As Civics 101 entered its ninth year of production, we thought it was high time we threw our tricorn hat into the social media ring.
We knew we wanted to make videos, and we have a tremendous new videographer on our team, but what would they be about? Hannah quickly chose to opine on John Adams’ pre-revolution revolution (and dress up like Little Edie from “Grey Gardens” to explore our obsession with the American flag), and I stumbled into talking about civics while making dinner.
So, I’ve been obsessed with cooking Sichuan food for decades. I’ve whacked out a hundred bowls of dan-dan noodles, fried whole fishes in chilis and peppercorns, and even made my own chili bean paste. But one spicy staple eluded me, it was just too daunting to attempt: The forever pickle jar. This is called pao cai, a water-seal jar you can keep on your counter for decades, replacing vegetables as needed in the fiery brine.
This summer I decided to throw caution to the wind and give the pao cai a try. And it is so simple and rewarding that I tell everyone I meet to make one as well.
You might wonder what this has to do with civics. That is absolutely fair!
We’ve been doing a series going through the articles of the Constitution (so far we’ve covered Article I and Article II) and it struck me that managing a constitutional republic (or a healthy brine) is all about maintaining a perfect ratio.
A pickle jar … “if you can keep it”
Here’s a link to the video explaining how a pickle jar is like our Constitution, with carrots as Congress and mustard greens representing the executive branch.
The metaphor could continue as far as you like; right now there’s a thin film of kahm yeast on the top of the brine, so I’m pouring a splash of distilled water and vodka on there, which I like to think of as the amendment process. Vegetables go out and come in, not unlike our Congress or our office of the president, and the ginger/garlic/vodka judiciary are responsible for keeping the entire ecosystem free of corruption.
But the whole thing isn’t possible without the most crucial participant – you. It is you, the people, who preserve this living democracy. It requires maintenance, adjusting, and amending. Some Sichuan pickle jars have lasted nearly a century, they’re passed down through generations. And all it takes is one week of neglect to lose it forever.
If you’d like to try to make your own, here’s a step by step guide. May it last over 250 years.
Civics 101 is the podcast refresher course on the basics of how the U.S. government works, hosted by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice.
America at 250: Why are we like this? Join Civics 101 as we explore many facets of what it means to be American – and how we got this way – for a special series commemorating the country’s 250th Anniversary.
