How to Cook a Moose

Lessons in Place and Belonging​

How to Cook a BIGGER Moose

Extended Episode​

We can’t even imagine cooking a moose - why would we want to do that?  If that’s what you’re thinking, don’t worry, today’s episode is all about writing and being human and the ongoing struggle to live in community.  A moose does get cooked in our guest Kate Christensen’s second memoir of the same name, but we will save that for you to discover on your own. 

​Guest Bio:
Kate Christensen is an award-winning author of 7 novels and 2 memoirs that have a lot to do with the glory of food, coping with being human, finding community, and the tenuous beauty of life.  Her characters, including the character of herself in the memoirs, are broken and beautiful, they are finding their way home to themselves and uncovering their places in this world.  They are messy and real and we love them.  
We talk with Kate about the writer’s life, about growing up in our shared home town of Jerome, Arizona, about the difference between NYC and rural Maine/NH.  

This conversation is full of laughter and discovery. It also contains references to the physical abuse Kate witnessed growing up and the ongoing sexual assault she suffered as a minor. We don’t go into the details but we wanted you to know in case it’s not healthy for you to hear those kinds of stories. We are grateful to Kate for her vulnerability and openness… we think these kinds of stories are a way forward and out of the dark for us all. 

Before we go any further… 
we want to let you know that you get to choose which version of this podcast to listen to. Our conversation with Kate lasted nearly 3 hours and every part of it was chock full of fascinating stories and important ideas. We couldn't leave much of that precious audio in the delete bin so we are releasing two versions. 

1. One version is the highly edited and leaves out 25 minutes of Kate’s recollections of her high school life, Charles’s very different version of Kate’s high school life, Kelly’s passionate thoughts about community and the story of Dingo the Dog.
2. The other version (How to Eat a BIGGER Moose) is longer, fuller, more complete.  It's perfect for those who want to know more about the writing process, want to hear more about what happens "behind the scenes" and/or who want to remember what life was like in Jerome, AZ in the 80s. 

Do a Science:

• Consider the onion. Over the course of a week, find a different way to cut and use an onion each night. 

References:

• Episode 31 You’re Never Too Old For A Coming Of Age with Bill Konigsberg  
• Episode 51 How to Raise the Bar with Ruth Ellen  and Tim Elinski

Resources: 

• 5enses article about our podcast!!
• Shift your mindset about stuff.
• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE, online.rainn.org y rainn.org/es) in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
• Check out Kate’s books and blog here
• Some info on Sustainable community food systems
• Cultivating Community website &  Instagram
• More about Somali farmers in Maine

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Music Credits: A Hawaiian in Paris feat.-Pierre-Grill