personal reflection – Tate Basildon

The War After the War: A Chef’s Salute to Veterans, Especially the Forgotten Ones

On Veterans Day, I find myself thinking about the soldiers who fought in wars they never chose—especially the Vietnam vets who came home to rejection instead of honor. As someone living with sarcoidosis and heart failure, I understand battles that never really end. This is a personal thank-you to those who fought for a country that didn’t always fight for them.

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Why I Absolutely Can’t Stand Halloween (And What It Says About Us)

As a chef battling sarcoidosis and heart failure, debris from a life that refuses to behave, I’m here to tell you why Halloween — creepy skeletons, gore-fest lawns, serial-killer mannequin dioramas and all — feels wrong in a way that psychology backs up. If you’ve ever felt alienated by the “fun” of Halloween or want to understand why it grates on your nerves (and mine), read on for a mix of sarcasm, heart, and insight into fear, ritual and chronic illness living.