Le Coma de Food

Eid Mubarak!!

I am officially a vegetarian. Today, meat never looked so red, juicy, spicy, and o so goodddd.... but after coming out of my food coma, i realized i overworked my guts. But, before I dive into vegetarianism (for two days that is), I will share a recipe that most of you carnivores will enjoy:

Beef Carpet Rolls
250 grams (1/2 pound) Beef, thigh meat preferably
1/2 cup blended ginger
1/4 cup blended garlic
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 Tsp salt
2 Tsp sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tsp cumin powder
1 Tsp Paprika powder
2 Tsp lemon juice
couple of pandang leaves (or substitue with bay leaves)
chili peppers and cilantro, finely chopped
Olive oil
Toothpicks (soak in water for couple hours)
Procedure...
1) Cut the beef very thinly, into about 6 in. x 3 in. pieces
2) Mix all ingredients (except pandang/chili/cilantro) and marinade beef in the mixure for about 5 hours
3) After marinading, start rolling the beef: put the finely chopped coriander, chilli peppers, and pandang leaves in the center of beef strips, then roll them; fasten with toothpicks
4) Put enough olive oil for shallow pan-fry. Pan fry the beef rolls for 5-10 minutes; a little burn goes a long way =)
5) Enjoy the rolls with a side of naan and fresh cucumber chutney

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Moo-moo here, moo-moo there, moo-moo.... EVERYWHERE!!

I am not a guy who dislikes his meat. (LMAO - i love puns). However, when you spend three weeks talking nonstop about cows, goats, camels, etc ... infused with religious fervor ... you have no choice but to warm up to the vegan cause. Anywho, these are pics of our cows before the symbolic Abraham-Ismael/Isaac-God incident. Tomorrow, will put up the post-incident pictures... ^ Suraya's Cow

^ Tuhin's Cow

Below are our cows...

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Alas, Resting in Peace

This past Thursday, I was expecting crippling curfews and violent protests. Actually, the whole nation was expecting it. But for what, you may ask...

Bangladesh's first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman- the founding father, the man who freed Bangladesh, the savior, etc. - was brutally murdered in 1974 in a bloody coup backed by the military, only three years after gaining independence from Pakistan. It wasn't just him - most of his family, along with friends and other officials - total of 20 people killed within an hour in the same house. Subsequently, the military took over and gave the coup members save haven and overlooked the heinous assasinations....until his daughter, Sheikh Hasina, was came to power in 1998.

Of course, Bangladesh being Bangladesh... the trial took a good ten years, with many ups and downs. Finally, Bangladesh closed one of its darkest chapters this Thursday, when the Supreme Court 'awarded' the death sentence to 6 of the coup members.

Thursday brought no violence on the streets of Dhaka ... I guess the whole nation felt what I was feeling. I hate dynastic politics, but I truly felt for Sheikh Hasina. May this closure bring some solace to that lonely soul.

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If you don’t brag, you lag… behind … a lot. Yes

There are many things we’re taught in the US that may seem alien to other countries. Wash your hands after going to the bathroom. Eat with your mouth closed. Don’t take advantage of the weak. All these things seem to be so common in American culture, being taught to children at such an early age. But I was surprised when some of these things were missing in Bangladeshi culture … one of them concerning bragging.

I still remember vividly when I saw scolded for bragging … Ms. Moffat, you did justice by making me wash the blackboard for saying my drawing was the ‘bestest’. I wish I can clone my second grade teacher and attach her to every Bangladeshi. Here, bragging gets you far. You must stand up and say it loud and clear. I am the best at this. I am awesome at that. You suck at this, but I don’t. I could have done that much better than you. I guess in a country of 150 million with very limited resources, this is the only way you can get your common needs. To us “outsiders”, these habits are pretty resented. To Bangladeshis, it’s the only way to move ahead.

But still… Mrs. Moffat, if you’re still alive and kicking, come to Bangladesh and make them wash blackboards.

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Baywatch...

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Baywatch...a la Bangladesh.

I must say, I'm one of those very few who can claim living only five minutes away from the beach in both the USA and Bangladesh. Unfortunately, that always means I'm skrewed when there is a tidal surge, tsunami, or waterborne zombies. There is great difference between the glorious Jersey Shore and the beach along the Bay of Bengal. Whereas syringes line one seashore, burqa-clad women line the other. You decide which is better.

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