Welcome to musicalchef's Blog!

2007-01-22T14:52:00.000-05:00

I've Moved

to http://musicalchef.wordpress.com. If you have me on your blogroll, please update the link! See you there!

2007-01-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

Pak-Jordan Trip Part 2: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

As for the plane rides, well you know I always wish I hadn't forgotten my trusty blow-gun with the tranquilizer darts. Think I could have gotten it on the plane? As for airplane food, Emirates Air wins, hands down. Their food is actually pretty good. Watched a lot of movies and did a lot of puzzles since I can't sleep too much on the plane.
1. Barnyard: Hilarious. Excellent movie. I'd been wanting to see it for awhile.
2. Lady in the Water: I liked that too. I heard it didn't do well at the box office, but I thought it was an excellent story and very well done. Except those wolfy creatures gave me nightmares.
3. Invincible: Good. I'm not a big sports fan, but it's hard not to get excited for the main character's success (based on a true story, not sure how accurately).
4. Scoop: Weird. Woody Allen is annoying, but I enjoyed the way he made a comedy out of a situation that's definitely not too funny. And I like Scarlett Johanssen.
5. The Queen: Well, what I saw of it was good. I was pretty sleepy at that time. I will have to watch it again.

Trains. Well, a train. From Islamabad to Lahore. Very nice, we got to take a break from the road traffic for a train ride, so I was able to enjoy the scenery without worrying about getting killed on the highway.

Automobiles. The fun part. Especially the ride back to Islamabad from Lahore, via the village, taking some "shortcuts" through several villages and village-sized potholes. And everywhere getting mooed and baaed at by the psychedelically painted Eid cows and goats. Well, I had a lot of fun. I'm not sure about the drivers or the cars' shocks and tires!

Next up, wildlife! Including forms of transportation that don't have engines.

2007-01-14T14:43:00.000-05:00

Mmmmmac N' Cheese

For some reason, whenever I've been having a lot of Pakistani food, I start craving a big bowl of Macaroni and Cheese. Good stuff.

2007-01-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

Fat Bulldog

One of my neighbors has the fattest bulldog I've ever seen. It's hilarious. Seriously, his belly hangs so low that his back curves in at the middle. He has this tiny head that's only about a third the width of his body. I was driving by and had to stop the car to stare. And he was staring back (you know that bad-as-I-wanna-be bulldog look) like "you got a problem with corpulent canines?"

By the way, the transition to wordpress is underway. I'll make the move and post the new address as soon as I get the new page the way I like it.

2006-12-12T09:15:00.000-05:00

An Old Arab

An old Arab lived close to New York City for over 40 years. He would have loved to plant potatoes in his garden, but is too old to dig it up. His son is in college in Paris, so the old man sends him an email:

"Beloved son,
I am very sad because I can't plant potatoes in my garden. I am sure, if only you were here, you would help and dig up the garden for me.
I love you, Your Father."

The following day, the old man receives a reply from his son:

"Beloved Father,
Please don't touch the garden.
It's there that I have hidden 'the THING.'
I love you too, Ahmed."

At 4pm the US Army, the Marines, the FBI, the CIA, and the Rangers visit the house of the old man, take the whole garden apart, search every inch, but can't find anything. Disappointed, they leave the house.

A day later, the old man receives another email from his son:

"Beloved Father,
I hope the garden is dug up by now and you can plant your potatoes.
That's all I could do for you from here.
I love you, Ahmed."

2006-11-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made some vegan chocolate chip cookies this weekend. They turned out better than my regular cookies! And since there are no eggs, you can eat all the cookie dough you want!

2 - 2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup margarine, softened (do not melt)
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup extra firm tofu, pureed
1 tb vanilla extract
2 tsp imitation vanilla (I substituted some orange oil for half of this. It was pretty good)
2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (make sure they're dairy-free if you want to go all vegan)

Preheat oven 350. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in one bowl. Mix sugars in another bowl. Cream margarine with an electric mixture, then add sugars and mix well. Add tofu until well blended. Add vanillas. Add flour mixture, one cup at a time. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop in one-inch globs on cookie sheet (I line mine with parchment paper, it helps a lot). Bake about 15 minutes.

By the way, check out this press release: Muslim Women Leaders Launch Global Movement to Empower Muslim Women.

2006-09-22T10:03:00.000-05:00

Favorite Songs and Translation Issues

Ramadan Mubarak! (Well, in a few hours anyways). I hope you all have a wonderful and successuful Ramadan and are able to fully take advantage of the blessings available this month.

My current favorite song is "Parvaneyeh Man" by Fereidoun Foroughi. You can hear it on this site. There are some other good songs of his posted there too. "Parvaneyeh Man" roughly translates as "My Butterfly," which sounds a bit trite in English. I printed out the lyrics online to translate them, as i find that this is a good way to practice languages. Print out the lyrics to a favorite song in that language, translate it, and then listen to the song again after you have found out what all the words mean. Or maybe i'm just a nerd. You can do the same thing with news articles and stories, but it doesn't have the same effect since you most likely never heard them spoken and if you did, are not as likely to hear them again as a song you like.

Anyways, the song is incredibly beautiful in the original Farsi but sounds really silly translated into English. It doesn't help that Farsi is an agglutinative language, and the resulting English translations have at least twice the syllables and length of the original, so it really messes up the flow. I can understand how Rumi translators have so much trouble keeping the flow and feel of the original. That still doesn't let Coleman Barks off the hook for solving the problem by mistranslating for the sake of the "original feel," but i can see their plight.

What's your current favorite song? Do you have favorite songs in other languages that you don't know well or are learning? Do you know what they mean?

2006-09-12T16:30:00.001-05:00

ISNA Overview

Yes, I’ve been back for over a week and am just getting to it now. Anyways, we had a good time. We got to hear former Iranian President Khatami, new ISNA President Ingrid Mattson, and other speakers such as Robert Fisk, Hamza Yusuf, Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, Ameena Jandali, Sherman Jackson, Zaid Shakir, Suhaib Webb, and Mokhtar Maghraoui. Lots of stuff in the bazaar too, but I didn’t shop much this year. I wish I had taken my trusty IRiver with me to more lectures. Soon we can check out ISNA TV for the main hall sessions, but I wish I had recorded the sessions I went to that were not in the main hall; they were very good and I know I have probably forgotten 80% of the information I got. Read below for some “props” and promotions:

CHOCOLATE!! (got your attention, didn’t I?): Chef Uzma Sharif, owner of Love in Disguise, is the granddaughter of a prominent pastry chef in Pakistan. She has studied at Colorado Mountain Culinary Institute and the French Pastry School in Chicago. She is now a chocolatier and makes delicious chocolates and TRUFFLES! She was selling some of her truffles in the bazaar, and my favorites were fresh mint and dark chocolate. When I got home and checked out her website, I found out that she also makes several exotic truffles that she hadn’t brought with her, such as Sweet Basil, two-layer Pistachio and Cardamon, Spanish Saffron, Earl Grey, Tasmanian Honey, and White Chocolate Cardamom. Sounds good and can't wait to try all of them! If you like to order chocolate online, I highly encourage you to support this chef and give her truffles a try next time you buy. And remember, MANY PEOPLE LIKE TO RECEIVE CHOCOLATE AS A GIFT! ;-) Ramadan and Eid are also coming up, so remember to stock up for when you receive invitations to peoples’ homes.

Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah’s new book, A Muslim in Victorian America: The Life of Alexander Russell Webb. From what I’ve heard so far, it is an interesting read about one of the first Muslim converts in the Americas. It’s next in line for me to read. And as usual, i have to promote this CD set too, which Chai got me a couple years ago!

Magazines: Islamica, Emel, and Azizah. Islamica Magazine is fairly new, and its articles focus on the issues faced by Muslims all over the world. I’ve read the last couple issues, and it’s very good, informative, and entertaining. Islamica is now available in many Barnes and Noble bookstores; if it is not available in your local store, ask for it! And then buy it when it comes in so B&N knows you meant it. Emel is published in England, and focuses on the lifestyles of modern Muslims, mostly Western Muslims. Along with current events, it includes features on fashion, food, family, and sports. We bought a few issues, which I haven’t read yet, but I enjoyed the Emel issues I have read before. Islamic Horizons you’re probably all familiar with; it is published by ISNA and focuses mainly on current events, although it does contain some human interest stories as well. You receive it for free if you become a member of ISNA. Azizah magazine shouldn’t really be on here since it wasn’t at ISNA, but I am mentioning it because it’s one of my favorites! It is a magazine for Muslim women, and it is very contemporary and “hip,” and discusses issues relevant to Muslim women and the community. Check it out!

Nema Halal Meat and Cheese: Their sausage is tasty! I’m not sure if the animals they get are organic, but they feed them only natural grains once they acquire them, and they hand-slaughter them and drain the blood. They do the slaughtering and the packaging themselves. I’ll probably write to them to see if the animals they get are organic. Try the Sudjouk, a ring bologna available in mild or spicy.

Got to see Izzy Mo and her artwork in person! Check it out on her site. Looks like she's also got a link to an ISNA slideshow on there. I just found out from reading her post that Morgan Spurlock was there! I didn't see him, but that's really cool.

Sharah Clothing: Their collection is not up on their site yet; it says it will be up for Ramadan. Their clothing is made of natural fibers and it looks and feels very nice. Keep an eye out for when it is available online.

2006-08-29T09:32:00.000-05:00

Music Review: Taj Amir

Taj Amir is a Muslim soul musician, and one of the most talented brothers i have heard. He effectively and ingeniously combines Islamic lyrics with old-school R&B and soul, and the result is excellent! His amazing voice earned him the offer of a solo career at the age of 17 by the producer of Jodeci's first album. Having just accepted Islam and decided to leave the music scene, he declined it, but began singing music with Islamic lyrics ten years later. Read his story and listen to clips of his songs on his myspace site (my favorite is "Thank U 4 Muhammad"). The best way to get to it is to first go here, then follow the link marked "website." Myspace opens up much more quickly that way. Also check out his interview with Radio Islam (scroll down to SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 2006).

2006-08-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

Top Film Soundtracks

I'm back from Florida and its wildlife. White Ibises (or is it ibix?) everywhere. They're like geese, they get in front of your car and let you wait for them to move. They're really pretty. Along with the domestic wildlife inside that shed all over me every day.

Anyways, here is my list of top movie soundtracks. This list excludes musicals and movies in which the musical numbers are a major focus (such as Disney movies or Blues Brothers).

** Disclaimer: I am talking about movie SOUNDTRACKS, not the MOVIES themselves. I like many of the following movies. Others i did not like or would not recommend, and some of these movies i haven't even seen, just heard and liked the soundtracks. Just so we get this straight.**

1. Amelie
2. Memoirs of a Geisha (hello, it's Yo Yo Ma!)
3. Last of the Mohicans
4. Forrest Gump
5. Winged Migration
6. Any James Bond Film
7. Edward Scissorhands
8. Pulp Fiction
9. Frida
10. Life is Beautiful
11. Kundun
12. Baraka
13. The Fifth Element
14. Star Wars
15. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
16. 50 First Dates
17. Bend it like Beckham
18. Tsotsi
19. Braveheart
20. Gangs of New York
21. Monsoon Wedding
22. The Piano
23. Pirates of the Caribbean
24. Romeo + Juliet (1995 or 1996 version, whatever it was)
25. Dazed and Confused

What is your favorite soundtrack?

Stay tuned for a music review later in the week.

2006-07-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

Bhangra Dance Moves

Here are five i've noticed. Am waiting for Chai, T Baji, Hbiddy, and Chan to add some more; i KNOW you guys have some funny ones in mind! And do speak up if i've nailed anyone's signature move (and i hope it's not #5).

1. Stamping out the fire: When a dancer vigorously stamps one foot up and down, frequently seen in faster songs.

2. Changing the light bulb: When a dancer raises one or both hands, cups it, and rotates it back and forth as if turning a light bulb.

3. Flight of the crane: This should be self explanatory. When a dancer extends both arms to the sides and slightly up, especially effective if he or she also raises one leg at a time, bending the raised leg at the knee. If the dancer also hops on one foot, it is called...

4. The pogo stick.

5. Finally, "Look out ladies; i'm IN DA CLUB!!" : When a male dancer enters a floor where mostly women are dancing, and starts shaking it like he's in a dance club or something.

2006-06-11T14:49:00.000-05:00

Giving Thanks

I was listening to a tape by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson in which he was talking about giving thanks to God. He said it is easy to see the big blessings of God, for example our health. But it is harder to see the subtler blessings, such as our taste buds. God has created honey for people who like sweet things, and lemons for people who like sour things, and has given us different taste buds to enjoy all different kinds of food.

It is a good thing to give thanks for, especially for someone like me who likes to eat!

2006-06-07T08:52:00.001-05:00

Blogtagged! Ten things (most of you) don't know about me

1. I'm a really picky eater. Not something that i'm proud of, as i know many people don't even have food, but i'm trying to learn to like more things.

2. I sang in the chorus of a Mariachi ensemble in college.

3. I love pear flavored Looza juice.

4. When i was younger, i used to keep gerbils. Lots of them. I had to give some of the babies to the pet store because it got to be too many.

5. I like Cross-sums. Now they're sometimes called Kakuro or something like that, to follow the Sudoku trend.

6. In college, i used to work at a restaurant owned by the nephew of the Dalai Lama. No, i did not get to meet the Dalai Lama but i used to drink about 3-4 cups of tea each day i worked (heck, we'd have to throw the tea out anyways if no one finished it!).

7. I used to be able to do hair wraps really well (where you wrap string in different patterns around a strand of hair). People have paid me for them.

8. The best fruit i have tasted was in Berdyansk, Ukraine. I have eaten whole bowls of apricots and plums (i hate the plums here in the US, they're sour)!

9. I have seen the move "The Dark Crystal" at least 20 times. Maybe 30. I can say the lines with the characters. I don't really know how many times i have seen it. Don't know. Agh. Auoooagh! Don't know! (you'll get it if you've seen it)

10. I had the fastest mouse trap racer in tenth grade and got the A+. I accidentally broke the racer that night.

2006-04-29T08:23:00.000-05:00

LOL!! Redneck Muslims

Seriously, check this out! Now i will have to watch for some of these!

2006-04-28T13:09:00.000-05:00

Top 10 Foods (excluding sweets) that i can eat without getting tired of:

1. Fettuccine Alfredo (Dad's recipe or Olive Garden)

2. Hummus and Lamb from La Shish

3. Pizza, mostly thin crust like the ones from California Pizza Kitchen

4. Seafood Delight from Chef Lee's

5. Veggie Lo Mein from Lin China with a side of Crab Rangoon or Veggie Spring Rolls

6. Beef Stroganoff (Mom's)

7. Persian-style roasted or grilled lamb

8. Senegalese Yassa Poulet

9. Butter chicken with fresh nan

10. Carne Asada soft tacos or fajitas, with cheese, cilantro, and onions.

Desserts to come later in a whole other topic!

What are yours?

2006-04-05T13:38:00.000-05:00

Kyono Tema... Peanut Butter!

That's right, it's not just for sandwiches! Everyone knows it's also popular in desserts, but it has many uses in the main course. Have you ever eaten satay at a SouthEast Asian restaurant? Or peanut noodles at a Chinese one? Both made with peanut butter (best with all-natural, unsweetened peanut butter). If my memory serves me correctly, George Washington Carver developed multiple uses for peanuts in the United States, including peanut butter, but it has been made and used in Africa for much longer. I am mostly familiar with West African dishes. Mafe is a meat dish (usually lamb or chicken) that incorporates peanut butter in its sauce. A similar sauce can be combined with spinach (it sounds weird but it's excellent)! *Disclaimer: I haven't tried the mafe recipe but it sounds about like what i've had, although you might want to go a bit easier on the tomatoes than what they give. I have tried the spinach recipe and found that it needed more peanut butter.

Here is a recipe for African Peanut Stew. It was given to me by one of my professors, who does research in Cote d'Ivoire:

1-2 onions, chopped
4 tomatoes, cored and pureed
4 cups water*
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 cup or more creamy peanut butter**
1 habanero, pricked with a fork***

Add all ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. After it boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and peanut butter boils down (it should be fully incorporated with the other ingredients. at the beginning it won't be). This usually takes at least 30 minutes. Serve over plain white or brown rice and garnish with roasted peanuts.
Btw, i've tried stewing carrots and potatoes along with the sauce but found that the starch from the veggies ruins the sauce. If you want to have it with veggies, cook them seperately.
* The recipe calls for 4 cups of water. Sometimes the tomatoes are more watery than usual, so i start with 3 cups water and add more later if i need it. You don't want the sauce to disappear into the rice; it should be thick enough to sit on top of it until you mix it in.
** I lost the original recipe; this is the only measurement i'm not 100% sure of, but i think it's right. I usually add a bit more, though.
*** How well you prick the chile depends on how hot you want the stew. I prefer to prick it once (it's mild with just a bit of a kick that way). If you want it medium or hot, prick it 2 or 3 times or more. For you fire-eaters out there, just rip the thing open and thrown it in the pot! (Musical Chef does not take responsibility for fire-eaters' burnt taste buds or hurt feelings after they make it too hot and cry in front of fellow fire-eaters)

2006-03-29T15:14:00.000-05:00

Which Food Network Chef Are You?

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2006-02-20T17:20:00.000-05:00

Musicalchef's Dark Chocolate-Earl Grey Sorbet

This is for extreme chocolate lovers only. It is not very sweet, and is almost black! Since Earl Grey contains bergamot, try serving it with oranges. I copied this from a magazine a long time ago, but now i don't remember which one it was, so sorry if i'm violating any copyright laws!

4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
4 Earl Grey tea bags
1 cup unsweetened, Dutch-process cocoa powder (i used Hersheys special dark; it's good)
1 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Boil water and sugar together. Add the tea. Remove from heat, cover, and steep 15 minutes. Remove teabags. Bring back to medium-high heat and slowly add cocoa, whisking until smooth. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted. Strain into a bowl and place in fridge, covered, at least 2 hours. Follow direction on your ice cream maker. Click here if you don't have an ice cream maker.

2005-11-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

Because i'm too lazy to write a music review today but need to update, i'm going to be obnoxious and recycle a joke (and because the copy/paste works now):

You just might be a graduate student if...

1. you can analyze the significance of appliances you cannot operate.
2. your office is better decorated than your apartment.
3. you have ever, as a folklore project, attempted to track the progress of your own joke across the Internet.
4. you are startled to meet people who neither need nor want to read.
5. you have ever brought a scholarly article to a restaurant.
6. you rate coffee shops by the availability of outlets for your laptop.
7. everything reminds you of something in your discipline.
8. you have ever spent more than $50 on photocopying while researching a single paper.
9. you regard ibuprofen as a vitamin.
10. you consider all papers to be works in progress.
11. you find the bibliographies of books more interesting than the actual text.
12. you have given up trying to keep your books organized and are now just trying to keep them all in the same general area.
13. you have accepted guilt as an inherent feature of relaxation.
14. you reflexively start analyzing those greek letters before you realize that it's a sorority sweatshirt, not an equation.
15. you find yourself explaining to children that you are in "20th grade".
16. you frequently wonder how long you can live on pasta without getting scurvy
17. you have more photocopy cards than credit cards
18. you wonder if APA style allows you to cite talking to yourself as "personal communication"
19. you can identify universities by their internet domains
20. you are constantly looking for a thesis in novels
21. you consider caffeine to be a major food group
22. you've ever brought books with you on vacation and actually studied
23. you've ever travelled across two state lines specifically to go to a library
24. you can read course books and cook at the same time
25. you've ever worn out a library card
26. you find taking notes in a park relaxing
27. you find yourself citing sources in conversation
28. you've ever sent a personal letter with footnotes

I miss IU!!