Entertainment
JAH AND THE HASH BASH
Tue, Jun 18, 2002 12:00 am
Chef Ra
HEAD TO JAMAICA -- Video Preview of Chef Ra Escapes Babylon
I just returned from the 30th annual Hash Bash, which takes place on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. For 30 years the Hash Bash has kicked off the spring and summer season of hemp fests. Over the years, all my friends in the hemp movement have gathered together to restore our commitment to change the unjust mariwanna laws in this country. I have watched the likes of John Sinclair, Tommy Chong, and, of course, Adam Brook and the whole Ann Arbor crew fight to keep the legalization issue on the front burner.
Thousands turned out this year. Ann Arbor has always enjoyed a radical reputation. In the early ‘70s, the town's progressive city council enacted a "grass roots" law that decriminalized mariwanna, making it a $5 fine for possession of less than 30 grams. All you got was a ticket! (When Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs kicked in, it was upped to the current $25 fine.)
I guess you could say that this laid the foundation for the Hash Bash. But life wasn't like that elsewhere. When the Hash Bash first got underway, you could get a 10-year prison sentence for one joint. People who did that kind of time often worked on the front lines, trying to restore some sense of sanity in the state and local laws that we take for granted nowadays. And of course, the battle is far from over.
Going to Hash Bash this year restored my faith in the struggle. We have a long way to go, but Jah is looking out for all of us. At least, I'm pretty sure He's looking out for my ass!
When I returned home through massive security at Detroit Metro Airport, I was getting my carry-on stuff X-rayed and forgot about the huge joint in my bag right next to my camera. Somehow the security people were so busy checking the bags of this straight-looking lady ahead of me, they completely missed the spliff. All the while she was getting searched, she kept looking at me like: "Why aren't they checking his ass out?"
Jah be praised!
SUMMERTIME BBQ ROASTED VEGGIE SANDWICH
2 eggplants (sliced thin crosswise, not lengthwise)
1 bunch asparagus (trim the first 3 inches off the bottom)
2 portobello mushrooms (slice each one in half to make 4 pieces)
1 clove of garlic (press into fine paste with a garlic press)
1/4 cup honey mustard
2 cups fresh spinach
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4-oz fine buds or sun leaves chopped fine
1 Vidalia onion (sliced into 1/4-inch circles)
Cheddar cheese slices
Jewish rye bread
Marinate mushrooms overnight in the teriyaki sauce. In a double-boiler pot (two pots, one that fits inside the other, separated by water), cook the ganja in the butter over low heat for 45 minutes. Tend to the butter at all times, making sure not to let it burn. After cooking, strain all the pot particulate out of the butter, leaving only the pure butter mixture. Set aside. Fire up the grill and let the coals turn slightly gray. Place sliced eggplant, asparagus and mushrooms on the grill. (Add hickory chips to the coal for great smoked flavors.) Mix the pressed garlic into the ganja butter. Brush the veggies with the butter as you grill. Turn the veggies over, a few minutes on each side, until they are cooked to your liking. During the last minutes of grilling, place the spinach on top of the grilled veggies. Melt cheese on top of the portobello mushrooms then place the sliced onion on top. Spread mustard and more ganja butter on the bread. Serves four.
HEAD TO JAMAICA -- Video Preview of Chef Ra Escapes Babylon
I just returned from the 30th annual Hash Bash, which takes place on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. For 30 years the Hash Bash has kicked off the spring and summer season of hemp fests. Over the years, all my friends in the hemp movement have gathered together to restore our commitment to change the unjust mariwanna laws in this country. I have watched the likes of John Sinclair, Tommy Chong, and, of course, Adam Brook and the whole Ann Arbor crew fight to keep the legalization issue on the front burner.
Thousands turned out this year. Ann Arbor has always enjoyed a radical reputation. In the early ‘70s, the town's progressive city council enacted a "grass roots" law that decriminalized mariwanna, making it a $5 fine for possession of less than 30 grams. All you got was a ticket! (When Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs kicked in, it was upped to the current $25 fine.)
I guess you could say that this laid the foundation for the Hash Bash. But life wasn't like that elsewhere. When the Hash Bash first got underway, you could get a 10-year prison sentence for one joint. People who did that kind of time often worked on the front lines, trying to restore some sense of sanity in the state and local laws that we take for granted nowadays. And of course, the battle is far from over.
Going to Hash Bash this year restored my faith in the struggle. We have a long way to go, but Jah is looking out for all of us. At least, I'm pretty sure He's looking out for my ass!
When I returned home through massive security at Detroit Metro Airport, I was getting my carry-on stuff X-rayed and forgot about the huge joint in my bag right next to my camera. Somehow the security people were so busy checking the bags of this straight-looking lady ahead of me, they completely missed the spliff. All the while she was getting searched, she kept looking at me like: "Why aren't they checking his ass out?"
Jah be praised!
SUMMERTIME BBQ ROASTED VEGGIE SANDWICH
2 eggplants (sliced thin crosswise, not lengthwise)
1 bunch asparagus (trim the first 3 inches off the bottom)
2 portobello mushrooms (slice each one in half to make 4 pieces)
1 clove of garlic (press into fine paste with a garlic press)
1/4 cup honey mustard
2 cups fresh spinach
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4-oz fine buds or sun leaves chopped fine
1 Vidalia onion (sliced into 1/4-inch circles)
Cheddar cheese slices
Jewish rye bread
Marinate mushrooms overnight in the teriyaki sauce. In a double-boiler pot (two pots, one that fits inside the other, separated by water), cook the ganja in the butter over low heat for 45 minutes. Tend to the butter at all times, making sure not to let it burn. After cooking, strain all the pot particulate out of the butter, leaving only the pure butter mixture. Set aside. Fire up the grill and let the coals turn slightly gray. Place sliced eggplant, asparagus and mushrooms on the grill. (Add hickory chips to the coal for great smoked flavors.) Mix the pressed garlic into the ganja butter. Brush the veggies with the butter as you grill. Turn the veggies over, a few minutes on each side, until they are cooked to your liking. During the last minutes of grilling, place the spinach on top of the grilled veggies. Melt cheese on top of the portobello mushrooms then place the sliced onion on top. Spread mustard and more ganja butter on the bread. Serves four.