I have been thinking a lot today about why I am sitting at our open dock door at my wonderful place of business, a nonprofit called the Community Resource Center, eating my lunch of Asian chicken salad and having a wee thimbleful of Pinot Grigio because it is the Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend and I believe I am entitled.

I was in the newspaper business for a lot of years. If I still were, I would be working late today, cramming copy because of the long weekend. Most of it would not be very interesting because not much happens on holiday weekends. I would be bored and a little resentful. But, instead, I am sitting at the dock door, enjoying a leisurely afternoon after a fairly productive week that included doing my 2011-2012 budget, writing a couple of grants, and having lunch with an old newsroom buddy who got out of the business just in the nick of time, too.

Today,  my old newspaper laid off at least 14 newsroom folks. Many of them had worked there for decades. They shoveled all their bobble-head dolls, funny stickers and buttons, and the rest of the detritus of years of unintentional collecting into a couple of boxes and walked out. To where? No matter how much you love the newspaper it never loves you back. We joked about that for years. But who would have thought it would come to this?

So I am feeling immeasurably lucky that I am sitting here. By a mixture of happenstance and dumb luck, I am running a nonprofit that does some measure of good for people who just need a hand up. Had I been there, I would be filling up my boxes, too.

Asian chicken salad

4 packages Ramen noodle soup

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

½ cup mayonnaise

1-2 grilled chicken breasts

Prepare the noodles according to package directions, discarding the seasoning packet.

Drain noodles and toss with the sesame oil. Allow noodles to cool to room temperature. Mix noodles with mayonnaise.

Slice chicken into thin pieces and toss with noodles. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

2 Comments

  1. JoAnn Rhodes Grose
    July 2, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    I think this is one of your best that I’ve read, maybe the best. And yummy looking. I have a slaw recipe w/ ramen noodles that i love, love, love.

  2. Dee
    July 3, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    My son loves ramen noodles and I read him the recipe and he says it sounds YUMMY! Thanks!

    If you know any tweens or teens who like to read, check out my new ebook, The Warrior’s Box – http://www.publisherspodium.com/Bookstore/Youth/The%20Warrior%27s%20Box.

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