The right to vote is something many of us take for granted, to the point that many simply don't bother. In a heavy turnout year, easily a third of eligible voters don't, according to the Pew Research Center.
Women got the right to vote several decades before I was born, so that has been my normal. But sometimes I think of my grandmother, who would have already attended college, taught school and staked a homestead claim in Wyoming before she would have become eligible to vote in 1920.
I've no idea if she voted in the 1920 election, given her remote homestead location, or if she did, whether she would have voted for Harding or Cox. But you can damn well bet she had an opinion. A woman so famed for her bluntness that it was mentioned from the pulpit at her funeral would not have been reticent.
Before 1980, the rate of voter turnout for women in presidential elections was lower than for that of men, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers, but that's been flipped since. This year the media reports a gender gap in early voting, with women leading the way. Best not to make any assumptions about what that means for the outcome; it would be a patronizing mistake to think women vote as a bloc.
Whatever your political persuasion or gender, if you're legally eligible to vote, consider giving it a go this year. Even if the election doesn't go your way, it's surprisingly cathartic.
And if it doesn't turn out as you had hoped, there's always baking.
Zucchini-almond bread
From “Rage Baking: The Transformative Power of Flour, Fury and Women’s Voices,” by Kathy Gunst and Katherine Alford (Tiller Press). It’s a collection of solicited submissions from many women. In that regard, you could say it’s a bit like a community cookbook, but this one is set in the context of post-2016 political climate. It includes section headings like “The Revolution Will Be Catered,” so that gives you an idea of the ideological bent.
Baking may not heal the
contributors’ rage, but it does help focus attention on something else beyond
the news. And it yields tasty things, which also help.
This particular contribution is from Rebecca Traister,
author of “Good and Mad.”
Ingredients
1 cup almonds
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1¼ teaspoons fine salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla)
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan
if you’ve got one. Or if you’re like me and your standard loaf pan is more like
8½ by 4, grease that plus one mini loaf
pan.
Grind almonds in a food processor until almost fine.
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt,
baking soda and cinnamon.
In a large bowl of either a stand mixer or handheld mixer,
beat sugar, oil and eggs for 3 minutes. They should be slightly thickened. With
motor running on low speed, blend in flour mixture. Then add zucchini, ground
almonds and almond extract.
Pour into prepared pan (or pans; I’m really glad I didn’t
try to cram that all into the slightly smaller size). Bake for 75 minutes or
until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest for 5 to 10
minutes before trying to remove it from the pan.
Rating: A decent zucchini bread. Nice texture, and almond brings a bit to the party.
