Grilled Oregon Carrots with Labneh
written by Thor Erickson | photography by Tambi Lane I was a younger man when I stood near the edge of the green in downtown Ashland, feeling entirely invisible in the best possible way. In a place like Ashland, everyone is watching someone else portray somebody, and so this 20-something without an agenda could simply be—undisturbed. Two actors sat face-to-face beneath a string of hanging bulbs, rehearsing scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the complete seriousness required for a comedy that questions whether human dignity is more than just a romantic illusion. Between them sat a dented tin bowl—the kind you find at the back of any honest Oregon kitchen—overflowing with carrots fresh from someone’s garden, and two mason jars of water catching the last amber light of evening. Unflinching, the thespians, while reciting lines, bit into carrots and drank water, resulting in a comedic shower of masticated vegetables….
