Cafe 180

A friend had spoken highly of Cafe 180. Today, they celebrated their 6 year anniversary. Seemed like the perfect time to check the place out! I was pleased.

The first impression, walking in, was already quite good. The place has lots of gigantic windows, letting in plenty of natural light. There is a clear view of the entire kitchen, which looked organized and clean. A variety of seating arrangements is available: by the window, on the patio, at tables... The restaurant appeared immaculate.

More importantly, I'm excited about the driving force behind this restaurant: everyone, that's right - everyone - can have a good meal. People who cannot afford to pay a monetary amount for a meal can donate some time at the restaurant.

Meals are made from fresh ingredients.

And, employees are hospitable and kind in working with food sensitivities and allergies.

***

When I went today, we needed to avoid gluten, dairy, and nuts.

Instead of getting frustrated stares, David, one of the kitchen managers, was determined to come up with stuff we could eat.

I ended up ordering two things, minus some ingredients -

1.  the Mediterranean salad, without feta cheese; and,

2. the pesto chicken pizza, using gluten-free crust; minus the pesto (which has dairy in it) and cheese.

Both items were quite good. The salad had plenty of flavor. All five of us were pleasantly surprised by the tastiness of the pizza, despite the missing ingredients. I liked combining the flavors from the salad and pizza.

There are only two paid staff persons working full-time at this location. These two lovely people pictured here: Sonia and David.

***

Cafe 180 is extraordinary, striving to feed everyone well, using fresh ingredients and serving with kindness and love.

If you are craving a good meal but can't afford to pay for it, eat here.

Or, if you want to kill two birds with one stone: partake in a hearty, fresh meal and pay-it-forward; eat at Cafe 180.

Cafe 180 needs volunteers to continue reaching out to the community. For those who are itching to help out in the community, here's a great place to go!

***

Disclaimer: I am not a chef, by training or occupation. But, I do enjoy good food.

Another disclaimer: No one is offering me perks or incentive to speak here. I'm speaking of my own accord. I'm simply super excited about what I had today and the idea behind this restaurant.

Authentic, Exquisite, Sustainable Taiwanese Food: Zoe Ma Ma

This place, Zoe Ma Ma, is amazing.

Not the stereotypical hole-in-the-wall, anything-but-real, crap. Not one bit.

This particular Zoe Ma Ma location (there are two restaurants, one in Denver and one in Boulder) is right next to Union Station, in the heart of Downtown Denver. This area is buzzing with people taking the light rail to or from the airport, locals, just about anyone.

The ambiance is bright and inviting. Inside or out.

This restaurant has typical food that's sold by street vendors in Taiwan, but elevated. The food is authentic and delicious.

These pearl meatballs might seem a bit pricey but so flavorful and tasty (and gluten free!!).

I substituted rice for the rice noodles (just because) in this Ma Ma's Chicken Soup Noodle (also gluten free!). So good, even on a hot Denver day. Rich (full bodied) but not heavy.

On to the sweet treats. I purchased a couple of gluten-free options:

The Goji Berry & Raisin Rice Cake is steamed with sticky sweet rice, goji, and raisins.

The Sesame Ball with Red Bean is deep fried sweet comfort food. So, so good (even though it's deep fried).

It's worth pain of wading through downtown traffic and finding parking (or, taking the light rail) to go to Zoe Ma Ma. It's great to support a family business  AND enjoy amazing food.

Mr. Mike

In what follows is a story about the second individual in the series, "Being True to Thyself." In case you want to be caught up to speed, start with the series introduction: All the World is a Stage; the Good, Bad, and the Ugly. Then read up on the first person, Lindsey, and see how she is a warrior woman who dares to be herself.

This is Mr. Mike, a knight. Not the sort awarded by a monarch. This individual is brave, courageous, and strong in a different way.

He is not picture perfect, without flaw, blemish, or imperfection.

He is a man whose experiences have molded and sculpted him into who he is today. Though conscientious and anxious about what others might think, he utilizes what he has weathered in life to listening to others and to guide people in helpful and tangible ways.

Does that sound a bit too ordinary? Not extraordinary enough?

Let us take a closer look.

He once was an impressionable, younger man who went to great lengths to hide his anxious, scared, and nervous self behind an understanding, kind, and confident mask, He went to great lengths to hide his true self: he drank, befriended the popular crowd in school, rode aback a motorcycle.

The mask he chose to wear in those early days was to appear kind, confident, understanding, and caring; all while feeling scared and anxious inside.

Those were not his best of times.

***

Fast forward some.

He has discovered that what was once a mask worn with the intent of deceiving or at least covering up the nervous and uncertain little boy was not all for the worse.

Learning to listen and processing what others shared have given him the opportunity to offer substantive, helpful suggestions to others. Instead of focusing on his own shortcomings or concerns, Mr. Mike has been able help others.

***

These days, he wears his mask not just to hide, but to offer a listening ear or lending hand to others. He wants others to know who he is; so, he is willing to risk the dangerous and reveal who he truly is: wise, caring, with a bit of anxiousness and concern mix into the bundle. That is Mr. Mike. He dares to be himself.

Lindsey

With the spirit of encouraging and inspiring everyone out there to become acquainted with oneself and learn to be comfortable and accepting of oneself, I have started a series, "Being True to Thyself," wherein I will include snapshots of individuals who dare to be themselves, imperfections and all, and are becoming stronger, full-of-life people.

Lindsey is the first individual in my series.

This is Lindsey, a warrior woman. She takes courage in expressing her feelings and thoughts in conversations and in art, some between people and some in art form.

In many aboriginal cultures as well as other groups, tattoos were not seen as a deviance or fringe to be avoided, but it was a badge of honor to be earned, a rite of passage.

For Lindsey, tattoos express points of significance, whether regarding (remarkable) approaches to life...

 or pieces that invite us to hear more about her story.

These visible tattoos are  a peek into who this warrior woman is. She has dared to investigate, introspect, and ask hard questions of the world and of herself. She has trudged through painful, difficult, muddy circumstances, to grow and to help others.

This beautiful warrior woman fights important battles; by defending the under privileged and wading past preconceived notions, stifling stereotypes, and unrealistic expectations.

All the World Is a Stage; the Good, Bad, and the Ugly

All the world is a stage, and with that comes the good, bad, and the ugly.

We choose to wear masks every day.

The Good

Choosing to reveal only part of the self, or wearing a particular mask, isn't always bad. The purpose of putting on a mask does not always have to be manipulative or deceitful.

That we wear particular masks can be important and good. Bringing the focused, well organized part of the self into a task-centered, efficient work place, for example, is beneficial to one's career and fruitful performance.

The Bad

For whatever reasons, sometimes we wear masks not well suited for the tasks at hand. Growing up, I got in trouble at school for bringing my talkative self or my day-dreaming self into the classroom. Wearing the wrong masks can be disruptive and counterproductive to the self and surrounding individuals.

Those sorts of masks, which may be a very real part of a person, are better suited in other circumstances.

The Ugly

But, sometimes we wear masks to hide or cover up something from ourselves or from others.

There can be a variety of reasons for wearing masks with the intent to deceive. I will not presume I have the ability to comprehend or identify with the plethora of reasons for that. I am guessing one main driving incentive includes pain or trauma.

But, what if coming to terms with that pain or trauma, within manageable and safe conditions, helps a person be less of a shell but more of a robust, interesting individual?

I will dare to step into the controversial (dangerous, I know) and say that we don't have to be perfect; limit ourselves only to what others expect us to do; or deny pain, difficulties, or trauma we have endured or are experiencing. Instead, we should be true to ourselves.

Be True to Thyself

To be true to thyself takes experience, courage, critical self-reflection, and support (whether friends, family, or other well-informed sources).

Learning about aspects of oneself can be painful, like tearing a freshly-formed scab off of very, not-yet-healed raw skin. Truly being oneself, however, can filled with opportunities for insight, growth, and hope.

I am starting a series, which shall be titled 'Being True to Thyself,' which will include snapshots of real lives, where people dare to be true to themselves. Not all my future posts will belong to this series, but there will, hopefully, be plenty to come. If you know someone - woman, man, child, young adult, older individual, you, from whatever walk of life - who dares to be true to herself or himself, whose story could encourage others, please send me an e-mail or message me.

For the Love of Brick and Mortar Independent Bookstores

This bookstore has a little cafe at the front of the store, by those huge windows. There are multiple comfortable seating areas and nooks, so people can sit comfortably and look at books. There is plenty of walking space and arm space, even if people sit on the floor next to the bookcases. This bookstore still boasts plenty of books, from the floor to near the ceiling. This place has complementary wi-fi. It is independently owned, not just another chain store.

Though I am careful about where my money goes and how it is spent, I would spend a bit extra to support the independently owned bookstores who work hard to serve the community and have a history of supporting and defending its patrons valiantly.

And, on my way out of the store, I saw a line formation set-up, ready for a book signing later. Not that I am scoping out for possible locations for when the book is published and rolling.

Rain Will Produce Success and Flourishing

Rain can blur visibility or create a huge mess (when non-stop for a prolonged amount of time), but rain also provides needed sustenance for life.

It seems as if I am a jack of many trades, but a master of none. I have learned to do many things I would have never thought myself figuring out how to do. And passing time adds more to the list of trades I must figure out how to complete. Being a master of none is disconcerting, not so much because my identity is intimately tied to being master of something or anything, but more so because monetary stability and success requires such.

Or, so I thought.

I am slow at learning that what I thought would be my life career may not look quite like what I had envisioned; and, I am gradually realizing that that is okay. The skills that were and are being refined, sharpened, and perfected, are still vital to the work I do, just in a different way.

My ability to see how things will look is not crystal clear; I can make out just enough to tell that what will happen will produce flourishing. I suppose that will have to do for now.