, to think about how complicated this is.
Storage and surveillance
If you don’t remember the 2013 whistleblower Edward Snowden, you can catch up on the details in the documentary Citizenfour and the aforementioned autobiography. As a former NSA employee, he released evidence that the US government collects and stores all private communications and internet data.
Believe it or not, it’s actually less about the content of what you say. The wealth of data actually originates in the metadata – data about the data. This metadata tracks where and when you go, what your daytime or all-the-time habits are, and with whom and how often you communicate. This data tracks your use of appliances and frequency and patterns of conversations in your home. When all that is known, the words you use don’t necessarily have as much value.
This mass surveillance has a permanent home in the hands of the government. Yet, they do not acknowledge it, and a 2013 claim by the ACLU was dismissed on those grounds. Apparently, the government position says that they can store all this data without a warrant because they have changed the meaning of “obtain” and “acquire.” Saying it only counts if they have searched for and retrieved your information from the database. They continue to collect and hold it, permanently. So herein lies the question of privacy.
Privacy
This quote from Permanent Record struck me because I’ve definitely thought, if not explicitly said, this exact thing before. Without thinking through the assumptions:
…Saying you don’t need or want privacy because you have nothing to hide is to assume that no one should have, or could have, anything to hide. You’re assuming that no one, including yourself, might object to revealing their religious beliefs, political affiliations, and sexual activities, as casually as some choose to reveal their movie and music tastes and reading preferences.
In the end, everybody has something to hide.
Imagine it: all the secrets big and small that could end your marriage, end your career, poison your closest relationships, and leave you broke, friendless and in prison…. Everyone has something, some compromising information buried among their bytes – if not in their files than in their email, if not in their email then in their browsing history. And now this information [is] being stored by the US government.
In sum, I find this so troubling. A trap. A catch-22. The thought of kids growing up online without room for mistakes is downright terrifying.
Scrambled Brains
And it scrambles my own brains in a maddening way. Over the past several years, I’ve vacillated back and forth in my technology engagement. I’ll leave my phone at home for a day, or a week, or several on end. But then I get a flat tire on my bike and resolve to keeping it with me, all over again. I resolve to skipping social media, years pass, and then my community garden takes up Facebook and I can’t access the community without inconveniencing everyone else. I’m pulled in again. Finally, I decided to put this blog on Instagram.
At the same time, I do make a conscious effort to embrace the current times. It’s all we’ve got and there is awe and wonder all around. “Typed on glass, sent by magic,” as my husband likes to say. Yet, I do wonder how and when this outright violation of the 4th Amendment could be rectified. The more I think about it, the more scrambled I feel inside. If you feel as I do, let me at least offer some simple, beautiful and delicious brain food to help your thinking.
This recipe was inspired by scrambled eggs. Both brains and eggs have a perfect ratio of about one-third protein, two-third fat, with just a trace of carbohydrates. More perfect food. They blend together easily. If beets are not handy, a brain scramble with any of your favorite veggies would be well-served. A garnish of nuts adds some nice texture, similar to the pecans in Kidneys and Rice.
In the meantime, reach out to me to share your version or how you navigate these complex issues. Regardless, after some thought, and perhaps a break from your devices, join me in celebrating Halloween with Scrambled Brains with Beets.
Scrambled Brains with Beets
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb brains
- juice of 1 lemon, divided
- 1 T butter
- salt and pepper
- 2-3 cooked beets, cubed
- 1 t parsley, chopped
- 1-2 T pistacio nuts
Instructions
- Fill bowl with water and all but 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Add brains and return to refrigerator. Soak for an hour or two, changing water at least once. Remove brains and dry gently. Discard water.
- Add butter to pan on medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add brains, season well and let cook for 5-6 minutes on one side without disturbing, to cook through. Flip brains over, season the second side and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, on the other half of the pan or in a second pan, warm beets if previously refrigerated. After brains have mostly cooked through, combine beets and brains, along with remaining teaspoon of lemon juice, so they get to know each other and brains are colored delightfully pink.
- Serve into bowls, taste for seasonings, and garnish with parsley and nuts.
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