Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2022 i Men's Health

Jonathan Majors, MH’s November cover guy, is about to become very famous playing Kang the Conqueror, Marvel’s next major bad guy. Which got us to thinking: WHO’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE TV OR MOVIE VILLAIN? Mr. Burns in The Simpsons.@JesMasih @JaredHarris doesn’t get nearly enough love for his turn as James Moriar ty. Iconic in Sherlock Holmes, character that he absolutely nails.@HUCosell Hans Gruber in Die Hard.@seanmcummins Homelander from The Boys.@KanoDattani Count Baltar and the Cylons on the original Battlestar Galactica.@blake4211 Marvel exterminator Thanos.@Tarheel115…

FRANCISCO JOSÉ STATS AGE: 30 OCCUPATION: Business owner, fitness and nutrition coach LOCATION: Houston, TX MY NUTRITION GOAL THIS YEAR To stop fearing fat—hello, rib eye! IN MY GYM BAG Gym towel, creatine, resistance bands, water bottle. MY DREAM WORKOUT PARTNER Zac Efron. THE ONE FOOD I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT Eggs, especially the runny ones that ooze everywhere…. Delicious and nutritious! MY ROLE MODEL RIGHT NOW My mom, for showing me what it takes to be strong, brave, and authentic. “Sweet Dreams,” by Eurythmics, including all covers and remixes. HOW I STAY MOTIVATED Freedom! Freedom to move, freedom to speak, freedom to be! THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE Be more afraid of missing out on something good than failing.…

HERE IS WHAT I don’t want to see when lying on a table with my pants down: a doctor, wielding sharp instruments, digging around in the numb valley of my groin, looking for something he can’t find. I feel a dull pressure and hear a snip. I peek out beneath my eyelids at the frustrated doc; he exhales, shakes his head. Back into the fray he goes. One week before my 41st birthday, I lay prone under harsh fluorescent lights for an hour and let a young doctor poke into my genitals. He was looking for something he described as “the size of a piece of spaghetti.” Two pieces, actually: one vas deferens—the tube that supplies sperm to the urethra—for the left testicle and another for the right. My vasectomy…

WALKING SPIDERMAN LUNGE WITH ROTATION Start standing, then place your hands on the floor and walk them into pushup position (a). Step your right foot outside your right hand. Reach your right hand toward the ceiling (b). Reverse the movements back to pushup position, then walk your feet toward your hands. Stand up. Repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep; do 5. 1 WALKING PENDULUM LUNGE Start standing. Step your right leg backward and lower into a lunge. Stand back up. As you stand, step forward with your right leg; lower into a lunge. Stand back up. Repeat the pattern on the other side; that’s 1 rep. Do this until time is up. 2 DIAGONAL SKATER LEAP Start standing, then lift your left foot off the floor. Shift it…

BEGINNER DIY For basic moves, cram a thick towel (or a few!) into a corner to anchor the barbell. ADVANCED DIY Place a 45-pound plate on the floor and put a heavy dumbbell on the plate. Wedge one end of the barbell beneath the dumbbell handle, setting yourself up for press and squat variations. GO PRO The Rep Fitness Free Standing Landmine ($99; repfitness.com) is the ideal sleeve, securing your barbell perfectly while offering great range of movement.…

I WAS STEELING myself for what was going to be a three-hour horseback ride through Great Sand Dunes National Park when I realized I was unprepared. First, I didn’t have a ten-gallon hat. (I learned early on that not a single outfitter within a two-hour drive of Colorado Springs Airport carried a Stetson that would fit over my dreadlocks.) I knew that the hat wasn’t required, but not wearing one just felt odd—like playing baseball without a cap. Second, I didn’t have chaps. “Do chaps actually do anything?” I asked Ruby, a wrangler at Zapata Ranch in Mosca, Colorado. As I gazed out over the desert before us, Ruby patiently explained the many practical reasons chaps are a good idea (thorn-bush defense, rope-burn protection). She’d done this before—reassuring city people…

HOW WE DID IT WE SCANNED THE store shelves and the Internet for new packaged snacks that are high in protein, good fats, and fiber while also being reasonable in terms of calories and added sugar. Then we taste-tested more than 50 chips, dips, and bites in order to find the most delicious products. Not every snack satisfied (and some were … blech). But these made the cut. For 35 more incredibly delicious, amazingly nutritious snacks, check out MensHealth.com/snack-awards-2022.…

AQUAPHOR: While the wound is open, use a petrolatum-based ointment like Aquaphor to keep it moisturized. Melissa Doft, M.D., a New York City–based plastic surgeon, recommends a petrolatum-based ointment because even a thin layer seals in moisture. Our pick: Aquaphor Healing Ointment ($16; amazon.com) SILICONE: Whether you use it in gel or strip form, silicone locks in moisture and prevents collagen from overproducing. These products “help smoothen and flatten scar formation,” says Dr. Doft. One thing to note: You need to wear them continuously during the first three months to really see results. Our pick: ScarAway Silicone Scar Sheets ($48 for a pack of six; amazon.com) SUNSCREEN: Because new scars are more fragile and prone to sunburn than the rest of your skin is, plastic surgeons recommend keeping the scar…

I THOUGHT I WAS DONE with music appreciation after freshman year of college. I was wrong. In 2018, I suffered a catastrophic injury that left the hearing in my left ear damaged and the hearing in my right ear nonexistent. I had never planned on being a partially deaf person, although I should have. The National Institutes of Health says that more than 37 million Americans aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says the number will rise to 76 million by 2060. Hearing loss hurts far more than your communication with others. It’s linked to loneliness and depression, and a recent report in The Lancet shows that if it happens in midlife, you’re at increased risk for dementia. Hearing…

AFTER HIS RIGHT LEG was crushed between two ships while serving in the Navy in Somalia in 2009, Alec Zirkenbach spent almost a year rehabbing before deploying again. Zirkenbach (above, right) leaned into CrossFit to forge the fitness he needed to serve—he says the community spirit saved him—and just before leaving the Navy, he founded Fathom CrossFit in San Diego in 2012. The initial goal was to provide a space where wounded soldiers could train, but that quickly expanded to include all people with disabilities. “Fitness isn’t specifically aesthetics,” he says. “It’s not siloed [away from] your mental health—it’s all connected. Without community-based fitness and a supportive network, I wouldn’t exist today.” Zirkenbach’s personal experience, as well as what he learned in talking with other veterans, athletes, trainers, doctors, and…

— @richdorment HEY, I KNOW that handle! And thanks for the handoff. Now, a little bit about me. I’ve been at Men’s Health for nearly six years, but in another life, I’d have spent my whole career here. Problem is, for a long time, I never believed the strength-building world had a place for me—and I never believed I had anything useful to give to a fitness audience. All I ever saw was a narrow vision of strength. From Hollywood to comic books (and even the early days of MH, when the whole mag seemed dedicated to six-pack abs and blond-haired, blue-eyed Calvin Klein models), we’ve all been taught that strength looks like Captain America and Cena and Cavill and the guy with the biggest biceps at your gym. Never…

Head to @MensHealthMag on Instagram for Friday Sessions, a series of honest conversations with prominent men about their mental health. In one recent episode, comedian and podcaster Rick Glassman—star of Prime Video’s As We See It and host of the Take Your Shoes Off podcast—shared his experiences living with an autism-spectrum condition. The 45-minute episode garnered more than 15,000 views and lots of happy commenters. @donnafeldman @rickglassman this was the most authentic refreshing and real interview. Bravo to you for all the inner work you have done. @breakingchainsdgk We want the Jewish Heart Throb @rickglassman on the cover, dunking. @8o5guy This was great, Rick’s the man. @kwilliard Rick! Get that guy on the cover. @mightymaxfm I love Ricky.…

AT HOME IN JACKSON, WYOMING, Jimmy Chin can step outside and run, ruck, or climb in Grand Teton. But these days, the pro climber turned Oscar-winning filmmaker (and father) is often on the road. Chin’s solution: hit the nearest climbing gym. Today, he’s at Vital Climbing Gym in Brooklyn and has 90 minutes to work out before a day of meetings and promotion that culminates in an 8:00 p.m. screening of his new show, Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin, at the Central Park Conservancy Film Festival. Chin will typically jump rope for a 15-minute warmup. “Then I’ll do an easy climb for 15 minutes, then I’ll ramp up the difficulty for about an hour,” he says. Right now Chin is six feet up in the air in the…

YOU’VE USED BARBELLS before, but never like this. Alex Kanellis, the founder of the program Landmine University, wants you to use your barbell as a “landmine,” a unique tool that’s gaining popularity among fitness heads. Kanellis wants you to put one end of your barbell on the floor, preferably in a landmine sleeve (see “Gear Up,” right), and load the other end with weight. Next, grab the loaded end and lift it to your shoulder. Feel all that weight? Now you’re set up to do a host of new and explosive exercises that can build serious muscle and power. The concept isn’t new. For decades, bodybuilders have used landmines to do everything from shoulder presses to rows, because landmines offer unusual resistance: As you lift your end higher, the weight…

THE CLAIMS Supplement manufacturers advertise that their pumpkin seed oils, extracts, and capsules support prostate health, improve heart function, and even reverse male-pattern baldness. Incredible, right? WHAT’S ACTUALLY TRUE The prostate stuff. Men who took 360mg of pumpkin seed oil twice a day had fewer symptoms related to their enlarged prostate, a 2021 study found. The oil didn’t work as well as the drug (tamsulosin) used in the study, but men on the oil did not report side effects. WHAT’S A STRETCH Supplement companies argue that pumpkin seed oil is good for your heart because it’s high in essential fatty acids. Data shows that a diet rich in these fats is beneficial, but hardly any human studies link pumpkin seed oil with a healthier heart. WHAT’S STILL UNCLEAR Yes, a…

LUKE MACFARLANE IS no stranger to playing historic roles onscreen. His first one was in 2008 on ABC’s Brothers & Sisters, where he participated in one of network TV’s first same-sex civil-union ceremonies. Now he’s the leading man opposite Billy Eichner in Bros, the first gay romantic comedy made by a major studio. “[Universal Pictures] is sticking its neck out,” Macfarlane says of the film, which features a mostly LGBTQ+ cast. “It wasn’t that long ago that a lot of the stuff we get up to in the movie was against the law in many states.” And while Bros’ depiction of gay sex scenes (which are plentiful) is groundbreaking for a studio movie, its central love story is universal. Macfarlane plays Aaron, an emotionally unavailable lawyer who lives in quiet…

NOT ALL HEARABLES ARE WORTH IT OTC “hearables” exist now, but they’re not actually hearing aids. These personal sound-amplification products, or PSAPs, are regulated as consumer electronics, so there’s no penalty for underperforming. For a better experience, you may be able to match some of their features to your need, like directional microphones for face-to-face conversations or Bluetooth for TVs and cell phones. THE TECH IS GENERALLY SOUND This new wave of hearing aids could include low-profile ITE (in the ear) and ITC (in the canal) models that use air conduction to channel amplified sound into the ear canal. They’re for anyone over age 18 with mild to moderate hearing loss—as in, you hear loud sounds but not soft or struggle to hear speech when it’s at a distance or…

SUPPOSE YOU’RE ON the front lines of any bad situation, right there with all its horrors. Maybe you’re a health-care worker in a Covid ward, a firefighter battling runaway forest fires, a soldier in major combat. Even if you witness death after horrible death, the odds are that you will eventually get over whatever trauma you have seen or heard or felt. Humans are by nature resilient and have survived a stream of tragedies throughout history. Yet if you’re like some people, a few months later, you’re not sleeping much. You feel on edge, can’t stop reliving what you saw, and suffer from a depression you can’t shake. Instead of gradually feeling better, you feel worse. As with six out of 100 adults, your healing process from trauma somehow got…

THE LEG-DAY CRUSHER (4 SETS) BARBELL DEADLIFT Aim to move a heavy weight. Do 4 to 6 reps per set. WALKING LUNGE After going heavy, focus on volume. Do 50 total lunge reps (25 per leg). ARM ANNIHILATION (3 SETS) OVERHEAD EXTENSION Move only at the elbow as you pull the cable. Do 15 reps per arm. HAMMER CURL Do 10 reps per arm. Don’t swing the weights!…

During the pandemic, Nassib converted the barn at his West Chester, Pennsylvania, home into a gym—installing the same Sorinex equipment he trained on as a walk-on at Penn State. (He has his motto, “Walk-On U,” embossed on the equipment. “When I was in college, I used to say I was part of Walk-On University.”) As for what’s playing through his speakers, he says, “It depends. Kim Petras, Lil Wayne, AC/DC. Taylor Swift, obviously, every single day.” MONDAY: Upper body, explosive cardio. TUESDAY: Lower body with long running conditioning. WEDNESDAY: “Arm farm and abs.” What is arm farm exactly? “Biceps and triceps. Just say ‘beach body.’ ” THURSDAY: Repeat Monday. FRIDAY: Lower body with more conditioning—think long-distance running, hills, sprints, gassers. SATURDAY: Beach body. SUNDAY: Recovery.…

CHRISTINE HA discovered her love of cooking in college, about the same time she began suffering from neuromyelitis optica, an autoimmune disorder that can cause blindness and paralysis. Over the next eight years, her eyesight deteriorated; she now uses a cane and feels as if she’s “looking into a steamy mirror right after a very hot shower.” She took vocational-rehab classes to relearn how to handle a knife and get around a hot kitchen. After winning on the reality show MasterChef in 2012, she wrote her own cookbook and opened two restaurants, the Blind Goat and Xin Chào, in Houston. “Being visually impaired forces me to focus on my own situation and work,” she says. “I’m less distracted by what others are doing. This especially came into light during my…

JERRON HERMAN never expected to become a dancer. Then he interned with a theater company in New York and was inspired. During college, he auditioned for Heidi Latsky Dance, a collective of dancers with and without disabilities. “Heidi was interested in my form of cerebral palsy, as I moved in a way that excited her, even though the left side of my body is impacted by spasms and mostly restricted movement,” he says. He became a lead dancer and eventually began performing independently, booking shows everywhere from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Whitney Museum of American Art. “You have to give yourself grace,” Herman says. “My movement on the day of a performance could be very different from prior rehearsals. I have learned to be okay…

“ON JUNE 14, 2012, I led a small team to conduct an ambush patrol in Afghanistan, and we came under heavy fire. I was shot through my left shoulder, and the bullet caused a bit of damage on its way to my spine. I have a spinal-cord injury and am paralyzed from the chest down. One of the major problems for people like me is that you can’t empty your bladder without using catheters and that the bladder becomes spastic and overactive. “Personally, I went from planning and leading some of the most challenging special operations in the world to—in an instant—the total opposite end of the spectrum, where I have anxiety anytime I go out with friends and drink a beer, hoping that I don’t piss myself. But after…

RULE 1: START WITH Z Due to an old injury, “he was constantly battling the shoulder pain and the limited range of motion,” says Martín Gleizer, one of his trainers. One fix was the single-arm Z-press: Huerta sat on the floor with a dumbbell at his shoulder, tightened his abs, and pressed overhead. Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps, using a light weight. RULE 2: STRENGTH FIRST, MUSCLE LATER Huerta hadn’t been training beforehand, so Gleizer focused on full-body conditioning, relying on compound exercises like barbell back squats, dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, and dumbbell bench presses. Each session lasted 45 to 50 minutes, building a base of strength. RULE 3: BODYWEIGHT FTW He also relied on classic pullups and plenty of archer pushups: Put your hands wider than shoulder…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED 2 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR1 CUP UNSWEETENED BLACK COCOA POWDER1 CUP UNSWEETENED SHREDDED COCONUT¼ CUP CANE SUGAR¾ TSP KOSHER SALT¼ TSP BAKING SODA1 (14 OZ) CAN COCONUT MILK½ CUP COCONUT OIL2¼ TSP ACTIVE DRY YEAST2 LARGE EGGS½ CUP CHOCOLATE SYRUP½–1 TSP BLACK FOOD GEL (OPTIONAL)½ CUP WARM WATER HOW TO MAKE IT Makes 4 to 6 waffles 1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, shredded coconut, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Make a well in the center. Set aside. 2. In a medium saucepan, warm the coconut milk and coconut oil over low heat until the temp reaches 110°F. Remove from the heat; whisk in the yeast. Allow the yeast to bloom for 10 minutes, till bubbling on the surface. 3. Add the eggs, chocolate syrup,…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED ½ MEDIUM YELLOW ONION, DICED1 TBSP FRESH GINGER, GRATED4 TSP CURRY POWDER2 TSP WHITE MISO PASTE1 LEMON-GRASS STALK, BRUISED AND CHOPPED1 SCOTCH-BONNET PEPPER, SEEDED AND MINCED1 TSP COCONUT SUGAR (OPTIONAL)½ TSP CUMIN SEEDS1 (14 OZ) CAN COCONUT MILK3 CUPS COOKED CHICKPEAS HOW TO MAKE I T Makes 4 servings 1. In a mortar or blender, combine the onion, ginger, curry powder, miso, lemon grass, Scotch bonnet, coconut sugar (if using), and cumin seeds and blend into a paste. Set aside. 2. In a medium pot over high, add a quarter of the coconut milk. Allow the liquid to evaporate and let the milk reduce until you see thick bubbles. Stir in the curry paste you made earlier and cook until a sauce begins to form. Lower the heat…

Q. Okay, so how much stretching am I actually supposed to be doing every day? A. Good news: just ten minutes. That’s because any movement is better than no movement. Stretching increases your range of motion and improves circulation. If you aren’t stretching, you could lose range of motion as you age, making active things you love more difficult and painful. I recommend dynamic stretching before an activity, followed by a sport-specific warmup (8 to 10 reps held only for a few seconds each), then static stretching (lower reps held for 30 to 60 seconds) after an activity. I do a ten-minute dynamic-stretch flow every morning: a standing overhead reach to forward hinge and walk out to a plank and then a Spiderman lunge with rotation and into a scorpion…

“FITNESS ROUTINE” USUALLY conjures up whatever gets you more endurance or stronger muscles. But devoting a little time to a few routines and developing new habits can also result in a stronger, healthier penis. Think of it as Third Leg Day. Peak-performing junk (penis, balls, prostate, and pelvis—the whole enchilada) puts bathroom breaks under your control and houses sperm that are both plentiful and swift. Whether you think your package is working great, struggling, or doing something in between, these tips will help you get your gear in gear HOW TO OPTIMIZE IF YOU ARE: BASICALLY FIN Everything is working okay—you just want to keep it that way. RAISE THE FREQUENCY Men who had sex less than once a week had a higher risk of erectile dysfunction than guys who…

HOW DO YOU COMBAT JET LAG? “Jet lag is horrible. I think being outside in the sun and exercising is how I usually try to beat it. Exercise for sure is the best way for me.” FAVORITE RECOVERY TOOL YOU CARRY? “Honestly, a lacrosse ball works great. I also like the vibrating roller ball from Theragun.” WHAT ARE YOU EATING/DRINKING POST-WORKOUT? “I take this supplement called Hanah One. It’s an Ayurvedic supplement that I think is really good. It has ashwagandha, and I make it into a smoothie with blueberries, almond milk, yogurt, and kale.”…

BEGINNER THE SCREWDRIVER Hold the top end of the barbell at your chest with an overhand grip. Point your left elbow down toward your left hip; point your right elbow up. Rotate the bell so your right elbow points down and your left points up. As you do this, raise your right heel and drive your right hip toward your elbow. That’s 1 rep. Do 5 per side. Do 3 sets. INTERMEDIATE COILED REVERSE LUNGE Start in the end position of a screwdriver. Raise your right heel; continue to drive your left hip and left elbow together as you step back with your right leg and lower into a reverse lunge. Stand explosively. Rotate the bell so your left elbow drives toward the ceiling and repeat on the other side.…

IN 2020, Wayne Tan, then 29, was stressed about getting enough sleep for his optometry-board certification exam—so much so that it led to chronic insomnia. When meds “didn’t get to the root of the problem,” Tan says, he found research on how changing your thinking about rest might help. With the aid of a sleep coach, “I slowly reformed my thoughts,” he says. Now that he’s board certified (it’s official!), he sleeps seven to eight hours a night. These strategies finally let him rest. JUMP OUT OF BED SLEEP EXPERTS SAY to get up and get out of bed if you’re tossing and turning. Tan found that the tactic really does “help reduce the negative emotions and associations you have to sleep and your bed.” The trick: find something you…

PREP IT Cook these simple recipes on a lazy Sunday so you can work them into delicious meals throughout the week. PORK CHILI In a large pan over medium, heat 2 tsp oil. Cook 1 cup chopped yellow onion and ½ lb ground pork till browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 chopped, seeded red bell pepper and 1 chopped zucchini; cook 4 minutes more. Stir in ½ can corn, 1 can black beans, 1½ cups canned crushed tomatoes, 1 Tbsp taco seasoning, and ¼ tsp salt. Simmer covered for 15 minutes, stirring now and then. PORKAND-BEAN MEATBALLS Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mash ½ can pinto beans. Mix in ½ lb ground pork, ½ tsp salt,…

Although science is still working on a better way to detect PTSD, it’s been going gangbusters on helping people resolve it. “PTSD is a treatable condition,” says Paula P. Schnurr, Ph.D., executive director of the National Center for PTSD. MYTH: TREATMENTS DON’T WORK PSYCHEDELICS ARE WISHFUL THINKING IT TAKES FOREVER TO GET OVER PTSD TRUTH: There’s no single treatment that works for everyone. And even if the first treatment you try isn’t effective, others may help you finish healing from the trauma and stop the PTSD. Experts currently favor prolonged exposure therapy, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), and cognitive processing therapy. The FDA is reviewing whether MDMA—yes, ecstasy—is a useful complement to psychotherapy. Proponents of the drug argue it reduces anxiety so that patients can work through a traumatic memory with…

WHEN A MOUNTAIN-BIKE crash left AK MacKellar with a traumatic brain injury, the personal trainer reset their approach to fitness. “I was always an athlete, always going hard and pushing my limits,” says MacKellar, who lives in Vancouver. “After the crash, my body said slow down.” MacKellar realized that others like them might benefit from a gentler approach to fitness, embracing all body types and with an open mind to the gender spectrum. “Many people feel that they’ll be judged or looked at in some way. Free to Move is for all of them.” MacKellar founded Free to Move in 2020, offering virtual sessions, both live and on demand, plus movement challenges. The approach resonated. Soon they had 130,000 followers on TikTok, with some reels, like a primer on motivation,…

ALMONI ELLIS 25, Chesapeake, Va. “Keep going! Sometimes you just won’t feel like doing much of anything. Keep going. Last two reps of that last set? Don’t stop now.” PATRICIA GREAVES 55, Long Island, N.Y. “Attaining wellness isn’t by luck but by choosing it as a lifestyle. Don’t be afraid to lift weights! Your older body will thank you for it.” ERIC SUNG 28, Queens, N.Y. “If I can’t find a reason to work out for myself, I find a reason to do it for others. Ask questions like ‘How can I be a better partner or son?’ ” JADI COLLADO 36, Philadelphia “Build momentum by truly doing what you love. Down the line, those ‘shoulds’ will start turning into ‘wants.’ ” JAIMAR BROWN 30, New York City “My goal…

BUT FIRST, A WORD FROM ONE OF OUR AUTHORS … AS A MAN WHO USES A WHEELCHAIR—no, that’s not me in the picture to the right, though my mom says I’m very handsome, too—I have an interesting relationship with my own disabilit y. Born with chronically weak muscles from a condition called central core disease, I have never been able to walk or stand. While I can’t possibly hide that fact in person, it’s something I hope fades from view when people get to know me. I want the world to see Alex—a funny (hopefully), smart (it could be argued) guy who sends too many TikTok videos of cats. The people on the following pages are equally unique. They inspire me, not because they are people with disabilities who are…

“MY PARENTS, my brother, and I would tease each other mercilessly every single day. Even with spinal muscular atrophy, which caused extremely weakened muscles and the need for a wheelchair, I was not safe from a thoughtful—often sarcastic—insult. But because of that, I learned to see the humor in others and in myself. I learned not to take life too seriously. “When I entered college, I wasn’t looking to become a public figure with a popular Instagram or start a YouTube channel with over 1 million subscribers. Kind of impulsively, I started an anonymous blog called Laughing at My Nightmare. It became popular enough to lead to an opportunity to write a book and go on a speaking tour, and when that happened, I decided that I would use the…

LET’S FIRST DEAL WITH what usually needs to be dealt with. Our name makes a lot of people uncomfortable. It’s not our intent to polarize for the sake of ceremony. In fact, we were all young boys when we learned that our existence itself could be polarizing to folks who didn’t know us. Ghetto is used as a derogatory term to dismiss and separate cultures from their mainstream counterparts. Ghetto is used as a way to cue discomfort, to cue the Other. When that unknowable thing is over there, you don’t have to deal with it, you don’t have to be with it. That’s what ghetto is supposed to do—dehumanize. You recognize this unsettling feeling because you might not be sure if it’s polite to say the words Ghetto Gastro. (You…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED ½ CUP GRAPE-SEED OIL, PLUS 4 TBSP1 LB FRESH TOMATOES, CHOPPED1 SCANT CUP RED BELL PEPPER, CHOPPED½ CUP RED ONION, CHOPPED1 HEAD GARLIC, CLOVES PEELED AND CHOPPED2-INCH PIECE FRESH GINGER, PEELED AND CHOPPED2 SCOTCH-BONNET PEPPERS, SEEDED AND CHOPPED3 OR 4 DRIED CHIPOTLE PEPPERS, DICED1 TBSP SMOKED PAPRIKA1 TBSP BLACK GARLIC (4 CLOVES), CHOPPED1 TBSP WHOLE BLACK PEPPERCORNS1½ TBSP MADRAS CURRY POWDER1½ TSP CINNAMON, GROUND1½ TSP CUMIN SEEDS, TOASTED AND GROUND1½ TSP HOT SAUCE (PREFERABLY TABASCO)3 TBSP SOY SAUCE2 TSP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE1 TSP AGAVE SYRUP1 TBSP FLAKY SEA SALT2⅔ CUPS UNCOOKED JASMINE RICE, RINSED AND DRAINED WELL2½ CUPS MUSHROOM BROTH HOW TO MAKE IT Makes 6 to 8 servings 1. In a medium saucepan, heat ½ cup grape-seed oil over high. When the oil starts to smoke, add the…