Soul Vegetarian East

Hey! It's Keisha! Last week the whole SSP team went on a field trip to Soul Vegetarian East for lunch. Soul Vegetarian East (SVE) is a restaurant that only serves vegan food that is inspired by traditional soul food. A traditional soul food meal consists of: collard greens, candied yams, fried chicken, corn bread, and mac&cheese. However, at SVE we had many of the same type of things; but in a new way. Some of the things we ate were battered cauliflower, buffalo tofu, barbecue seitan (meat substitute), spaghetti with olive oil, vegetables, and basil, kale greens, and a vegan milkshake. The whole South Chicago team tried everything offered to get the full experience. We had our favorites like, the spaghetti, the battered cauliflower, and the vegan milkshake. But we also had somethings we were huge fans of. Overall, I loved the restaurant and what it stood for in the Chicago community; healthy living.

Green City Market

Hi! Taylor here. A couple of weeks ago, we all took a trip to Green City Market which is located right next to Lincoln Park Zoo. At this market, you get to meet local organic farmers who sell some of their food they have grown. We were able to taste edible flowers, broccoli grass, cherries, and wheat grass juice. When I tasted the wheat grass juice it was very sweet and minty. I was actually surprised. I was also able to try humus. It was a very weird texture, and had an odd flavor. Although I didn't like it, I was proud that I tried it. As lunch time approached, Keisha, Krystal, and I went looking for "regular" food. I remember me and Keisha saying, "Where's the organic Mcdonalds!?" We came across a place that was selling pizza. All three of us ordered a slice of cheese pizza. It was really good, the only thing that tasted different was the cheese. We also were able to try a fresh strawberry smoothie that was delicious. Overall, it was a really fun day and everyone enjoyed themselves. Keep coming back for more reflections about our experiences.

Edible Garden Tour

Hello, Taylor here from team South Chicago. Last Wednesday, all of the groups went to The Edible Garden which was located in Lincoln Park Zoo. In this garden, we got a tour and were able to try different kinds of plants. We tried dill, raspberries, rat-tail radishes, fresh broccoli, and many other things. The garden had compost bins, and it was organic. That means that there are not additives added to help the plants grow. It's all natural. We learned that it takes blueberries up to 2-3 years to grow. We also had a chance to ask questions such as, "how do they water the plants evenly." They said that they used a water system that turns on at 12 midnight every night. Many people did not want to try stuff, but I tried everything! I was really proud of myself. In the end, the tour was really informative and interactive. I would go again any day! Stay tuned for more of our exciting trips and events!

UHI Summit 2011

Hello, it's Taylor. Last Thursday, all of the SSP team participants(South Chicago, Woodlawn, and Greater Grand Crossing) attended the Urban Health Initiative Summit. During this summit, we addressed many health issues in communities. We were able to do a live polling that showed us all of the ethnicities being represented, and what their major problems were in their community. After the live polling was done we saw the top three things communities were struggling with. The top three were, education, economic development, and family development. Then, we broke up into small groups and discussed the three topics. We told them whether we agreed or not, and how we felt about it. This small discussion gave us a chance to meet new people. The group that I was in included a representative from CPS and a worker from Project Brotherhood. At the end of the day, we all enjoyed ourselves and were able to see that many communities were facing the same problems we were. It was a great experience, and I hope to attend it again next year. Keep checking back in for more updates about our Summer!

Asset Maping in South Chicago 2011

This last week we have been working on getting a real look at our community. Me and the rest of the girls took a short tour in the neighborhood around EPIC. We took pictures of all the local restaurants, fast food places, fitness centers, and other things that gave off an idea of what this community is like. From our walk we saw that there are more unhealthy places to grab a bite than anything. We did notice that the grocery stores were far and few between all of the chain restaurants and corner stores. We visited a Save-A-Lot close to our school and saw that there was a very small fresh produce area while the rest of the store was stocked with frozen, boxed, and unhealthy foods. When we tried to take photos to show later, the staff told us that we weren't allowed to photograph the store at all. In addition, we came across a small family owned store that carried fresh produce but also held a large selection of junk food. Again, when we came in and tried to record information but the owners became nervous; so we decided to leave the store in respect to them. Lastly, there are a lot of old vacant lots that are very common in South Chicago. They are filled with garbage and debris, and make the community look unfriendly and unsanitary. It was good for our group to go out in the community and see it for ourselves.

The Mulberry Tree

June 27,2011.

Hello. Keisha, Angelica, Vanessa, Taylor, Jessica, & I took a trip to a local garden in the South Chicago neighborhood, and also met the master gardener(Gregory). Gregory spoke with us, he told us what was needed in order to create a garden and how to keep up with them. The three high school students. Taylor, Keisha, and I are working on creating a garden for our school EPIC Academy. He told us it was possible and we are going to need a lot of help in order to create this beautiful idea we have into a reality. We learned the different varieties of tomatoes that are available, how corn, beans, and yellow squash are able to be planted in the same hole and able are able to grow because they help each other grow and give each other nutrients in order to grow. That is all for now, we will keep you posted with further information.

South Chicago SSP Blog

Welcome to South Chicago's Summer Service Partnership 2011 blog. Our team consists of Angelica, Jessica, Vanessa, Krystal, Keisha, and Taylor. Go girls! This year, we have decided to take on obesity. We have divided this project up into three sections. Gardening, nutritional education, and healthier school lunches for our school EPIC Academy. Krystal will be working on healthy cooking demonstrations for communities. Keisha will be working on creating community gardens. Taylor will be working on the school lunches. Overall, we are all working on this project together. We are really excited to be able to help our community become healthier. We'll keep you updated, so keep coming back for more information!