May Day We’re in Trouble…
Today is May Day. What a curious term. May day is an international word used to signal for help. It was established in 1923. Ironically, it has nothing to do with the holiday. It was an Englishman’s variation on the french term m’aider or m’aidez (a variation of come help me). Today, though, May Day the holiday and the distress signal have a lot in common. In Russia, May first is a celebration of workers and military might. And, their leaders are exerting that military might on their neighbor, Ukraine at this very moment. But, Ukraine isn’t taking it lightly. They sent out their own May day signals repeatedly. And, they are receiving help from the international community. May day has had several incarnations. And, this latest one has us saying: May Day We’re in Trouble.
May day didn’t start out as a Russian thing, though. Believe it or not, the Russians stole the day from the United States. In 1886, there was an incident: the Haymarket riot in Chicago. Workers at the McCormick reaper factory lobbying for workers’ rights, like an 8 hour work day, held a rally. But, police came in to break up the event. Chaos ensued. 8 people died. And, many were wounded. There was a huge division over who was right. But, anti-union forces prevailed with the prosecution of a number of the labor leaders. However, national union organizers created May day as a national workers’ holiday. president Grover Cleveland, didn’t like the socialist connotations of workers organizing. So, he proposed and created the Labor day holiday we now know in September instead of May day.
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May Day We’re in Trouble, the Russians picked up on our holiday.
While we were having debates over unions and workers’ rights here in America, Russia saw May day as an opportunity to promote the worker. So, in 1918, they began having parades and celebrations. It didn’t take long for it to devolve from a celebration of workers into a show of military strength, though. The workers they were supposedly celebrating took a far back backseat to the military equipment and soldiers. And, Soviet hypocrisy was on display for the whole world to see. In America, it only served to deepen a resolve against all things communist. But, it didn’t stop unionization, which is what the original May day was about.
It’s important to remember that union organizers aren’t anti-capitalism (as the Soviets are). They asked for fair wages and working conditions. In 1906, Upton Sinclair published “The Jungle”. The book dramatized the deplorable working conditions in the meat industry. It was widely panned for its socialist message. But, it did catch the attention of our government. Instead of addressing the working conditions, though, they addressed the sanitation of the industry. The USDA had been around since Lincoln. But, they did little to enforce food safety until this book. The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act passed in 1906. Yet, nothing for the workers.
May Day We’re in Trouble. There is still anti-worker sentiment.
To this day, unions get a bad rap. Amazon has been fighting tooth and nail to prevent unionization efforts. As are other major corporations like Tesla, Starbucks, and google. This is yet another case of corporations thinking they know best. Do you really think corporations can be trusted to respect workers’ rights of their own volition? I get it, though. The economy revolves around profitability. And, labor tends to be a major portion of most companies’ expenses. I know, from experience, that the first place companies look to cut expenses is payroll. And, there is some wisdom to that. But, unless the company is in danger of folding, workers need to get a fair wage and fair treatment. And, unions hold companies accountable for that.
But, unions do have their downside too. There is massive corruption in unions. Of course, there is corruption in corporations and government too. So, the workers lose out from all sides in those situations. And, some union rules are ridiculous, like only one person can touch the light switches in a building. Or, mandatory break rules that people take a little too literally. A company relies on efficiency in production. Some union rules create redundancy and actually “overpay” employees for some jobs. I oversaw an account with a company that had union pay scales. The dishwasher made just as much money (and some of the cooks made more money) as my kitchen manager because union pay only applied to hourly, not salaried employees. I’m sorry. But, with more responsibility, training, and education, should come a better wage.
But, these are just inconsistencies. The mission of unions is a good thing. As in most areas, the problems arise in execution and personalities.
Ironically, the real May day has nothing to do with any of this.
When the Puritans came to America, Celebrants of The spring holiday said, May Day We’re in Trouble. In England and Europe, May Day was a celebration of Spring. You might have heard of May Poles or seen images of people dancing around them. The tradition, purportedly, dates back to Greek and Roman days. May first, in temperate zones is a time of fertility in crops, livestock , and humans. pagans would celebrate, and hold rituals, to promote fecundity in the fields, barns, and homesteads. Because procreation involves sex, and, the holiday had pagan roots, the people with sticks up their arses were offended by the sticks in the ground. So, the Maypole was not a thing in America.
But, maypoles and Mayday celebrations continued in Germanic parts of Europe. And, some European immigrants to the US, brought the tradition back. Although, it still is a novelty.
The tradition has changed over the years. Originally, it was a tree people would dance around. Then, it was a trunk of a tree. Eventually, it just became the pole. And, thanks to movies like the Wicker Man, it has pretty creepy connotations. And, thanks to Freud and others, people think it has sexual symbolism. But, as Picasso, and others have said about art, writing, and symbolism: “sometimes a tree is just a tree.”
Once you start reading too much into things, May Day We’re in Trouble.
So, what is May Day really about?
We can take the day to celebrate workers, communism, socialism, symbolism, or any other ‘ism we want. Or, we can treat it literally as the beginning of nice weather. April showers bring May flowers. So, let’s enjoy going outdoors without layers of cold weather clothing. In areas like New England, it marks the beginning of “perfect” weather. You can go out in tee shirts and shorts. But, you aren’t sweating like the middle of summer. Green has returned to grass, trees, and plants. Flowers are in bloom. And, spring vegetables and fruits are abundant. It’s time to celebrate Spring at its height.
The culinary pallet expands with the mid-spring weather. Artichokes, asparagus, and all manner of leafy greens are at their peak. And, specialty items like ramps, fiddleheads, garlic scapes, and morels are finally available for just a couple weeks. This is one of my favorite times to go to farmer’s markets and shop local. The aroma,color, texture, and taste of spring vegetables on May day is intoxicating. It’s like the world is throwing a party, and all are invited. So, today, let’s have some fun with our May day menu. Except, we only have a short time to enjoy the May day bounty. And, May day is right around the mid point between Equinox and solstice. So, enjoy the seasons. There’s no need to say: May Day We’re in Trouble.
Truffled Goat Cheese and Ramps Flan with Morel and Asparagus Salad
Ingredients
- olive oil for cooking
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- For Flan
- 1 Cup Fresh Ramps, Cleaned and trimmed, plus a few extra for garnish
- 1/2 tsp Chopped Fresh garlic
- 12 Each Large Egg yolks
- 3 cups Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Crumbled Goat Cheese
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Thyme
- Truffle oil and truffle shavings to taste
- For Salad:
- 4 Oz baby greens, arugula or whatever is freshest
- 8 Oz Fresh Morel Mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh garlic Scapes
- 1 Bunch Asparagus
- 1/2 Cup Sliced Fresh Spring Onions
- 1 Cup White Wine
- 1 Medium Lemon: Zest and Juice only
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Marjoram
- Grape tomatoes for garnish
- Extra fresh herbs for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the morels in cool water for about 20 minutes to remove any dirt. Remove from the water, and soak a second time. They tend to get a lot of grit inside the gills.
- Preheat oven to 375
- Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Saute ramps and garlic, stirring as needed. Cook until translucent. Allow to cool.
- Whisk eggs until beaten smooth. Continue whisking in the cream, salt, pepper, and Thyme. Add in about a tablespoon of truffle shavings and a splash of truffle oil. Fold in the goat cheese.
- Spray individual ramekins or foil cups with pan spray. Fill each evenly with the flan mixture. Place on a sheet pan and bake in the oven about 30 minutes. You want them firm, but not too puffed up. If the center is still a bit runny, cook a little longer. 10 minutes should do.
- Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Saute the garlic scapes and spring onions until soft. Add in the mushrooms and cook until soft. Then add the wine and cook until it evaporates. You want it to create a glaze on the mushrooms and onions. Add in the asparagus, stir, and remove from heat. The residual heat will cook the asparagus. You want it al dente.
- Grill extra ramps for garnish if desired.
- Whisk the lemon juice, zest, oil, salt, pepper, and marjoram together. Toss the greens, asparagus, mushrooms etc in. Mix well.
- Invert the flans onto individual plates. Garnish with the salad, tomatoes, and grilled ramps.