A Toast to Joy!
by Jaime Castle, HUUC Board of Trustees President
Remember: finding joy and being joyful is an act of rebellion in difficult times. Returning to my decision to dedicate this space to helping others find more joy in the world around us, this month I am going to share with you places that you may not know about located in the Greater Cincinnati area where happiness can be found!
Last November, two days after the election, I found myself across the river in Covington, Kentucky, at a place that I had been to before. This place would afford me a quiet, solemn sanctuary where I could purchase a fun, sugary coffee drink, an escape from my election results sadness, and 50 minutes in a lounge with sweet, mischievous kittens. That’s right friends – you can hang out with kittens all around you playing and napping and cuddling! The place is called Purrfect Day Cafe Covington and they partner with animal shelters to bring adoptable cats and kittens to the cat cafe so that people can interact with them, helping them to be socialized, with the aim that they will be adopted.
On this day and on the previous visits to this place, I had gone with the intention to just play with the kittens and to take pictures of them to share on social media hoping that others would see them and come to adopt them. On this particular visit, however, as I sat quietly crisscross applesauce on the floor observing the kittens, a tiny classic tabby girl approached me, sat in my lap, looked up at me, and licked my face. You betcha that I brought her home! We named her Ruby and she is the best!
Even if you are allergic to cats, you can experience this wonderful place through their Facebook page where they feature videos of receiving each new batch of kittens from the partner shelters and one-by-one they “unbox” them as they tell you their names and ages. As they get adopted, they post photos of them with their new families! (Also – I recommend that you try the Smelly Cat Frappe!)
Another place that I would like to highlight for you all to check out is a grocery store. (Insert pause here so that you can ponder this and predict what I am about to say.) If you guessed Jungle Jim’s International Market, you would be correct! I would like to highlight our eastside store located in Eastgate. Perhaps you have not been there yet, perhaps you have been there numerous times. What started in 1971 as a produce stand in a parking lot has turned into two large stores selling products from over 70 countries, along with many locally grown and made items.
I bet if you asked 20 people familiar with Jungle Jim’s what they love the best from there, you would get 20 different recommendations of items that they have found! What I love about our Eastgate store is that it is accessible to anyone and anyone can find joy there. You can find families leisurely strolling together, for fun, seeing what they can find. You realize how big the world is by seeing all of the different sections featuring different countries’ foods and ingredients and wondering what they are and what they may taste like. There are so many exotic finds yet some of the best finds are handcrafted right here in Ohio.
One of my favorite items found there are the twice-baked potatoes located in the meat/butcher counter in the back corner of the store. They are made by a family-owned company out of Cheviot and are amazing – so creamy and cheesy! Another item, bread flour, is made by Sixteen Bricks, an artisan bakery company out of Bond Hill. They sell baked goods from Sixteen Bricks in the bakery section, but look for the flour if you like to bake your own bread. I swear by it! My loaves turn out so much richer and softer when using this flour. I’m sure someone sold their soul for the recipe!
Lastly, I’d like to point out in the wine section is a perfect bottle of red wine for $15. To find a perfect bottle of red for $15 is a big deal and if you know about wine, you get it. If you do not know about wine, you can still spend this relatively modest amount to check it out. I won’t go into the science and history of this bottle (feel free to learn more on your own), but it is from Tuscany, Italy (Toscana) and is called: CIACCI PICCOLOMINI d’ARAGONA.
I encourage you all to continue to seek joy wherever you can find it! Be joyful little rebels and raise a full glass from your perfect bottle of red wine for $15, give a big cuddle to your purrfect cat, and toast to all of the other radicals around you! We are going to get each other through these times – I have to believe it!
Photo taken from that day at the cat cafe, at the exact moment when Ruby looked up at Jaime and their fates were sealed!
Image source: courtesy of Jaime Castle