Tag: change the recipe

Building a Better World

This is the last entry in the 3-part blog carnival.

Jose Andres and his World Central Kitchen volunteers show up after hurricanes like Maria in Puerto Rico and in conflict zones Feeding the Hungry.

Andres and his crew have done what the Red Cross and U.S. government could not. In the Middle East they built a solid usable jetty. The U.S. spent $300 million building a temporary floating structure nearby that collapsed.

Andres didn’t think he could feed the millions who needed food. His game plan should be replicated by us: Start with one subgoal at a time.

Andres knew that the people living in those other countries were the best experts to tell him what to do when the World Central Kitchen staff showed up.

In fact, Andres is against hosting Zoom meetings to figure out the plan. Meet a person in person is his belief.

Change the Recipe is only 175 pages. It should be bought to refer to time and again for a refresher in hope that a single individual can alleviate the suffering in the world. Each of us can start volunteering in our corner of the world for the cause we’re committed to.

Asking the recipients of help what they need is far better than thinking you know what they need and pre-assembling a care package to give them.

Even before I published Working Assets the career guide I had at least three peers read the manuscript to tell me what they thought of it.

Living life without taking risks is no life to live if you ask me. Andres saw the need that creating World Central Kitchen could fill better than others could fill that need.

This is the key to succeeding: Filling a need your target market has and being the best at what you do.

Breaking Some Eggs

Change the Recipe by Jose Andres talks about how to build a better world by breaking some eggs. In a way breaking the rules by breaking eggs is also the way to get ahead for yourself. In turn each of us should think about breaking those eggs to help others succeed.

Creative minds can achieve more for ourselves by collaborating with others and helping them out along the way. Lifting other individual’s boats rises the tide in our favor too.

In Change the Recipe Jose Andres the chef has a chapter titled Build Longer Tables Not Higher Walls.

The fact that bellicose men rule the world and start wars against each other is not something we should accept as the normal operating business of government.

Andres at the end of this chapter states:

“When you share a meal with someone, or lots of people, you learn more and can help more. And helping people rebuild their lives where they are is far more successful than building walls to keep us apart.”

So-called “migrants” flee their countries and come to America or places like Italy and Greece because civil and other wars have displaced them.

The World Central Kitchen that Jose Andres founded steps in to feed the people where they are. The WCK helps those individuals feed themselves doesn’t just give them a handout.

One brilliant solution Andres had was to make sandwiches when hot stoves weren’t available. Andres bought the sandwich ingredients from a local farmer at a market.

Change the Recipe gives “recipes” for how to build a better world. Each of us one person at a time can contribute mighty effort by “breaking some eggs” in our own way.

The fact that each of us is just one person shouldn’t deter us from trying to build this better world for others and for ourselves too.

Early on in recovery our goal should be bettering ourselves. Then with our feet planted on this ground we can aspire to help others. 

Changing the Recipe

Coming up I’m going to post a 3-entry blog carnival dedicated to a new book published in April that I think everyone should read.

Reading books like Change the Recipe has always been a gift of joy and inspired living for me.

In all ways and from disparate sources I glean the information I can use to better myself. In turn I seek to help readers followers and audience members better themselves by sharing this information.

Maybe my life ethic shouldn’t be a surprise as I obtained a master’s in library and information science decades ago.

Like Mary Oliver asked famously in a quote:

Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Finding out and going and doing what calls out to you could help a person Enjoy Life when they struggle.

I chose to devote my life to public service.

The goal I have for reviewing books in here is to inspire followers that the keys to self-development are right in front of our eyes.

Read on for a review of the latest book that changed my life.