And You'll Know Its Done When The Oil Stops Bubbling, CLC

and you’ll know its done when the oil stops bubbling A Collaborative Community Cookbook of Philadelphia By mike durkin

and you’ll know its done when the oil stops bubbling Created by mike durkin Presented with The Free Library Culinary Literacy Center at the Parkway Branch, and Lillian Marrero Branch Summer 2024

about the artist mike durkin (he/him/y’all) mike is a large-bodied multidisciplinary social practice performance artist residing in Point Breeze. The intersection between art and the everyday guides mike (lowercase to de-center himself for the process). He has created site-responsive social practice productions exploring urban foodways, community mending, sports, houselessness, food access, place, and the americana. mike works in communities and college campuses across the country.

His work combines a variety of styles and mediums to embrace time, place, and the Americana.

Upcoming projects will be held at the University of Rochester, and UPENN Anthropology. mike has worked LSU in Baton Rouge, LA, with Reed College in Portland, OR, the Open Source Gallery in Brooklyn, The Creative Center at University Settlement, the University of Arkansas Design Department, the Broad Art Museum and Department of Theatre at Michigan State University, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center at the University of Houston, the Performance Studies program at Texas A&M University, with the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences at the University of Central Arkansas, Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Color Me Back Studio, Brandywine River Museum, Barnes Foundation, Mt. Moriah Cemetery, the Life Do Grow Farm, and in parks, churches, and fields, diners, virtually. mike is part of the 2017 MFA in Devised Performance class with Pig Iron Theatre Company, University of the Arts.

For more information, www.mikedurkin.info

Free Library Culinary Literacy Center The Free Library is advancing literacy in Philadelphia in a unique and innovative way—with a fork and a spoon. Cooking and eating are educational acts and provide opportunities to learn math, science, languages, history and so much more.

Pull up a seat at our table and see what's cooking at the Free Library of Philadelphia!

For more Information, click here

about the project A Community-Developed Cookbook and Storytelling Presentation A series of story-sharing circles and recipes Part of the Freelibrary of Philadelphia Culinary Literacy Center Presented workshops at the Parkway Central Library and Lillian Marrero Branch May, June 2024 We are thinking about the foods we have during celebrations- anniversaries, weddings, family gatherings, cookouts, Birthdays, spiritual gatherings, and many more. The dishes we share with loved ones, we share in moments of joy.

The dishes that bring us together The dishes that outshines the hardships we face The dishes that preserves a moment in time, the dish we crave, brings us to another day The dishes that preserve a place, where we grew up, what it means to be home The dishes that preserve a space, where we live, the community we foster, the organization or congregation we are a part of The dishes that preserve a culture, what else do we have left, heritage, diaspora, identity

about the project, cont.

Folks gathered at drop-in sessions over four weeks, sharing stories of the past, what’s happening today, and visions for the future.

Having hard conversations in soft spaces Chatting about Mangoes, blueberry lemonade, pinchos, grilled corn, displacement, gun violence, poverty, encampments.

Finding those moments to connect Finding those moments of joy Expanding additional food options Expanding flavor combinations Expanding utilization of food Expanding knowledge around food access, food injustice Cultivating creativity Sharing experiences with family and friends Empowering the ability to make foods

reading the recipes

THE “RECIPES” The recipes are more than just a list of ingredients and directions, but an immersive experience, capturing a moment of time, preserving a culture, deciphering a space, neighborhood, and community, as well as sharing a greater message. We think of these dishes as a piece of prose, a narrative, sometimes with precise measurements, sometimes with feeling.

The title of this project, and you’ll know its done when the oil stops bubbling, is a reference to the sensation you know when something is done. There are so many variables in people’s cooking situations, that the intuition is what is most important.

Making the dishes the way you like to make them. Use this as a springboard, nothing is precise. In an industry about perfection, and exact, this is a project that understands the variables. We encourage creativity, we encourage using the recipe, larger message as a means for improvising. In a Clam chowder recipe sharing a memory of being with family and warming yourself up, maybe you don’t like clams, maybe chicken posole captures that feeling of warmth and family, make that dish!

scrambled egg and cheese sandwich Contributed by Dajuan Dedicated to his Grandma And you will know its done when the bread is toasted Grandma would make this dish for him. Incredibly nostalgic. Very particular on who makes this dish. More than the ingredients. It's a about the preparation.

The togetherness with family. Something restaurants can never replicate.

Home cooking at its finest.

“The last time I had this was 3 days ago. The first time I had this was maybe 15 years ago.”

Ingredients: Potato Bread American cheese

Butter Salt and pepper

Eggs

Directions: Put butter in a pan Pour scrambled eggs in, cook to your liking, add salt, pepper, and cheese Toast potato bread Serve together

mango with fried cheese and pink onion Contributed by Ryan From the Dominican Republic And you will know its done when the cheese hits the plate Not picky Student at CCP, studying biology First in family getting higher education Love comfort foods, humble foods that remind him of growing up in the DR Ingredients: Potatoes Butter

White Dominican cheese Salt and Pepper

Directions: Boil potatoes for about 20 minutes Mash them, add milk, butter, salt and pepper Fry up Dominican cheese Serve with Pink onions Finally, eat it!

Milk Pink Onions

stir fried tomatoes with scrambled eggs Contributed by Amy Cheung Dedicated to her mom

Amy (early 60s), from Hong Kong, has been in Philadelphia for 10 years. Has big hopes and wishes for Philadelphia. Trying to show that Philadelphia is better than the violence and crime. In Hong Kong, what she was told or saw of American food was Coca Cola and McDonald’s and was surprised to see how diverse and vast the culinary landscape is in Philadelphia. She is drawn to blends of cultures through foods, she scoffs at the word “fusion” though. This dish represents her adjusting to American cuisine while being nostalgic for her upbringing in Hong Kong.

Ingredients: Tomatoes (sliced) A pinch of Salt

Brown Eggs x2 (beaten) A little bit of Brown Sugar A little bit of Worcestershire sauce

Directions: Pan fry the eggs until they are a little brown, chop into pieces.

Add sliced tomatoes, mix well with eggs, cover and let cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes Add a small pinch of salt, mix well When tomatoes become tender, add sugar (the dish should be a little sweet) Add a few drops of worcestershire sauce, mix well, and then plate.

cooking in the community Instructions Contributed by C Money

I like to eat in the summer: Mac-n-cheese with Hot Dogs Stir Fry Veggies, ramen noodles, Chicken breast, soy sauce, and any type of seasoning Ground beef, angel hair noodles, any type of cheese, any type of seasoning, and tomato sauce

summer dishes and summer wishes Contributed by Carlita L. Woodbury

Heads up a drop-in center in North Philadelphia Cultivates community and sisterhood Providing resources for folks who can’t navigate the complex systems Loves the smell of BBQ, cookouts, dancing Food as healing, health education

Ingredients: Food Empower Health Community Mustard Tossed Salad

Love Healing Embrace Support Ketchup

Family Burgers Macaroni Salad Seafood Salad Relish

salmon and rice Contributed by Ziyanni Dedicated to her family Abundance Food as spiritual connection Food as family Our heritage Speaking language when we can’t communicate We all have to eat Sharing food means sharing our experience, our legacy, our stories

“My name is Ziyanni, I am a spiritual being…who loves to connect with other spiritual sparks through culinary arts. This recipe is inspired by my late mother and when we were struggling the most my mother warmed my brother and I’s hearts with a tasty meal!”

salmon and rice, cont.

Ingredients: 2 cans of Salmon Parsley Salt and Pepper Packet of Sazón White Rice Adobo

Directions: Pick bones from canned salmon in a bowl Add a salmon, and seasonings together and cook on high Cook rice separately and add parsley Combine salmon with rice Add salt and pepper to taste Enjoy!

marry me pasta Contributed by Philip Dedicated to his wife, Latisha 13 years ago Living in North Philly Same house for his whole life Philip has been dating Latisha He wanted to take the next step Wanted to impress her He wanted to show his love for her Latisha always cooks He wanted to return the favor He wanted to make a baked ziti for her. He glances at the pantry and the kitchen. Sees what he believes to be all the ingredients there. No sweat, doesn’t need to rush the process. 9pm rolls around. He wants to make the pasta, his vision in his head-drastically different than the ingredient has at his disposal. Latisha laughs. Philip dashes to the Pathmark to get the remainder of the ingredients. Wears flip flops, pants fall down as he runs What we do for love. Finally he gets all the ingredients, begins cooking around 10:30pm or so. Finally, meal is ready by Midnight. Latisha loves it.

They’ve been married ever since

marry me pasta, cont.

Ingredients (All Halal) Turkey ground meat Peppers Sugar Sazón

Pasta sauce Spaghetti Onions Carrots Cheddar Mozzarella cheese Salt and Pepper Garlic powder

Directions: Cook the turkey with seasonings Empty out the grease, and meat Cook veggies Cook spaghetti Add sugar to the tomato sauce Assemble all mixtures together, top with cheeses Put in oven for 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and browned Now, today. Him and his family- wife, and three kids. Family first Find the balance between the harshness of the neighborhood, the pain, the anguish with the pride, the vibrancy, the potential. They keep Halal at home, attend mosque, want better for their community. Want others to take advantage of the programs at the library, get off the streets, get off the drugs, stop the hustling. They celebrate creativity in the kitchen, sneaking veggies in meals for the little ones

lehigh avenue coquito fruit salad Created by mike durkin Inspired by conversations with participants and community members at the Lillian Marrero Free Library Branch Congealed salads The “salads” we made Or our parents, grandparents, relatives made Aspics Congealed communities Things that don’t usually going together, somehow working Jello, coconut flakes, mayo, walnuts 6th and Lehigh Sounds of Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, and Reggaeton wash over you Cars double parked, making U-turns Dominican and Puerto Rican flags waving from cars Smells of pernil and lechon cooking in restaurants and on the Avenue Sounds of Classical music coming from the gas station played at deafening volumes To dissuade loitering But folks don’t seem to be bothered by it

lehigh avenue coquito fruit salad, cont.

Selling bulk toilet paper, laundry detergent, swiffer pads Selling bottles of water Sunbaked Sunkissed Bottles of Sunkist We find our community When those push folks away When the drugs and drinking pushes folks away When new development pushes folks away We find our preservation We find our heritage Our nostalgia of a time We make due with what we got Half-expired produce from Papi stores Bullet proof glass dividers Seasonings from Aldi

Ingredients: Fruits: Mangos, Strawberries, bananas, kiwis, tangerine Pineapple juice Unsweetened coconut flakes Lemon juice Sweetened condensed milk Nutmeg Clove Cinnamon Vanilla Fresh Ginger Preparation: Mix all the fruits together Add seasonings Add vanilla, sweetened condensed milk, and juices Grate lemon zest and fresh ginger in mixture Let sit overnight Add sliced up bananas the next day Serve room temperature

caprese pantry pasta salad Created by mike durkin Inspired by conversations at the Church of Visitation Food Pantry on Kensington Ave and Lehigh Under the El Those from the streets Living on the streets Overlooking Luxury apartments Repairs Relocations Dumping “homes” in garbage trucks When will it end Not in my back yard But A constant A reliance A rock A place to receive pantry staples A place to receive care, community, connection

Receiving Fresh Basil Boxed Farfalle, or Bow-tie Pasta Cherry tomatoes Mozzarella Balsamic vinegar Oregano All donated Season to your liking We get creative with what little we have

vine street summer mocktail Created by mike durkin Inspired by the conversations with participants and community members at the Parkway Freelibrary Branch 19th and Vine Street Overlooking the Parkway Overlooking luxury highrises Overlooking those asking for change Cooling off at the fountain Countries flags representing the diversity of Philadelphia A mocktail A summer spritzer Representing the various cultures and communities in Philadelphia Coming together for a mocktail Kicking off the summer A drink for cookouts and bbq A drink for families, friends, co-workers, co-conspirators, church goers A drink that warms hearts and the body Shared with new friends

Jamaican Ginger beer Plain Seltzer Fresh Limes Mango Juice Fresh aloe juice Ice