A symbol of dignity and democracy supports Democracy Now!

Last spring, I was reflecting on how much good community work in the country is still framed in negative terms. There are a lot of “antis”—all well-intended—but the approach is still largely oppositional. Thinking on all that I’d written in The Power of Beliefs in Business, I was reminded that while focusing on what we’re against is common, it’s rarely very effective. That reflection set me searching for a positive symbol for the good, non-partisan, pro-people work so many are doing to support dignity and democracy.

Around that same time, I read—or, more accurately, reread—Ukrainian writer Lyuba Yakimchuk’s poignant poem “Apricots for Donbas.” When I came to the line, “Where no more apricots grow, Russia starts,” I realized she had given me an unexpectedly powerful solution for my search. As a longtime student of Russian history, I’ve long been clear that I didn’t want to be in autocratically-run Russia. What had never occurred to me, though, was to think about apricots. Sure, I’d always liked them, but I’d simply never considered them in this context. A couple of days later, I went with my instincts. Reminding myself regularly that in challenging times like the ones we’re living in, it’s important to take positive actions, not just slide into being a well-meaning bystander. I decided I would make apricots a symbol of dignity and democracy. Why not? They’re positive. They’re peaceful. They’re delicious. They’re beautiful. They’re natural. I knew I didn’t want Russia. I opted for apricots.

My first move, sometime in the second week of May last spring, was to find an apricot pin to put on my jean jacket. I looked online and came across dozens. I went with my gut and picked one that came from an artist named Agavny. I knew nothing about her, but I really like her pins, so I ordered it up. I waited a week or so, and when it arrived, I stuck it on my jacket. Almost immediately, I began to get queries and compliments. Most went something like, “Wow, that’s nice! What is it? I would always answer directly: “It’s an apricot. It’s the symbol of dignity and democracy.” The response I got back, nearly every time, was something like, “That’s awesome! I love that!” After a few weeks of kind comments and encouragement, I decided to take the next step. The amazing Ian Nagy drew an apricot for the cover of “Why Democracy Matters.” From there, Ian’s illustration went onto t-shirts, hoodies, and more, which, thanks to Rishi Narayan and the creative crew at Underground Printing, we could ship straight to people’s houses. We donate the proceeds to Democracy Now!, a non-partisan non-profit.

While Ian was working on the drawing, I ordered some more pins from Agavny—I figured I could just give them away to folks I knew and start spreading the word. That went so well, that in a month or so, I ordered more. Late last fall, I had the thought to reach out to Agavny directly. I would buy a bunch myself and then bring them to the Roadhouse, where the crew could sell them and donate the entire amount from each sale to Democracy Now!. She loved the idea. We made it happen. Of course, the pins arrived a few days before the renovation started. Now that we’re back at it full bore in the restaurant, the pins are up on the host stand for sale! Like the items from Underground Printing, all the money from each pin you buy goes to Democracy Now!

It happens, by one of those wonderful coincidences the world can offer, a bit of artisan magic we might say here, that Agavny doesn’t just make great apricot pins, she’s an awesome artist with a wonderful worldview. An Armenian American, her full name is Agavny Vardanyan. She was born in L.A. into an immigrant family, and she’s lived there her whole life. Her name, Agavny, means “dove” or “pigeon” in Armenian, and she has been passionate about promoting Armenian culture, history, and art throughout her life. She illustrates, she’s worked on an Armenian children’s book, designed props for stage sets, done a lot of animation, and more. You can see some of her lovely work here.

In the fall of 2020, seven months into COVID, a second apocalyptic catastrophe hit the Armenian community when the Artsakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan started. Many Armenians came under attack in the Caucasus. As Agavny shared in an interview in March 2022 with VoyageLA,

The War in my homeland Armenia in the Fall of 2020 has been one of the biggest challenges in my life and the lives of all Armenians I know. With the opposing side having far more technological advancements than our own military, seeing the names and ages of soldiers we lost was like living through hell every single day. The lack of international aid from countries that had all the power in the world to stop this war showed many Armenians that our tiny island of land could very easily be lost to us if this attack was so easy to turn a blind eye to.

She decided to raise money for the community in Armenia by making and selling artisan pins, posters, and more. For the pins, she started with three based on the red, blue, and orange of the Armenian flag. “My first pin was the red pomegranate, followed by the blue Gentiana Verna flower, and the third, of course, being the apricot with its scientific name appropriately being Prunus armeniaca.” She taught herself how to hand-make her original artisan pins by putting together polymer clay, acrylic paint, UV resin, and, of course, the pin backs.

The apricot pin is the one I ordered four years later. I loved it at the time, and, having learned more about Agavny’s inspiring worldviews, passion for Armenian culture, and compassion for those who are suffering, I now love it even more. She actually organized a digital charity zine called “Split Pomegranate, Sacred Seeds” where over 90 writers and artists got together, and donated proceeds to Armenian charities supporting Artsakh refugees and more! She shared, “Our project gained enough love that I ended up opening preorders for physical copies—and altogether with digital and physical sales we raised nearly $4000.”

If you live in town, you can swing by the Roadhouse and buy a couple of Agavny’s artisan apricot pins. In fact, buy as many as you want! If we sell out, I’ll buy more, and we’ll do the donation thing again! If you live out of town, you can just go to Agavny’s Etsy site, where I first found them last spring.

Part of what I appreciate about Agavny is how deeply she cares about her community. As she says,

Tragedy is something Armenians have lived through before, and in some sad way, we have become used to it. But through music, film, writing, and art, we strive to keep our culture alive, to put a voice onto those emotions. I hope I can contribute in any small way.

And now, in a wonderful way, her pins contribute twice over—first on her end to support the embattled Armenian community in the Caucasus, and then when you buy one at the Roadhouse, we donate again to Democracy Now!

Here’s to Agavny, apricots, dignity, democracy, and good things to come.

P.S. If you’d like to buy any of the t-shirts, hats, hoodies, Carhartts, kids’ shirts, etc., you can find them online through our friends at Underground Printing. The backstory of the apricot in all this is right here. And now, with this wonderful relationship with a creative and caring artist like Agavny, the story has gotten even better!

P.P.S. The newly released “Why Democracy Matters” pamphlet, with Ian Nagy’s amazing apricot drawing on the cover, is on the counter right next to the pins. The two together would make a great gift for anyone for whom dignity and democracy matter!

A wonderful way to start your day

When I first wrote about this terrific toast combination, it was in the context of something you might make at home. A few months later, the Coffee Company crew ran with the idea—they adapted it slightly for their setting and featured it as a special with my name on it. This month, it’s back on the menu, more delicious than ever. Just as important, for me in the moment, it puts apricots front and center. The combination of nicely toasted Bakehouse Farm Bread, Zingerman’s Cream Cheese, apricot jam, and Cinnamon Spiced Peanuts from the Candy Manufactory is truly irresistible!

As many of you know, I’ve been writing a lot about my work to make apricots the peaceful and positive symbol for dignity and democracy. I’ve been wearing my apricot pin for a couple months, and a number of lovely conversations have come from curious folks asking me what it is. In concert with Underground Printing here in town and with an amazing scratchboard illustration of an apricot by our own Ian Nagy, apricot t-shirts are now up for sale as of the release of this enews—proceeds will go to Democracy Now! I just placed my first order for myself today and will be sending some gifts later this week.

This much deeper appreciation of apricots was one of the unexpected outcomes of my deep studies of Ukrainian culture and history while working on “The Revolution of Dignity in the Twenty-First Century Workplace.” I had no idea apricots were such an essential element of Ukrainian culture and cooking. As I’ve shared, Ukrainian poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, who fled the region with her family when Russia invaded in 2014 (during what became the Revolution of Dignity), wrote in one of her poems in her book Apricots of Donbas,

Where no more apricots grow, Russia starts.

In any case though, come by the Coffee Company and enjoy some of this amazing apricot-forward toast—dignity and democracy manifesting in a marvelously delicious edible form! The small bit of beauty from the great combination of flavors on the Coffee Company’s toast can brighten one’s day in surprisingly wonderful ways. With that in mind, I’m inspired to eat—and pay far more attention to—apricots than I ever have in the past. When I eat this toast, it helps me move through whatever emotional difficulties—even on dark days—that I’m struggling with. It’s terrific and delicious! Hope to see you soon!

Order your apricot toast in advance

Dressed with an extra-aged apple cider vinegar from Quebec

Here’s a great little salad that you can make at home in a matter of minutes! The apples and honey combination makes it ideal if you’re celebrating the Jewish holidays. That said, you can just be celebrating apple season in Michigan. Either way, it’s wonderful!

To make the salad, pick up some heirloom apples at the farmers market (or other good source of local apples). Core and slice them horizontally into rounds, or alternatively make them into thin wedges. Drizzle on a bit of honey—the sunflower honey I wrote up last week would work well, as would most of our amazing varietal honeys.

Toast some walnuts—I love the tasty red walnuts we have at the Deli. I like to add them whole to really feature the texture and flavor, but chopping them smaller will do as well. If you have high-quality hazelnuts or good pecans (we have great ones at the Deli), those will work well in the salad too!

Chop some dried apricots and sprinkle those on as well—with apricots in my mind as the symbol of dignity and democracy, this is a wonderful way to add a bit of both to the New Year celebration. The Creamery shop has some great dried apricots from California. They add color, texture, and sweetness to the dish.

Sprinkle on some good vinegar. I’ve been hooked on a newly arrived, long barrel-aged, XO Balsamic-Style Apple Cider Vinegar from the folks at Gingras up in Quebec. They take fresh apple cider, reduce it down, then blend it with aged cider vinegar in a series of wood barrels. The result is a super-concentrated, sweet, and complex vinegar. Finish it with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground pepper, and a sprinkle of fleur de sel.

The salad beautifully recreates the colors of our local autumn leaves: red, yellow, and white from the apples; orange from the apricots; brown and red from the walnuts! As lovely to look at as it is to eat!

P.S. You won’t see the Gingras XO Cider Vinegar on the Mail Order websites, but we’d be glad to ship you some—just email us at [email protected].