Sunday, December 03, 2006

Plowshares Craftsfair and that'll be $14.95, please

This weekend, we had the annual Plowshares Craftsfair & Winter Peace Festival here in Syracuse. It was hosted by the Syracuse Peace Council, and it was so fun to check out the handmade crafts, artworks, food, and good cheer on display.

Daiku and I volunteered at the "Military Alternatives Education Project" table. This group's goal is to educate young people (and their parents and teachers) about how the military markets, cajoles, bribes, and lies to get them to enlist. (I won't mince words about that!) There was information about alternatives to the military for college funding, travel, and volunteer and community activities.

One cute thing we handed out was these toy soldiers with the message "bring me home" attached to them, hoping people would take them and leave them in random opportune places.



Here are some other images we captured at the Plowshares:



cool vintage posters



gorgeous hand-made ornaments



tons of people



stained glass!



t-shirt that says "land of the free (restrictions apply. void where prohibited)"



beautiful sculpted fruits and vegetables



we did not buy much (we are trying to cut down on the number of objects we bring into the house) but when we saw this hand-carved game and talked to the man who made it, we had to have it. do you guys know this game? the object is to eliminate pegs and end up with as few as possible. it's addictive!

* * *
Later in the evening, Daiku and I were really tired and wanted to go out for dinner. However, at the last minute, we decided to stay home and cook instead. We stopped at the Asian Grocery Store (Pan Asian on Erie Blvd.) for some fresh Chinese greens and a few other items.

We found this gadget, which makes strips out of hard fruits and vegetables. (Did Diann blog about these things a few weeks ago? She was right, these are the coolest little tools!)



This little $1.99 implement inspired us to go a bit "gourmet" in plating our dinner of wild rice, roasted sweet potatoes, Chinese greens, and black-eyed peas. We garnished with the carrot strips and dots of Sriracha chili sauce.



And voilà, a meal that was frankly more satisfying than any restaurant meal, healthier and cheaper. That'll be $14.95, please!

I have a lot of food blogging to catch up on, so I hope to post frequently this week and get caught up. Have a great week, everyone!


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15 comments:

Amey said...

oh cool...
I look forward to more posts this week! How fun! I love the pictures from the craft fair... it looks like a lot of fun.

Also, I almost bought one of those little veggie strip makers & decided it was too decadent. But - sigh! - yours looks so much fun! :)

hope you're doing well,
:)

Tofu Mom (AKA Tofu-n-Sprouts) said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE the toy soldier idea! That's GREAT!

Great blog too!

Candi said...

What a great fair! I love the Make Art Not War poster!! I want one of those toys too. Lol! How do you hear about these events anyhow? When I relocate, I don't want to miss any good one in my area!

I must have a shirt that reads: "land of the free (restrictions apply. void where prohibited.)" That is the best. I was just trying to find a video that was politically controversial, and I could not find a copy of it anywhere! So much for freedom of speech. I'd be all for this craft fair.

Thanks for taking us!

Oh!! I love your dinner! If I found that in a restaurant, I'd happily pay $14.95! Lol!

I have one of those julienne devices too and didn't realize how much I'd use it!! I do love it.

That little wooden game- SO addicting!! :P

wheresmymind said...

Craft fairs can be a major hit/miss proposition for moi

Nikk said...

I am addicted to craft fairs. I think they are beyond fun.

That is such a nifty gadget! I need to find one now.

Eat Peace Please said...

Great event! Did you bring any of the reading materials home? Do you have extra copies that you could possibly send me of some of that military info. I think it is important for 2 people I know to get that info, and the words out of my mouth aren't enough. Can you give me your email on my blog and I moderate comments so I won't post it? Is that ok?

JENNA said...

how great that you guys volunteered! my new years resolution is to volunteer next year.

i love when i'm too tired to cook and tell peter lets go out to eat but then change my mind and make an amazing meal like you did. it's so easy and satisfying and so much cheaper then eating out.

i love the dots of Sriracha! so "gourmet" indeed.

JENNA

Candi said...

:) Me again. Thanks so much for your comment. That was so sweet, and thinking of this as a doggie vacation is such a good idea. I can do that. I think this is one of the worst things anyone could ask of me, so I know it won't be fun at all. Doggie vacation though! :) I love that!

A natural born procrastinator! Lol! Me too!

Thanks again for the comment. ((hugs)) I will re-read it when the time comes to leave them. :)

bazu said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone!

In the interest of full disclosure, the little tool is a pain in the butt to use! Fun, but time-consuming. (I've only tried it with carrots and turnips so far, though. It might be easier with softer things like zucchini or squash.)

Anonymous said...

I love that red t-shirt. Sounds like this was a great festival/fair. The group you volunteered with is definitely a group I could stand behind. I'll let you know if I see a soldier here in TN.

I have the julienne tool also and I do like using it because I find it's an easy way to add a pretty garnish and color. The problem with zucchini is that only the skin is green. The rest is usually pale yellow. So in the whole julienned bunch, you only get a few strands with green and the rest are uncolorful.

Good for you guys for creating a meal at home! I always feel so good when I do that also.

Anonymous said...

Bazu, sometimes I get really homesick for Irvine. Sad, I know. And seeing things like this http://www.veggiegrill.com/ makes me even more wistful.

aTxVegn said...

What a fun fair you got to go to! I used to do stained glass. I think it's so pretty. And I used to play that peg game. Seems like they were set out on tables at bars & clubs.

I did blog about my julienne peeler. It looks different from yours though and mine is a snap to use. You may have to pay more than $2 and get yourself a better version so you can enjoy it! The plate looks beautiful!

Kati said...

How fun! I have a special affection for craft shows because my mom used to be a crafter (she made teddy bears by hand and sold them) and that is how I spent a majority of my childhood weekends. I got to go to the Apple Festival in LaFayette when I was visiting my parents back in October - boy that brought back memories. I just wish they'd had some organic apples/cider.

That Land of the Free shirt is great - it's so true!

And strangely enough, my dad used to make those wooden peg games. In elementary school one year, he made one for every kid in my class. Crazy!

urban vegan said...

Loos like you had a great time and that they had some great stuff. I am now obsessed with the idea of finding that little shredder gizmo.

Hey--congrats on your first pie plate. You'll never look back.

meesh said...

Oooo, I love a crafty fair type event. It looks like you had some beautiful items there. I also love the "Bring me home" soldiers. Very nice.

That littel gadget you bought looks incredibly useful. Hooray, fun with carrott strips!