Here are things I wanted to write about; one TV show + two meals.

Watchmen
Watchmen is one of the most incredible show I’ve ever seen. I can’t stopped thinking about it.

I’m not familiar with the comic, so I spent a lot of time frantically Googling backstories for Dr. Manhattan, Silk Spectre, and Ozymandias and reading the Peteypedia.

The first episode opens with a scene that really did happen – the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Regina King and Jean Smart are so compelling – King’s strength and ability to tell a million stories with her eyes, Smart’s dry, smart-ass delivery. I sat on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The storytelling, the acting, the visuals, the plot intricacies, all incredible. It’s foolish to say the themes in Watchmen hit close to home these days. They were always relevant – and screaming now. I finished Watchmen just two week before George Floyd was murdered by police.

HBO made Watchmen available to view for free this weekend.

Watchmen is rated “MA” and depicts graphic violence. 

Two Meals
We’re still trying to support local restaurants during the pandemic. Last week The Growler published Dinner & the Plague: Even as the state okays dining out, patrons need to do the right thing,  a really thoughtful piece by James Norton last week.

Restaurants are opening dining rooms and patios in limited capacities. For now, take-out feels like the right choice for us. Here are two meals I really enjoyed.

Kado No Mise, Downtown Minneapolis

I really like the menu at Kado No Mise. You can order an expensive, upscale sushi meal or dishes that feel like home cooking. I love the Tofu Don bowl. At $10 it’s an incredible value. Four, lightly-fried pieces of tofu, light as clouds, sit on top of perfectly cooked rice with flavorful kale. It’s the kind of dish I’d yearn for if I wasn’t feeling well or sad, but also when I’m just fine or content. I really love it. I also like the vegetarian sushi.

There are two bento boxes that offer different combinations of foods like vegetables, tomago, a rice dish with grilled fish and scallop and chicken karage.

The employees at Kado No Mise prepare and pack food meticulously – our takeout containers were thoughtfully arranged in the bag and secured with twine. You can order take-out online. When you arrive, someone will greet you and place your food on a table, where you can pick it up completely contact-free.

Afro Deli, Stadium Village -MPLS & Downtown St. Paul

My friend invited me to share a vegetarian feast with her from Afro Deli  – we enjoyed it at a picnic table in Luxton Park. Both meat eaters and vegetarians will find options here. Of course there’s crispy falafel. One dish we’ve always ordered is the Veggie Fantastic (also a chicken version) which is like vegetarian alfredo they serve on Somali-seasoned basmati rice. It’s become a familiar comfort food for many of us in the Twin Cities. There’s sweet plantains, french fries with flavorful dipping sauce, hummus, and vegetarian sambusas filled with lentils. Get the Somali sweet spiced tea, too.

I like to order extra hot green sauce and add it to everything.

Besides the food being good, the owner of Afro Deli has been feeding people in the community throughout the entire pandemic.