Prolific Immigrant

I’ve been meaning to do this since the beginning of Ramadan and keep flaking, and so here is your first ever One Female Canuck recipe! I’m terribly excited as cooking relaxes me and so this virtual edge provides me a second avenue to enjoy the kitchen…

I’ve chosen a very simple recipe to start, a ‘dish’ with which you’re all quite familiar: Hummus! Yay! (Not just ‘Hummus’ but rather ‘Hummus! YaY!’)

In order for you to enjoy this, I’m going to recommend you start off by making a very small amount (a bowl-full) and then tweaking it to suit your taste. Some of you will find that you like it with more lemon, less garlic, more salt, whatever…the choice is yours, consider the following as some guidelines and have fun playing!

Ingredients for Hummus! Yay!
1/2 cup fresh chick-peas
1 fresh lemon
3 tablespoons tahini
1 tooth of garlic
salt

& for garnish: parsley, cumin & olive oil

THAT’S IT! (Bet you’re surprised.)

Means to Hummus! Yay!
Smush the chick-peas until they’re super smooth! Consider using a purée-ing machine, whatever that may be.
Squeeze into the smushed and super smooth chick-pea thing the lemon & eagle-eye that no seeds fall in!
Then the garlic!
Finally the tahini!
Salt to your liking! YAY!

Really: Make certain that all items are totally mushed together and the mixture as smooth as possible!

Spoon it into a nice little bowl and flatten the top!

Garnish it with olive oil (I made a little hole in the middle, below the parsley, and filled it with olive oil), cumin and parsley!

OR

In a little bit of butter, fry up some pine nuts and pour them over the Hummus (including the butter)! Yay! if you’re looking for a really traditional way to eat this treat. If you opt for this means to Hummus! Yay!, then don’t add the olive oil as a garnish (only the cumin and the parsley, please).

Serve with much pita bread, a winning smile and a very big heart!

Hummus! Yay!

(Tell me how it tastes, please.)

“Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment, and especially on their children, than the unlived life of the parents.”
- Carl Jung (I love this man!)

Right. So last week I was awarded an Instant Prize of monetary value at work – this was given to me by our Deputy Chief Information Officer (Deputy CIO) as thanks for my astonishingly nerdy work on a particular Portfolio.

Based on that, our Big Cheese Head Honcho Director General / CIO (BCHHDGCIO) and Deputy CIO asked me to be the Branch Coordinator for the 2007 Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign (we have the largest Branch at my Department, comprising nearly 1000 employees)…which means I’ve been dealing with the Bigger Cheese Even Higher Head Honcho Assistant to the Deputy Minister (BCEHHHADM).

Today, the BCEHHHADM sent me a really lovely email in which they complimented me on my “fearlessly firm” approach. This is a very big deal and I am very pleased with myself.

Even though am swamped and exhausted and buried in work both for my division and for the Campaign, your BlogMistress is glowing…(Alhamdullilah).

Burma (the demonstrations yesterday ended in the death of one Monk) & Gaza (eleven Palestinian ‘militants’ – usually a title bestowed upon any opposing the actions of the State of Israel – killed yesterday & today. If history has taught us anything, it’s that Israel will likely undertake a full-out assault on the Gaza Strip very very soon).

And remember that silence = complicity.

As you listen to the spin of the news – the free press that once served as a check and a challenge to the acts of a truly democratic government has now become the arm of all Sovereigns, and therefore representing all claims to self-determination as terrorist in nature – remember this following poem by, perhaps, one of the most powerful poets of our time Wislawa Szymborska.

In Praise of Feeling Bad About Yourself
The buzzard never says it is to blame.
The panther wouldn’t know what scruples mean.
When the piranha strikes, it feels no shame.
If snakes had hands, they’d claim their hands were clean.

A jackal doesn’t understand remorse.
Lions and lice don’t waver in their course.
Why should they, when they know they’re right?

Though hearts of killer whales may weigh a ton,
in every other way they’re light.

On this third planet of the sun
among the signs of bestiality
a clear conscience is Number One.

Aside: If the above poem is how you always magically perceive your actions, then you need to take a closer look at what you’ve become and where you’re headed.

I am going to break fast over a Starbucks no-fat, no-foam grande latte this evening, Inshallah. I’m so excited!!

The otherwise taken for granted, become such treasured pleasures…

(Even I envy me at the moment.)

‘Al-Sahar’ = Dawn
‘Tasahur’ / ‘yitsa7ar’ = Eating at dawn

Another tradition most of you would enjoy immensely during Ramadan is ‘tasahur’, which is the Arabic word describing the meal taken right before dawn (when fasting begins).

During Ramadan, different customs take over in different parts of the Muslim world. For example, in most of the Middle East, you’ll find the streets overflowing with families and friends heading out to eat at restaurants between 3.30 and 4 am. In Gaza, and due only to circumstance, families will eat together at home and listen to the radio (when they have electricity).

This specific time of day – when dawn breaks – Muslims believe to be unique. I’m uncertain as to whether this is lore or religion, but I do believe in the spirit world and so perhaps the significance of this time, is one such thing.

It’s said that dawn is when the spirit world is most palpable to us in this world. (1) Prayers at this time are encouraged and it’s only at this time that visions (the Arabic ‘ru’ya’ = the English ‘vision’, which is not to be confused with the Arabic ‘hilm’ = the English ‘dream’) are received. (2)

The last time I was in Gaza for Ramadan, this was also the time that Israel would drop the most bombs. Against my family’s wishes, I would go to the rooftop with my sweet mint tea and watch the light show courtesy of Israel.

I felt I owed it to those being murdered…it was all I could do…I would sit there, usually with tears in my eyes thinking of how blessed we were to be given another day of fasting while others who’d prepared their ‘tasahur’ never had a chance to enjoy the triumph of one more day making a reality this particular gift to God. (3)

Seedo was the only one who would be able to pull me back inside, and so everyone knew this, respected it and left us alone. Without saying anything to me, he’d come to the rooftop, open the door and I would go downstairs with him. He’d kiss me before I went back to bed, always taking my tea cup to the kitchen for me…

The next time you wake up anywhere between 4am and 5.30am, know that you’re waking up with thousands of Muslims in North America eating and having their morning coffee and tea in preparation for their daily fast. Also: Be thankful that you’re alive.

*****************************************************
(1) So then the spirit world has EST and Mountain Time? No…I think this means that wherever you are located geographically and in this dimension you can sense the spiritual world most when you are within the time frame of dawn. Anyway, the initial question is perhaps moot as it presupposes that the spiritual world runs on the same schedule of ‘time’ as we do, and this is a question we’ll never be able to answer.

(2) I’ll eventually discuss the deep tradition of ‘vision’ interpretation in Islam which dates back to the Prophet.

(3) Because for all of the logic and reason behind fasting, the true reason for it remains unknown – it is the one pillar within Islam that God asks us to do for Him and Him alone. The ‘reasons’ given are all interpretations, possibilities, potential; a reflection of the human mind’s endless need to answer the question: ‘Why?’

Someone’s just posted this to my comments section. I’m pulling it up to the front because I think it’s an excellent initiative and I don’t want it to go unnoticed.

Wherever you may find yourself on the 7th of October, consider supporting this, most especially if you’re in the United States. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for an event outside of the US, their system won’t allow you to enter anything but a US zip code, so it’s best that you contact them at skoshy@ncccusa.org to ask for information pertaining to events outside of the US.

Pass this information on to your own friends / blogs / facebook listings / list serves / communities / families etc…

Thank you very much to the individual who posted this – make yourself known…names here are welcome!

I’ve received several emails asking me where / how one could experience this with Muslims if they’re not currently living in a Muslim country, or if they don’t have any Muslim friends. The simplest thing to do is to call your local Mosque and find out if there are any programs / initiatives that would allow you to do precisely this.

In Ottawa, the Turkish community has opened their doors to anyone interested in breaking fast with a Muslim family. An absolutely brilliant idea in my opinion because it gives people an opportunity to learn about Islam and see that – contrary to popular opinion – we’re just ordinary people who eat really well and spend a lot of family and community time during this one particular month.

If you are too shy to do this but are still interested in seeing the hubbub that surrounds breaking fast, then I encourage you to take a walk over to Shawarma Palace at 464 Rideau Street on any given night at around 6.30pm. Breaking fast is at around 7pm and so the line up is already firmly established at this point.

Once you reach the counter, the owners (Muslims themselves and only serving hallal food) will be mitwasyeen feekum, which is an Arabic expression meaning that someone has told them to look out for ‘you’ and they’re taking extra special care to do so, in the spirit of Ramadan.

In this instance and because it’s Ramadan, they have placed on their counter top fresh dates and the plates they give you are, quite literally, overflowing with food. It is customary tradition that Muslims break fast with a date and a glass of milk, as I believe this was the habit of our Prophet.

You’ll be surrounded by Muslims of each variety breaking fast together beneath pictures of Lebanon and listening to Arabic music. Although a small place, they have the best Shawarma in Ottawa and the experience itself is golden.

I recommend a chicken shawerma plate – make certain to take your appetite because you’ll surely need it.

To Colleen: Today you’ve decided to fast with the rest of the Muslim world, even though you’re not a Muslimah. You’re in my prayers and your hunger is shared, my friend.

The following are some choice photos from the last few weeks. Enjoy!

This is where I like to breakfast on either Saturdays or Sundays. That’s Lulu and next to her on the bench is Anne, who I met the morning I took this photo. We had a pretty interesting conversation about women, the way we’re being portrayed and the feel of the ‘feminist movement’ in 2007. Anne pulled out the recent American Apparel ads, indicating how shocked she was to see them…because they’re basically nothing short of porn shots trying to sell cotton clothing.

The sun setting over Gaza. I took this photo the last time I visited, and getting this shot proved to be quite the production as my uncle and I were faced with a wedding procession and so couldn’t find a place for me to take it.

Luckily, we managed to get out from behind the group and take this photo. That same evening, I took photos of different beautiful shots in Gaza and my uncle was later ‘contacted’ by the local Gaza whatever-the-hell-they-really-are spy agency requesting he go in and speak to them about the “7urma” (a derogatory term referring to women) who was taking photos of Gaza.

Phone calls were made to the higher-ups indicating who I was, who my father and grandfather were and what my intentions had been (the shame of it all, really!) and my uncle didn’t have to go in. Disgusting.

This was a substance leeking out from a tree I ride past at least four times a week. I finally got off of Lulu and touched the thing – only to discover it felt like a marshmallow that had been left outside over night. I still have no idea what it is and so if any of you can offer a response, that would be great…

The field that Lulu and I hang out at and where I like to read on the weekends. There’s a gaggle of trees nearby that play broken telephone with the ocean. I took this shot because I couldn’t believe how fast the summer’s flown by and what had been vibrantly green the days before was turning this soft shade of yellow…

Aalya had spent a better part of the evening preparing paella for us; one with chicken and one with pork sausage. The evening itself was hilariously filled with discussions and challenges about / to pop-culture, celebrity influence, religious adornments and popular cellists.

These statues are by the NAC in Ottawa. I usually sit beneath them close to the water and watch the local boat tours fill up with tourists. The view isn’t all that great, but the people watching is.

At Di & Pierer’s wedding, the following are the photos of the table I helped set. I did it all by myself (!) and had a ton of fun letting the newlyweds relax before our ten-hour day began. The ceremony had taken place the evening prior and this was the day of the open-house. Di had been tied up with her wedding, her brother’s wedding on the East coast and her brother in law’s wedding on the West coast for the two months leading up to this day. Pierre and her were leaving for their honeymoon less that 48 hours later and it was our only time together in much too long. This same night, Di & I managed to steal out of the party for some alone time over a coffee. It was a beautiful day and an even more precious coffee time…

No one was allowed to bring wedding presents and so I purchased for Di’s art room this little lamp. Look at how sparkly and glittery it is! (Pierre was most excited about the beading…)

And this is the bride. Beautiful.

At one point during the day, I had to sit in the quiet room and relax without the noise. I’d had a relatively tough night the evening prior and you can see how exhausted I was…but the dress is still pretty.

I don’t really know what to tell you about this window, except that I fell in love with it immediately. The frame, the history and the sounds of the trees that filter through it take you out of Ottawa and into someplace…French, it would seem.

A little something I took at a poetry / live music evening in protest of the CSIS Security Certificates

One afternoon, I accidentally ran into this parade and managed a few shots (I think it was Caribanna, pardon my spelling if I got it wrong)

Some glam shots of Lulu

It was N’s birthday recently, and here she is front and centre

…at the party no one was as excited to have their picture taken as L

…except E, who lovingly flipped me the bird as I pointed and clicked

…and once again L & I, both of whom will rush toward any camera within a ten km radius

The day that N & I went riding at Captiva farms, I made her re-pose so I could take the following “And here she was signing her life away form…” shot

which was taken right before I found this animal. I shot it because I didn’t know what it was…a lamb? (It looks as surprised by me as I was by it…and listen: if it’s not a chicken or a horse or a pig, I’m not that great at figuring out what else it could be…)

…and our leader Graig, who should have been at the back of the line but somehow managed to trust N & I enough to leave us on our own. I eventually left the group and ran back to Ottawa with my horse. (I still haven’t found N!)

A day in the Byward Market with mama found me taking these shots

…before mama took this one-and-only-I-love-my-curly-hair shot of me as we waited to have dinner at the NAC

And finally: The Girls while T was in town. This is her condo that overlooks the Byward and this is all of us:

…where I found the world’s most precious Crack closet

…and we compared Crack

Et voilà , c’est tout pour aujourd’hui! (All photo sets can be found here, if you’re really curious to see all other shots…)

And He said LET THERE BE AN ENTRY WITH MAHA’S PHOTOS!

It’s coming…I promise…

I’m bored. You?

I’ve been doing at least five crosswords a day. It’s good fun and aimed at helping me overcome my natural inclination to Stupid.