Dear Messy Chef… (An Election Recap)

With the election nearly a week past, I think it is important that we as a nation contemplate on where we were on that most fateful night where the most important candidate was selected to take care of a difficult task (Stephanie Kapsis, school board elections.  Thrilling race.  Remember if you did not vote you cannot complain.)  Fortunately for everyone, I live blogged my election night evening.  It is very detailed.  Please enjoy:
7:35 PM Order a pizza
8:05 PM Eat said pizza
8:15 PM Romney wins a state
8: 16 PM Romney wins a state
8:17 PM Romney wins a state
8:50 PM Obama wins a state
9:06 PM Obama wins a state
9:45 PM Mass confusion on math.  Addition is complicated.  1+1= inconclusive so far
10:01 PM Obama wins election
10:02 PM Florida once again pulls a Marcia Brady
Five days later: Obama still wins election
Through the election season, many of the candidates spoke of personal stories.  “I spoke with a hardware store owner in Mississippi…” “After speaking with a single mother of 8, I learned…” “After telling my 26 year old cashier that I would like the paper bags…”  I think in honoring this vein I would like to relay one simple story of a letter that I received in the mail concerning the election.
“Dear Messy Chef…” the letter began. Dated October 31, 2012.  Simple enough.  Friendly, polite, and written in an enjoyable font.  I am betting it was Calibri, size 12.  If the Cowboys are America’s team, Calibri may be America’s font.  In fact, Calibri overtook Times New Roman as the standard font in Microsoft Word in 2007.
Who you vote for is secret.”  A common sentence but the words were on bold.  It was an important statement that they were trying to make.  “But whether you vote is public record.  The records show that you did not vote in 2008!”
Hold up a minute.  I definitely voted in 2008.  Submitted an absentee ballot and mailed it away with pride.  However, I had moved states so maybe they were looking at a different Messy Chef.  I know from walking through people’s kitchens that there are plenty of Messy Chefs.  In any event, I knew that I had planned to vote for this year and continued to read the letter.
“This election is important, and who shows up to vote will decide who represents us in Washington.”  I should have stopped reading at this point.  The word “us” clung to me and I reread the sentence.  Reread it with me now, “This election is important, and who shows up to vote will decide who represents US in Washington.”  What on earth did that mean?
“Below is a chart that shows Asian Americans’ voter turnout in 2008.”
Um…
Only 47% voted in the 2008 Election.  Please remember to vote on November 6, 2012 so that we can improve that percentage of the vote.”

Startling numbers
Startling numbers

While this is an important message and I do hope that WE improved our percentage of Asian voters, I am not sure my vote on Election Tuesday helped change those percentages in any way seeing as I am not Asian, although I do enjoy mochi as much as the next person.  Who can argue with that kind of deliciousness in such the perfect amount of porton?!
Check out the Bling
Rock the Vote bling

“We will be calling some of you after this election so we can thank you for voting.” My phone is fully charged waiting for that conversation. “Let’s hope the public record shows that you were a voter in 2012!”  It should.  I hope it also shows that I am not Asian otherwise my parents have a lot of explaining to do.
Hope you all voted in the election.  No matter whether your candidate won or did not win, we still got a game to go out and play and winning has never been more important. U- S- A! U- S- A! U- S- A! Hmmm… that chant always seemed more momentous when shouted by a stadium full of people than it does typed at the end of an obscure blog… U- S- A!
The notorious letter
The actual letter received!