Sí, Se Puede

From Jamie’s Desk:

Sí, se puede

I want to take a moment to remember Dolores Huerta, the civil rights activist who spent her life fighting for those without a voice. She died yesterday at the age of 96. Her slogan, sí, se puede, which translates to yes, we can, has been one of the most important rallying cries of the past 50 years. It's everywhere, from sporting events to Obama's presidential campaign.

I first met her in February 2016, at a presidential town hall in Las Vegas, with my daughter Riley by my side. What I remember most is how kind and passionate she was. I truly believe that Dolores (along with Hillary Clinton) inspired Riley to become an activist in her own way. What an amazing, courageous woman who will never be forgotten. Please take a moment and watch her documentary DOLORES or read one of the very poignant obituaries about her.

Dolores also fought for people's right to vote and was vocal about the importance of using it. She held voter registration drives and fought for accessible voting, helping Latino communities make their voices heard at the polls. It feels fitting to remember her this week, because we're just 5 days out from the midterm elections.

I know you're sick of the endorsements, last-minute financial pleas, and heated debates taking over social media. That's not what I want to talk about today. Instead, I want to talk about voting at its most basic level.

At the risk of sounding obvious, nothing is more important in a democracy than casting your vote. While it's gotten better, a shocking number of Americans don't participate in that ritual (in 2024, around 64% of eligible voters actually cast a ballot). I'm not here to point fingers. Ballots can be overwhelming, mailing them might feel uncertain, and finding a drop box can be daunting. But I'd hope that at this point, watching everything that's unfolded since the last election, everyone understands the importance.

I want to share some tips to make things easier and to maximize your democratic participation over the next few days.

That last point brings me to another thing about elections. I understand that a lot of people, on both sides of the aisle, have concerns about the security of our elections, from Trump claiming 2020 was rigged to Democrats worried about what happens Tuesday. But it's been proven time and again that our elections are some of the most secure in the world.

If you're still uneasy, consider this: after 2020, Trump and his allies filed more than 60 lawsuits challenging the results. Nearly all of them were thrown out or lost, many by judges who found no evidence of fraud. And in a recent case in Nevada, the federal government claimed nearly 16,000 noncitizens were on the voter rolls, then narrowed the list to 185. The state reviewed every one of those 185, and they were all found to be likely citizens.

It goes without saying that nobody should vote illegally. But we also need to do everything in our power to make this democratic act as easy, accessible, and safe as possible. Undoubtedly, there will be some voter intimidation and other tactics used to keep people from voting this year, so please do your part to make sure that doesn't stop anybody.

I also want to give a special shoutout to the students at North Carolina A&T, who walked 40 minutes to vote after they were denied a polling place on campus. Remember them, and remember Dolores, as you go to the polls this week.

Sí, se puede.

P.S. I believe we should make voting as accessible and simple as humanly possible. My friend Bradley Tusk founded The Mobile Voting Project to help make that happen. If we can use technology to transfer money and share health data, we should be able to use it to vote.

Have a restaurant rec, cultural gem, can’t-miss event, or a hot sauce that changed your life? Send it my way: [email protected]

🎧 Lunch With Jamie is also a podcast – perfect for on-the-go listening. Follow on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

This week, my guest was John Avlon, who you might recognize from his work as a commentator on CNN, his tenure as editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast, his show How To Fix It from The Bulwark (which just ended in June), or one of his several books.

▶️ Listen to the full conversation · Apple · Spotify · Amazon

John is a busy guy, but he has lots of perspectives on our country, how it works, and the impact the fringe “wing nuts” are having on each party — something he’s been speaking about since 2008.

We spoke about the midterms….with them being just 5 days away, how could we not? John laid out some of his predictions, spoke about the centrist Democratic and Independent candidates who are making big strides, and the legacy Donald Trump will leave. We also had to talk about Trump’s odd closing message ahead of midterms, and coin a wing nut of the week, an homage to his CNN segment.

You’ll have to listen to the conversation to hear all of John’s thoughts, but here’s a sneak peek:

▶️ Listen to the full conversation · Apple · Spotify · Amazon

📍Los Angeles: Two Hommés
Cuisine: Afro-Centric
Crew: Ben Hundreds, Eater, The Infatuation, LA Times
Good For: Date Night, Business Dinner, Large Groups, Good Drinks
Pro Tip: This is the perfect place to go pre-SoFi, The Forum or the Intuit Dome
What to Order: Za'atar Zucchini, Lamb Dibi, Smashed Potatoes, Honey Berbere Chicken Bites, Crispy Chicken Màafé, Jollof Platter with Fried Catfish, Garlic Noodles with Shrimp, Plantain Sticky Rice, Peanut Brownie Sundae, LA Cheesecake
Notes: I had been wanting to try Two Hommés (pronounced Two Hom-ays) for a bit now and being at SoFi for the Jay-Z concert gave me the perfect reason. However, Inglewood is closer than you think, so don't wait for your next event to make a trip here. The nice thing about this menu is that it really has something for everyone. Chefs Abdoulaye Balde and Yaw Marcus Johnson are lifelong friends who know what they are doing. Personally, as someone who got introduced to Jollof Rice when I was making my documentary Madu, I was very excited to see it on the menu and it really shined. I have also heard that the brunch is not to be missed, and it is known to turn into a bit of a dance party. Don't wait too long to try it out, as reservations are just getting harder and harder. 

📍Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan: Mebuki (reviewed by Brian McGinn)
Cuisine: Izakaya
Good For: Large Groups, Casual, No Reservations, Lunch
Pro Tip: They’re closed on Sundays
What to Order: Set Lunch Menu
Notes: The Noto earthquake on January 1, 2024 wrecked Toshiya Ikehata's Michelin-starred restaurant, L'Atelier de Noto. The next day, he started cooking for his hometown in a time of need. Over six months, he and a crew of locals served more than 100,000 meals, forming an unbreakable community. Then, with no restaurants for any of his fellow cooks to go back to, he bought an old kappo near the port and moved everyone in. Chefs who'd lost their own places, plus a bar owner and a fisherman, all cook side by side. Mebuki opened July 1, 2024, six months to the day after the quake. The name means "sprouting." I came for the set lunch, which is what everyone gets. Partway through, Ikehata brought me out a plate of ayu, the small sweet river fish that means summer in Japan and is so important to the region. For the first time since the earthquake, the river fish were returning to the area. It was a symbol that after all the tragedy and everything they've been through, there was fresh hope and a new beginning. Mebuki is a great place, and it's built on values that transcend a simple restaurant or meal. It's the kind of place that makes you realize what community and humanity really are, and it's delicious on top of it.

Aaron Michaelson, Aaron Stern, Adam Saper, Adam Smith, Alex Tse, Andy Wang, Anthony Jacobson, Ashley Sawyer, Ben Hundreds, Bobby Kim, Brian McGinn, Chad Colby, Chad Gutstein, Chris Camillo, Chris Rice, David Gelb, David Katzenberg, David Nathanson, Evan Funke, Eli Meyer, Kristina O’Neill, Iman Dakhil, Jason Spivak, Jerry Greenberg, Jeremy Smith, Jerrold Son, Jessica Alba, Joe Varet, Jon Buscemi, Jon Shook, Jordan Okun, James Ponsoldt, Kate Burr, Katie McNeill, Kelly Sawyer Patricof, Kevin Shivers, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lloyd Sacks, Marc Rose, Marc Mezvinsky, Martha Patricof, Matt Haimes, Matt Karatz, Max Chow, Max Shapiro, Max Winkler, Michael Kives, Michael Albenberg, Nicole Richie, Neal Moritz, Nick Grad, Nick Tran, Paul Zucker, Peter Goldwyn, Phil Rosenthal, Phil Ettinger, Rachel Halilej, Riley Patricof, Sawyer Patricof, Shu Chowdhury, Todd Steinman, The Hungry Tourist, Vinny Dotolo.

Today’s email was brought to you by: Jamie Patricof and Michaela Sullivan