The Circle and a Veggie Burrito

Dave Eggers' The Circle was probably my favorite book of the summer.   The novel is set some time in the future - but not too far in the future, maybe a couple of years - where an internet company called the Circle is getting up to some pretty scary shenanigans.  We learn about what the Circle is up to through Mae Holland, a somewhat directionless 20-something who gets an entry level job at the company through her much more successful friend Annie, who is a rising star at the Circle which is based in Northern California.   The company as Eggers portrays it is like a lot of the companies that are part of our every day lives - Google, Facebook, Apple.  It has a beautiful and playful campus in Northern California, lots of employee perks (unlimited food! visits by Bono!), a mythical creation story, an eccentric founder who wears hoodies and a ever increasing lack of respect for its customers personal privacy.  We go along for the ride as Mae starts out awkwardly at the company, with a critical eye to some of its more cult like practices, and then rises in the ranks and becomes a true believer, enabling the company in fact to take more and more steps in the wrong direction.  I found the novel addictive and a totally realistic prediction of how things could turn out for us if we keep going the way we are going.  This veggie burrito was inspired by one of the healthy offerings in one of the many Circle cafeterias.  I apologize for the lack of folding, but a picture of a rolled burrito is not very interesting is?  More about the book and these simple burritos below.

Dave Eggers' The Circle really stuck with me in a kind of spooky way.  The novel, for me at least, serves as a dire warning of what is going to happen as we move further and further into our digital/virtual/social media world.  Eventually one company (an amalgam of Google and Facebook with a side of Apple thrown in) will control everything we do - not just our entertainment, but our relationships, our health and our government.  What is crazy about the book is that it isn't that far-fetched.  Mae Holland is your average twenty something without a clue about what she wants to do with her life.  She lives in California and one her good friends from college, Annie, is an up and comer at the hottest internet company in the world - The Circle.  The company's big innovation was something called TruYu - by signing up for this all of your digital activity and passwords is merged into one - no multiple passwords and accounts for everything you want to do online - purchases, social media, subscriptions  - all of this is now merged into one account, through the Circle, called TruYu.  Mae joins the country at the lowest rung of the ladder as a"newbie" in the Customer Experience department.  Here she must answer customer questions.  But just doing her job is not enough.  In addition the hundreds and hundreds of questions she is supposed to answer daily, she also must make sure her customers fill out surveys about her and that she scores very high.  She also has to engage in the many extra curricular available to Circle employees.  The campus is a wonderland of free food, colorful art, comfortable chairs, gym, bikes, etc... and also dorms that employees can stay in.  The employees are encouraged to participate in the many clubs that have been created for them - much like high school - the people with dogs club, the German club, the cooking club, the biking club etc...  Mae gets in trouble quickly when she does not participate in her colleague's Portugal party.   Additionally, employees are expected to maintain a constant, vibrant social media presence on multiple platforms - both in and outside the company - and are ranked on this.  The company even provides doctors for its employees and requires them to have weekly check ups.  This can't be good.  Mae at first is skeptical but then gets swept up in the magic of it, the joy of belonging to something and starts to rise in the ranks.  The company is led by executives that everyone calls the three wise men - each different and some of them resembling some actual tech exec (the hoodie wearing infant terrible Zuckerberg type, the business focused Ballmer type and an aging hippie zen type).  After Mae joins the company it introduces a new product called "SeaChange" where cameras are installed across the world and everything they capture is broadcast live.  Eventually these cameras are worn by individuals who decide to go "Transparent" - all members of congress eventually go this route because they are forced to by the masses and the power of the Circle.  Mae eventually decided to go completely transparent, broadcasting her life online and becoming the spokesman for the Circle and the voice of its new movement to eliminate all privacy and require all humans to go transparent.     She comes up with the line “SECRETS ARE LIES. CARING IS SHARING. PRIVACY IS THEFT" that the company adopts to sell "transparency" to the masses. Things obviously go down hill from there and as readers we are left to wonder whether Mae will ever snap out of it.  The novel reads quick and has a breathless aspect to it.  Mae comes into contact with a mysterious stranger named Kalden who keeps warning her of the evil behind the Circle's ambitions and ever expanding presence on our lives.  The novel is a strong criticism of our internet culture and warning to us all.  As soon as I read it I kept noticing little things about social media, google, corporate America etc... that could lead down the path described in the book (google announced something close to TruYu, some sort of universal password, how fitbits etc. are increasingly used by employers, tracking employees physical activity and health in new ways) and how we all are just eating it all up.  Maybe the book made me paranoid but I am happy to have read it and to now apply a little more reflection to how I use technology in my life.  While this all sounds serious, the book itself feels light and you are compelled to keep turning the pages, a combination of a page turner and a book that makes you think deep thoughts - a great read.

Grilled Veggie Burrito, adapted from The Pioneer Woman
(printable recipes)
This is a great, easy burrito recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  These are pretty basic though the lime zest is the rice is a nice touch that makes this a little special.  A great staple that is always easy to throw together with whatever veggies you have in the fridge.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 more for brushing
2 cups long grain rice
4 cups chicken broth
2 limes juiced and zested
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 whole zuchinni sliced thinly lengthwise
1 summer squash sliced thinly lengthwise
2 ears shucked corn
1 can black beans
1 pinch cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin
6 burrito sized flour tortilla
1 small onion, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup monterey jack cheeses
additional burrito accoutrements: salsa, sour cream, quacamole

Directions:

1. To make rice, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the rice and stir to coat the rice with the oil.  
2. Pour in the chicken broth, the lime juice and zest of 1 lime.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook the rice for 20-25 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
4. Add the juice and zest of the other lime and stir.  Then stir in the cilantro and set aside until ready to make the burritos.
5. Heat grill pan over high heat.  
6. Brush the zucchini, squash and corn with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Grill in stages on the grill pan about 4 minutes per side for the zucchini and squash, turning with tongs.
8. Cook the corn longer, about 7 minutes per side, until lightly charred.
9. When the veggies are cooked and cooled cut the them into a large dice.  Remove the corn from the cob by running a sharp knife down the sides.
10.  While the veggies are cooking, heat up the black beans with the cayenne, cumin and salt and pepper to taste.
11. To assemble burritos, heat them first for a few seconds per side in a very hot, dry skillet.
12. Add the rice, then beans, then grilled veggies, then onions and tomatoes, then cheese.  Tuck in the sides and then tightly roll and serve.