Content notes for "The Melting Pot"
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ysabetwordsmithThese are the content notes for "The Melting Pot."
Previous poems:
"Escape a Thousand Memories"
Story Date: April 2014
Summary: Kardal Abdullah moves to Rutledge, Vermont and explores opportunities for education and employment.
"Who Can Create the Future"
Story Date: June 2014
Summary: After passing a class on American food handling, Kardal applies for a job at Mandy's Diner.
"Good Food Choices Are Good Investments"
Story Date: June 2015
Summary: After working at Mandy's Diner for about a year, Kardal Abdullah launches a Syrian food truck.
"Layering Flavors, Tastes, and Textures"
Story Date: July 2015
Summary: Kardal tries a regular Vermont grinder, then invents the Hummus Buster sandwich as a Syrian equivalent.
"A Vibrant Symbol of the American Dream"
Story Date: August 2015
Summary: Kardal's food truck attracts hungry teleporters.
"The People Who Give You Their Food"
Story Date: 6 PM on August 19, 2015 outside of Aleppo, Syria
11 AM on August 19, 2015 in Rutledge, Vermont
Summary: A cape team wraps up a battle against terrorists in Syria, then takes salvaged ingredients to trade with a food truck in Vermont.
* * *
"Syria is a melting pot. It existed like this, like it is today because it is a melting pot with multifarious cultures for centuries, before Christianity and after Christianity, before Islam and after Islam."
-- President Bashar al-Assad
In the food truck:
Syrian Yellow Rice
This appears as a base or side for many things. It is also available by itself in small cups (as a snack) or large bowls (as a meal, also available in bottomless mode), with optional sauce (hummus, tahini, etc.) and chunky topping (chopped salad, pickled vegetables, etc).
Previous recipes:
These are things that Kardal made at Mandy's Diner, but did not make in the food truck because they were too complicated. They are now available at the Melting Pot restaurant.
(kebab karaz with cherries, from "Why People Hold onto Memories")
Name Description
Kebab (كباب)
Grilled meat.
• kebab karaz (كباب كرز), made from lamb meatballs with cherries and cherry paste, pine nuts, sugar and pomegranate molasses;
Mahshi
A famous dish served in Syria is made from vegetables (usually zucchini—كوسا / kūsā—or eggplant—باذنجان / bādhinjān) which are stuffed (محشي / maḥshī) with ground beef or lamb or mutton, and nuts and rice.
Kousa Mahshi
Desserts
Basbousa (بسبوسة)
A sweet cake made of cooked semolina or farina soaked in simple syrup.
Rice pudding (رز بحليب) Made from rice mixed with water or milk and other ingredients such as cinnamon.
Basbousa (farina cake soaked in syrup)
New items planned for restaurant:
Syrian Seven-Layer Dip with Pita Chips
Chopped Red Onions (top layer)
Syrian Sweet-and-Sour Olives
Sheep Milk Cheese
Muhammara (roasted red pepper and walnut dip)
Laban (plain yogurt)
Tabouli (salad of bulgur, tomatoes, and parsley)
Hummus (bottom layer)
Compare with this 7-layer Dip Cup.
Main Dishes
Sayadieh (Fish With Spiced Rice And Caramelized Onions)
Sharhat Mtafay (Lemon-Garlic Thin Steaks)
Slow-Roasted Goat Shoulder
Side Dishes
Borak Zaitoon (Olive mini pies)
Syrian Cheeses
Jibneh Arabieh (Arabic for "Arab cheese") is a simple cheese found throughout the Middle East and is particularly popular in Egypt and Eastern Arabia. The cheese has an open texture and a mild taste.
While the product originated with Bedouins, using goat or sheep milk, current practice is to use cow's milk. Jibneh Arabieh is used for cooking, or simply as a table cheese.
Kenafa is an unsalted, very fresh, soft cheese that melts easily. It is used to make the popular cheesecake-like dessert that is sometimes called Kenafa, mainly in the Levant and Egypt. It can also be used as a base for other sweet-cheese desserts.
It is sold frozen because there is no salt in it (limiting shelf life) and is available in both retail and bulk packages.
Surke, also called sorke or shanklish, is a mature cheese made with spices and generally presented as balls covered in za'tar or chile powder; most often eaten as a starter dish with tomato, oil and sometimes onion.
Street Food
Syrian street food includes:
Name Description
Booza (بوظة)
Ice cream known for its elastic texture, which is caused by the presence of mastic
Syrian Pantry
American Fast Food
The Melting Pot also adds several classics from American fast food: hamburger / cheeseburger, fried chicken sandwich, fried chicken nuggets, French fries, and mashed potatoes. All of these go well with Syrian dips, and they offer something more familiar to folks dragged into the restaurant by someone else. The Hummus Buster, of course, is already fusion food as it crosses the American tradition of giant sandwiches with Syrian ingredients.
* * *
The Business Incubator offers ideas for fundraising. Read about Community Supported Enterprises.
The Great American Melting Pot has pros and cons as a metaphor. It was famously made into a cartoon, also a book and record.
Kardal's seed date for zakat is August 1 (beginning in 2014), when he first calculated that had wealth above the nisab. Abuzar Kabir, the zakat official for Rutledge County, told the refugees that they could use the gold nisab because of their hardship, but were welcome to use the silver nisab if they felt more generous. Kardal uses the silver nisab, and thus pays more zakat, because he feels grateful for escaping Syria safely and for finding good work in Rutledge; he wants to help those who are less fortunate.
The Rutledge Wafira Bank opened on June 1, 2016. It offers certified halal checking accounts, savings accounts, retirement accounts, debit cards, safe deposit boxes, car loans, home loans, commercial or nonprofit loans, general loans, insurance, and investment options. It works closely with the Business Incubator to help startups. It also includes a zakat office. Customers can have their zakat calculated for free and deducted from their account, either once a year on their seed date or monthly. Other people must pay a fee for the calculation, but can still pay zakat at the bank. The office keeps a catalog of charities and worthy causes to which anyone can donate zakat at any time. The bank then dispenses the money to the categories of zakat recipients.
Sharia banking has a few examples in America, like the Bank of Whittier.
noun وفرة
wafira abundance, plenty, multitude, amplitude, profusion
Previous poems:
"Escape a Thousand Memories"
Story Date: April 2014
Summary: Kardal Abdullah moves to Rutledge, Vermont and explores opportunities for education and employment.
"Who Can Create the Future"
Story Date: June 2014
Summary: After passing a class on American food handling, Kardal applies for a job at Mandy's Diner.
"Good Food Choices Are Good Investments"
Story Date: June 2015
Summary: After working at Mandy's Diner for about a year, Kardal Abdullah launches a Syrian food truck.
"Layering Flavors, Tastes, and Textures"
Story Date: July 2015
Summary: Kardal tries a regular Vermont grinder, then invents the Hummus Buster sandwich as a Syrian equivalent.
"A Vibrant Symbol of the American Dream"
Story Date: August 2015
Summary: Kardal's food truck attracts hungry teleporters.
"The People Who Give You Their Food"
Story Date: 6 PM on August 19, 2015 outside of Aleppo, Syria
11 AM on August 19, 2015 in Rutledge, Vermont
Summary: A cape team wraps up a battle against terrorists in Syria, then takes salvaged ingredients to trade with a food truck in Vermont.
* * *
"Syria is a melting pot. It existed like this, like it is today because it is a melting pot with multifarious cultures for centuries, before Christianity and after Christianity, before Islam and after Islam."
-- President Bashar al-Assad
In the food truck:
Syrian Yellow Rice
This appears as a base or side for many things. It is also available by itself in small cups (as a snack) or large bowls (as a meal, also available in bottomless mode), with optional sauce (hummus, tahini, etc.) and chunky topping (chopped salad, pickled vegetables, etc).
Previous recipes:
These are things that Kardal made at Mandy's Diner, but did not make in the food truck because they were too complicated. They are now available at the Melting Pot restaurant.
(kebab karaz with cherries, from "Why People Hold onto Memories")
Name Description
Kebab (كباب)
Grilled meat.
• kebab karaz (كباب كرز), made from lamb meatballs with cherries and cherry paste, pine nuts, sugar and pomegranate molasses;
Mahshi
A famous dish served in Syria is made from vegetables (usually zucchini—كوسا / kūsā—or eggplant—باذنجان / bādhinjān) which are stuffed (محشي / maḥshī) with ground beef or lamb or mutton, and nuts and rice.
Kousa Mahshi
Desserts
Basbousa (بسبوسة)
A sweet cake made of cooked semolina or farina soaked in simple syrup.
Rice pudding (رز بحليب) Made from rice mixed with water or milk and other ingredients such as cinnamon.
Basbousa (farina cake soaked in syrup)
New items planned for restaurant:
Syrian Seven-Layer Dip with Pita Chips
Chopped Red Onions (top layer)
Syrian Sweet-and-Sour Olives
Sheep Milk Cheese
Muhammara (roasted red pepper and walnut dip)
Laban (plain yogurt)
Tabouli (salad of bulgur, tomatoes, and parsley)
Hummus (bottom layer)
Compare with this 7-layer Dip Cup.
Main Dishes
Sayadieh (Fish With Spiced Rice And Caramelized Onions)
Sharhat Mtafay (Lemon-Garlic Thin Steaks)
Slow-Roasted Goat Shoulder
Side Dishes
Borak Zaitoon (Olive mini pies)
Syrian Cheeses
Jibneh Arabieh (Arabic for "Arab cheese") is a simple cheese found throughout the Middle East and is particularly popular in Egypt and Eastern Arabia. The cheese has an open texture and a mild taste.
While the product originated with Bedouins, using goat or sheep milk, current practice is to use cow's milk. Jibneh Arabieh is used for cooking, or simply as a table cheese.
Kenafa is an unsalted, very fresh, soft cheese that melts easily. It is used to make the popular cheesecake-like dessert that is sometimes called Kenafa, mainly in the Levant and Egypt. It can also be used as a base for other sweet-cheese desserts.
It is sold frozen because there is no salt in it (limiting shelf life) and is available in both retail and bulk packages.
Surke, also called sorke or shanklish, is a mature cheese made with spices and generally presented as balls covered in za'tar or chile powder; most often eaten as a starter dish with tomato, oil and sometimes onion.
Street Food
Syrian street food includes:
Name Description
Booza (بوظة)
Ice cream known for its elastic texture, which is caused by the presence of mastic
Syrian Pantry
American Fast Food
The Melting Pot also adds several classics from American fast food: hamburger / cheeseburger, fried chicken sandwich, fried chicken nuggets, French fries, and mashed potatoes. All of these go well with Syrian dips, and they offer something more familiar to folks dragged into the restaurant by someone else. The Hummus Buster, of course, is already fusion food as it crosses the American tradition of giant sandwiches with Syrian ingredients.
* * *
The Business Incubator offers ideas for fundraising. Read about Community Supported Enterprises.
The Great American Melting Pot has pros and cons as a metaphor. It was famously made into a cartoon, also a book and record.
Kardal's seed date for zakat is August 1 (beginning in 2014), when he first calculated that had wealth above the nisab. Abuzar Kabir, the zakat official for Rutledge County, told the refugees that they could use the gold nisab because of their hardship, but were welcome to use the silver nisab if they felt more generous. Kardal uses the silver nisab, and thus pays more zakat, because he feels grateful for escaping Syria safely and for finding good work in Rutledge; he wants to help those who are less fortunate.
The Rutledge Wafira Bank opened on June 1, 2016. It offers certified halal checking accounts, savings accounts, retirement accounts, debit cards, safe deposit boxes, car loans, home loans, commercial or nonprofit loans, general loans, insurance, and investment options. It works closely with the Business Incubator to help startups. It also includes a zakat office. Customers can have their zakat calculated for free and deducted from their account, either once a year on their seed date or monthly. Other people must pay a fee for the calculation, but can still pay zakat at the bank. The office keeps a catalog of charities and worthy causes to which anyone can donate zakat at any time. The bank then dispenses the money to the categories of zakat recipients.
Sharia banking has a few examples in America, like the Bank of Whittier.
noun وفرة
wafira abundance, plenty, multitude, amplitude, profusion
