One of my favorite lines from this piece which I think perfectly answers the first question is "Iraqi food keeps them whole, keeps their scattered world intact." I think that tasheeb represents home and also heritage. I think it is also very important that the men in the story are just now learning how to cook this very important dish after leaving home. This shows just how many ways a war can change people, in ways we seldom think about. In this story about tashreeb, Ali is quoted and described the most, however the dish is obviously very important to all of the men. I think that tashreeb represents home and for Ali that meant his mother's cooking, but for some of the other men, home and tasheeb abould be connected in another way.
My views of these men did change a little bit throughout the story. In the beginning I was imagining that these men would still be somewhat scared to be an immigrant and feel a ittle unsettled and uncomfortable. Although it was emphasized throughout the story that these men were home sick, I think I was suprised by how much the seemed to stick together and how they had made a home of their own.
The main idea of this reading to me was that each other and their food (although this piece focus on tashreeb) is what kept them from losing their memories, love and passion for their home and their culture. To dive even deeper they had their previous lives stolen from them when they were almost forced to join the army and serve under a regime they did not support. That is when their sense of identity was first put into question. After that they had to turn to what they could save from their past. As it turned out they couldn't save their homes, they couldn't stay in close proximity to their families and that they could save were their lives. Once they got away and began living together they found another part of their past they could continue to enjoy and that was their food. All in all because they were forced to change due to a change in their nation the only tangible thing they were able to keep was food.
I guess my view changed a little because at first I saw men trying to just survive as aliens without anywhere to go. But as the piece went on it became clear that the men felt like they had a home wherever they were because they seemed to feel like they could take their lives anywhere and be ok, just like they took their food anywhere. Even though it seems small they were able to survive and now seem to be stronger in whom they are and believing that who they are is not defined by where they are, but how they live. It’s like the old saying “you can take the boy from his home, but you can’t take the home from the boy.” No matter where they go they can take a little piece of home with them, even if it’s just tashreeb.
One of my best friends is an Iraqi refugee, and his own story is not so different from these gentlemen. In the story the author mentions how Iraqi's never eat alone. That is absolutely true I have eaten with my Iraqi friends family, and I could not believe the amount of time that was put into the one normal meal, It took the same effort if not more than the average Thanksgiving meal. My friend told me that this is done every night in his home. He never once missed dinner with his family, because it was much too important. At first after reading this story was about, these gentlemen who were away from home, stuck in limbo, in Kuwait, a land that was foreign to them. Considering I knew firsthand how family oriented Iraqi culture is; these men needed to create that family like atmosphere in order to keep their sanity, but after speaking with my Iraqi friend explained that tashreeb is considered "a man's dish" and in order to be a "man" you must eat this. This dish may have had a family connection, but the atmosphere of this meal probably resembled something more like a frat house then a family dinner. After learning about tashreeb from my friend it made the characters in the story much more relatable. When the author talks about how depressed Ahmed was after his friends resettled in Texas I understood that to him it was like losing brother. These men at formed the closest bond they could have possibly formed and they needed each other considering the circumstances. I really wondered what became of Ahmed. it seemed like he really needed his friends Ali and Jassim and it would be hard for him to find that close brotherhood he needed.
It’s clear that this Iraqi dish of chicken and spices is something of a memory for these men. Tashreeb can emulate times of being home enjoying their mothers cooking, before the time of war forced these three men to flee. The power is in the food. The taste of nostalgia overcomes the bitter taste of blood shed from war. Dinners when tashreeb was served, served not only for nourishment but served as a time to enjoy the past and what’s to come. This dish relieves anything negative and provides these people a moment of clarity where they are free to jest and imitate the spice and flavor in what they are preparing. For it’s a rarity to taste spice and flavor over the stench of gunpowder and exile.
Preconceived notions of Iraqi men as an American woman are anything but pleasant. These generalizations make them seem angry, strict and brutal, as if they conduct themselves as dictators over women and their country. Though I find this article to break the obsolete, rusting chain that connects Iraqi men to their nasty reputation. For we have this man inviting this woman over to exchange pleasantries and recipes. Which in itself seems groundbreaking, but I learn that this isn’t so far out of the ordinary as Iraqi customs encourage. So I find myself viewing these men as warmhearted people. People with differing personalities whilst having alike, unfortunate situations. These are men used to having meals cooked for them courtesy of females, though they take cooking and their culture-infused recipes and make it apart of them, men, not just enjoying the cooked meal that they once had no part of preparing. The tashreeb will eventually perish into useful energy, yet the meaning of the meal is instilled into their being.
To me, the tashreeb seems like it a representation of home that the men who live together miss. The meal is obviously a major staple in their remembrance of home because even the smell of it plus other foods make neighbors even come and want to have Iraqi food. It is clearly a common food that they are proud of, because when Ciezadlo first met Ali, he was eating it. Then when Ali said that he was going to Texas for certain, the men made tashreeb to congratulate him. The author actually does say that it is “customary pot.” Although the tashreeb, was the one of the more talked about dishes, all of the food shows that the men are not contained to only their food (since they did try Ciezadlo’s chicken mole and quesadillas), but that it represents what they miss the most. Calling his mother to ask what they she was making for dinner so he could make the same thing shows that food is almost a calming thing for Ali. Food is a connection for all of the men to their Iraqi lives that they had to leave. I was surprised that Ali wanted to live so far away from his home in Texas. Even when he was in a neighboring country, he still wanted called his mother almost every day so that he could ask her what was for dinner just so he could feel like he was home. I did not really have any preconceived notions, I just thought it was interesting that all the men worked together to make dinner because they were forced to. I realize that women are inferior to men in many countries, but it was interesting to me that since they left their families in Iraq, that they made their own family as refugees. Making food was where the family really came together every night. Overall, this article just articulates that no matter where a person is, the simplest things, such as food can bring people together and make them feel like they are home.
Sometimes doing the right thing is not always easy. Especially for Ali, Jassim, and Ahmed who have left their jobs, families, homes, and lives behind in Iraq in order to not join violent Shiite militias. By leaving everything behind, they give up their culture, and are now in a part of the world, in a culture where they do not belong. Despite their unfortunate circumstances, these refugees are able to keep morale up by cooking their native Iraqi dishes. The tashreeb dijaaj, amongst many other Iraqi dishes, is what keeps these three men together and optimistic. To them, Iraqi cuisine represents their home, family, and culture. Tashreeb also represents their pride. Ali invited Annia Ciezadlo (author of the “They Remembered Home”) to his apartment to show off his native cuisine and culture. He wants her to know where he and his roommates come from. It makes him happy to see others enjoy his native cuisine. Him being proud of his heritage and native cuisine is not any different from American fans chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” at an Olympic event. Everyone is proud of where they come from, and everyone loves showing off their culture and pride. With the Tashreeb dish, not only do the Iraqi refugees remember home, but also they show their Iraqi pride. When I first learned of the Iraqi refugees in the writing, I did not think of then to be violent, American hating terrorist. What I did not understand until the end of the piece was how similar these men were to me. I understand that I am not from the Middle East, or a refugee, but I know what it is like to miss home and to miss my culture and customs. I spent two weeks in Germany a few years ago, and even though they had McDonald’s and other small examples of American culture, I felt out of place. The food is different, the language is different, the architecture is different, and the culture is different. Although I felt like an outsider, I had a sense of satisfaction when I would walk by a McDonald’s and see it packed with Germans, enjoying hamburgers and French Fries. The same can be said about the refugees feeling out of place and away from home while living in Lebanon. They too are able to get a sense of satisfaction and pride by sharing their native dishes with outsiders such as Ciezadlo. After reading this piece I realize that people might be on opposite ends of the earth, and might even have conflicting viewpoints, but are not so different when it comes to representing where they come from. Always remembering home and what made us the people we are today is a valuable lesson Ali and his roommates have taught me. No matter where we end up, or what the future brings, we will always have something like a tashreeb dish, or McDonald’s, to bring us back home.
In Ciezadlo’s piece They Remember Home, I believe tasheeb was made to represent much more than just a food dish to the people in the story. For Ciezadlo, he remembers tasheeb to be the first dish he saw his friend Ali eating when they first met, as well as the first dish Ali and his other friends made for Ciezadlo. He associates the dish with good memories, good friends and a sense of home. Ciezadlo learned from his experiences and his Iraqi friends that dinners, and food in general, is more than just a necessity for life, but a way of life. They treat meal time as a way to connect to others and tasheeb represents this. Tasheeb represents the feeling of home, nurture and comfort to the people in the story. As an American woman, my thoughts on Iraqi men were not very pleasant. I believed Iraqi men to be disrespectful to women and believe themselves to be better than others. The reading definitely changed my perception within the first few pages of the story. I still have the old fashioned mind-set that women are the ones responsible for the cooking while the men are the providers for the family. I found it very surprising that the men in the story took it upon themselves to all work together and prepare a meal for everyone. The discussion of meal time being so important and traditional definitely changed my original perception of the people I the story.
Annia Ciezadlo first met Ali while he was eating tashreeb and the first meal she had with him and his roommates was tashreeb. Ali also compares the great Iraqi civilizations to a bowl of traditional stew, another detail showing the importance of food. Before Ali leaves for the United States, Ciezadlo reminseces about something Ali had told her months earlier. Over a serving of tashreeb, Ali said, “When I eat this food, I feel like I’m home,” (p. 187). The food culture, especially the dish tashreeb, is the essence and memory of home for these men. Before reading the piece I had no initial view of what an Iraqi refugee would be, but as I read the piece I became intrigued. Most Iraqi men do not cook in their homeland, but Ali, Jassim, and Ahmed created a system of cooking that not only worked, but reminded them of home. The fact that the men did not serve Annia the typical foods they would serve a guest, but rather served her the food their mothers would have served them at home, made an impact on me. This gesture showed that not only did the men accept Ciezadlo, they saw her as one of them and wanted to provide for her like family. In fact, I found it interesting that these men took it upon themselves to serve a woman when the roles were typically reversed in Iraq. I loved how Ali called his mom and would ask what was for dinner, then attempt to replicate the meal. It’s as if food bonded the two despite being worlds apart. “As his mother spoke, Ali closed his eyes and smiled, picturing the meal his mother was describing, interrupting his reverie occasionally to prod her for more details. ‘And what else? What else?’” (p.187) This quote emphasizes the bond of food with a vivid imagery. As I read the piece I had a warm and comfortable feeling about the men. This trio embraced and remembered their homeland through food, but learned and grew from their current environment.
When I first started reading, I thought that when we were fist introduced to Ali eating the tashreeb, it was really nothing. But then When Ciezadlo was invited back to his apartment to have dinner with his roommates, it became something much more than it seems. These men were refugee’s from Iraq, who had left there families. This dish reminds them of home and everything about it. No matter how much someone can take away from you, they cannot take away your heritage. These men still have their food which is a major part of their culture.
At first, I viewed the men to just be, well, normal men. The only difference between us and them is culture. Then as I continued to read on, I had realized that there was so much more to them. They are all very deep and sentimental. all three roommates value what life has given them, and willingly play the cards that they have been dealt. The one thing that stood out to me was at the end of the piece, when all of them were eating their last meal together, not knowing if they would ever see each other again. To me that is just a scary feeling. They have been living together for years and they are unsure what will happen to them. But I guess that’s what life is, not always knowing what is coming next.
The reading on ‘they remember home’ piece by ‘Ciezadlo’ is a really interesting and insightful reading. I really enjoyed reading this, the reason for this is because I could relate to it in some aspects; not completely on the same level but it made me think of home whilst reading it. They were very good at describing their food really well, I actually wanted to eat this food after reading this passage. Also the really good thing about this is that the recipe was used at the end of the reading, and it was on the food that they were talking about thought the reading the food that they miss; which is very culturally connected to them from home. The part that I could relate to in some aspects was about being away from home and missing the food that I ate with my family. Also the fact of being away from your home for so long and not being able to see them the only thing that you can do is calling them on the phone. This is something that I could relate to because this is what Ali was doing. I really liked the part when he was on the phone asking more questions about the food and then imagining being there with his family and eating that food. There are sections in this chapter that really make you realise how lucky we truly are; take Ali for example he fled the country without his family because his life was in danger for not agreeing to join ‘Shiite Militias’. Leaving everything behind is very hard and without your family around you is even harder because you go on living your life without them.
Annie does a great job at describing the different middle eastern foods she encountered on her visit to Iraq doing her freelance journalism work. I hadn't known I was hungry until I started reading it. She explains how being in Iraq during the war she often sought comfort foods and thoroughly enjoyed the foreign delicacies. "Tender okra slow-cooked in thick tomato sauce; beef and lamb layered with tomatoes, eggplant, and green peppers; lush stews of tomatoes and apricots poured over yellow rice". I noticed that she often refers to tomatoes when describing her meals with Ali. I thought it was pretty cool that he calls his mother to see what she's eating to make it seem like they were still eating dinner together. Apparently Ali was a refugee who was forced to leave his family because the army threatened his life if he didn't join them. So in a way, comfort food was Ali's escape from the harsh realities as well which is probably why he had such a passion, and talent, for cooking. The lush descriptions Annie makes for each meal made my mouth drool. I could literally feel my stomach making several reaches toward the computer screen. I really enjoyed the part of the story when she tries to explain to Ali and his roommates what a "Mick-Donalds" was.
To the men in this story the tashreeb is more then just a dinner they like to eat- it's what keeps them connected to their Iraqi heritage. After finding out that Ali had to leave Iraq because of the extreme recruitment that the Shiite militias used on him, it made more of an impact on this meal and its significance to him. This part of the story made Ali a much more in depth person that made me feel more attached to his life. The part where Ciezadlo talks about how Ali calls his mother and asks what she is having for dinner was another part of his life that made a further impact on me and made me sad for his loss of his homeland. The other men in the story did not have as significant of an impact on me as Ali did, probably because of the lack of information Ciezadlo presents about the other two friends. The one thing that did make these two stand out was their connection to their Iraqi heritage through the meals that they remember from home. This is a good story about people's loss of something they love and the little things in life that can keep them connected to their past. By the end of the story I was very happy for Ali that he had made his dream come true of making it to America, but I was sad for the other two men. I like to think that the other two made it to America as well.
In Annia Ciezadlo’s piece, They Remember Home, the dish Tashreeb Dijaaj represents home to the three Iraqi men. This is evident in many instances throughout the piece. First, Ciezadlo states that the dish had been traced all the way back to ancient Mesopotamian culture and then passed through “the Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Babylonians, and others,” as Ali states. This indicates the significance of Tashreeb Dijaaj to the men from a cultural standpoint, similar to what steak and potatoes is to the midwestern food culture. Secondly, in addition, to having been part of the men’s culture throughout numerous civilizations, Tashreeb Dijaaj, reminds the men of their home life in Iraq, where their mothers would cook for them and when times were peaceful. “Iraqi cuisine keeps them whole, keeps their scattered would intact,” states Cizadlo, referring to the three men that she had befriended. Lastly, it is rather apparent that food is more culturally significant to the Iraqi people than it is in our, American, culture. This is supported by the fact that Ali and his mother, during their phone conversations accounted throughout the piece, repeatedly and almost exclusively, speak of food and what they had eaten earlier that night.
Furthermore, I cannot say that my views or preconceptions change throughout the course of the reading, because I had no views or preconceptions going into the assignment. I know that were/still are at a supposed “war” with the nation Iraq, but in no way would I let that influence my perception of the individuals in the piece without having met them, unless I had read something in the text to make me believe otherwise. I believe that each person is unique and has their own set of beliefs, values, and customs. Just as anybody that I know in my own country has their own identity, so to do I believe people from Iraq or other Middle Eastern countries
The closing quote, "When I eat this food, I feel home”, is the perfect example of what tashreeb symbolizes. As Ciezaldo says, these men cook this food from kitchen to kitchen. Having to leave home behind and take on so many new locations can be challenging. These Iraqis unite around this food that reminds them so much of their culture. It is an item that not only do they strongly identify, but also they enjoy greatly. Ciezaldo identifies this, and it appears almost shares the same views. It may even remind these men of life before the war. The tashreeb may evoke thoughts of better times when becoming a refugee was a life or death choice. There’s nothing about this article that strongly changed my viewpoints on these men. If anything, the fact that they have certain experiences in their life that remind them of comfort and home, shows they have as rich a culture as anyone. It’s unfortunate that their displacement was inconvenient and arguably unjustified. I cannot identify with coming from such a world that does not know Mcdonalds, to a place like Texas, but I can imagine that it must be quite a culture shock. These types of experiences, including drastic change in diet, can be unsettling. At least these men have each other and their food to inspire thoughts of home.
One of my favorite lines from this piece which I think perfectly answers the first question is "Iraqi food keeps them whole, keeps their scattered world intact." I think that tasheeb represents home and also heritage. I think it is also very important that the men in the story are just now learning how to cook this very important dish after leaving home. This shows just how many ways a war can change people, in ways we seldom think about. In this story about tashreeb, Ali is quoted and described the most, however the dish is obviously very important to all of the men. I think that tashreeb represents home and for Ali that meant his mother's cooking, but for some of the other men, home and tasheeb abould be connected in another way.
ReplyDeleteMy views of these men did change a little bit throughout the story. In the beginning I was imagining that these men would still be somewhat scared to be an immigrant and feel a ittle unsettled and uncomfortable. Although it was emphasized throughout the story that these men were home sick, I think I was suprised by how much the seemed to stick together and how they had made a home of their own.
The main idea of this reading to me was that each other and their food (although this piece focus on tashreeb) is what kept them from losing their memories, love and passion for their home and their culture. To dive even deeper they had their previous lives stolen from them when they were almost forced to join the army and serve under a regime they did not support. That is when their sense of identity was first put into question. After that they had to turn to what they could save from their past. As it turned out they couldn't save their homes, they couldn't stay in close proximity to their families and that they could save were their lives. Once they got away and began living together they found another part of their past they could continue to enjoy and that was their food. All in all because they were forced to change due to a change in their nation the only tangible thing they were able to keep was food.
ReplyDeleteI guess my view changed a little because at first I saw men trying to just survive as aliens without anywhere to go. But as the piece went on it became clear that the men felt like they had a home wherever they were because they seemed to feel like they could take their lives anywhere and be ok, just like they took their food anywhere. Even though it seems small they were able to survive and now seem to be stronger in whom they are and believing that who they are is not defined by where they are, but how they live. It’s like the old saying “you can take the boy from his home, but you can’t take the home from the boy.” No matter where they go they can take a little piece of home with them, even if it’s just tashreeb.
James Roller
ReplyDeleteOne of my best friends is an Iraqi refugee, and his own story is not so different from these gentlemen. In the story the author mentions how Iraqi's never eat alone. That is absolutely true I have eaten with my Iraqi friends family, and I could not believe the amount of time that was put into the one normal meal, It took the same effort if not more than the average Thanksgiving meal. My friend told me that this is done every night in his home. He never once missed dinner with his family, because it was much too important.
At first after reading this story was about, these gentlemen who were away from home, stuck in limbo, in Kuwait, a land that was foreign to them. Considering I knew firsthand how family oriented Iraqi culture is; these men needed to create that family like atmosphere in order to keep their sanity, but after speaking with my Iraqi friend explained that tashreeb is considered "a man's dish" and in order to be a "man" you must eat this. This dish may have had a family connection, but the atmosphere of this meal probably resembled something more like a frat house then a family dinner.
After learning about tashreeb from my friend it made the characters in the story much more relatable. When the author talks about how depressed Ahmed was after his friends resettled in Texas I understood that to him it was like losing brother. These men at formed the closest bond they could have possibly formed and they needed each other considering the circumstances.
I really wondered what became of Ahmed. it seemed like he really needed his friends Ali and Jassim and it would be hard for him to find that close brotherhood he needed.
It’s clear that this Iraqi dish of chicken and spices is something of a memory for these men. Tashreeb can emulate times of being home enjoying their mothers cooking, before the time of war forced these three men to flee. The power is in the food. The taste of nostalgia overcomes the bitter taste of blood shed from war. Dinners when tashreeb was served, served not only for nourishment but served as a time to enjoy the past and what’s to come. This dish relieves anything negative and provides these people a moment of clarity where they are free to jest and imitate the spice and flavor in what they are preparing. For it’s a rarity to taste spice and flavor over the stench of gunpowder and exile.
ReplyDeletePreconceived notions of Iraqi men as an American woman are anything but pleasant. These generalizations make them seem angry, strict and brutal, as if they conduct themselves as dictators over women and their country. Though I find this article to break the obsolete, rusting chain that connects Iraqi men to their nasty reputation. For we have this man inviting this woman over to exchange pleasantries and recipes. Which in itself seems groundbreaking, but I learn that this isn’t so far out of the ordinary as Iraqi customs encourage. So I find myself viewing these men as warmhearted people. People with differing personalities whilst having alike, unfortunate situations. These are men used to having meals cooked for them courtesy of females, though they take cooking and their culture-infused recipes and make it apart of them, men, not just enjoying the cooked meal that they once had no part of preparing. The tashreeb will eventually perish into useful energy, yet the meaning of the meal is instilled into their being.
To me, the tashreeb seems like it a representation of home that the men who live together miss. The meal is obviously a major staple in their remembrance of home because even the smell of it plus other foods make neighbors even come and want to have Iraqi food. It is clearly a common food that they are proud of, because when Ciezadlo first met Ali, he was eating it. Then when Ali said that he was going to Texas for certain, the men made tashreeb to congratulate him. The author actually does say that it is “customary pot.” Although the tashreeb, was the one of the more talked about dishes, all of the food shows that the men are not contained to only their food (since they did try Ciezadlo’s chicken mole and quesadillas), but that it represents what they miss the most. Calling his mother to ask what they she was making for dinner so he could make the same thing shows that food is almost a calming thing for Ali. Food is a connection for all of the men to their Iraqi lives that they had to leave.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that Ali wanted to live so far away from his home in Texas. Even when he was in a neighboring country, he still wanted called his mother almost every day so that he could ask her what was for dinner just so he could feel like he was home. I did not really have any preconceived notions, I just thought it was interesting that all the men worked together to make dinner because they were forced to. I realize that women are inferior to men in many countries, but it was interesting to me that since they left their families in Iraq, that they made their own family as refugees. Making food was where the family really came together every night. Overall, this article just articulates that no matter where a person is, the simplest things, such as food can bring people together and make them feel like they are home.
Sometimes doing the right thing is not always easy. Especially for Ali, Jassim, and Ahmed who have left their jobs, families, homes, and lives behind in Iraq in order to not join violent Shiite militias. By leaving everything behind, they give up their culture, and are now in a part of the world, in a culture where they do not belong. Despite their unfortunate circumstances, these refugees are able to keep morale up by cooking their native Iraqi dishes. The tashreeb dijaaj, amongst many other Iraqi dishes, is what keeps these three men together and optimistic. To them, Iraqi cuisine represents their home, family, and culture.
ReplyDeleteTashreeb also represents their pride. Ali invited Annia Ciezadlo (author of the “They Remembered Home”) to his apartment to show off his native cuisine and culture. He wants her to know where he and his roommates come from. It makes him happy to see others enjoy his native cuisine. Him being proud of his heritage and native cuisine is not any different from American fans chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” at an Olympic event. Everyone is proud of where they come from, and everyone loves showing off their culture and pride. With the Tashreeb dish, not only do the Iraqi refugees remember home, but also they show their Iraqi pride.
When I first learned of the Iraqi refugees in the writing, I did not think of then to be violent, American hating terrorist. What I did not understand until the end of the piece was how similar these men were to me. I understand that I am not from the Middle East, or a refugee, but I know what it is like to miss home and to miss my culture and customs. I spent two weeks in Germany a few years ago, and even though they had McDonald’s and other small examples of American culture, I felt out of place. The food is different, the language is different, the architecture is different, and the culture is different. Although I felt like an outsider, I had a sense of satisfaction when I would walk by a McDonald’s and see it packed with Germans, enjoying hamburgers and French Fries. The same can be said about the refugees feeling out of place and away from home while living in Lebanon. They too are able to get a sense of satisfaction and pride by sharing their native dishes with outsiders such as Ciezadlo.
After reading this piece I realize that people might be on opposite ends of the earth, and might even have conflicting viewpoints, but are not so different when it comes to representing where they come from. Always remembering home and what made us the people we are today is a valuable lesson Ali and his roommates have taught me. No matter where we end up, or what the future brings, we will always have something like a tashreeb dish, or McDonald’s, to bring us back home.
In Ciezadlo’s piece They Remember Home, I believe tasheeb was made to represent much more than just a food dish to the people in the story. For Ciezadlo, he remembers tasheeb to be the first dish he saw his friend Ali eating when they first met, as well as the first dish Ali and his other friends made for Ciezadlo. He associates the dish with good memories, good friends and a sense of home.
ReplyDeleteCiezadlo learned from his experiences and his Iraqi friends that dinners, and food in general, is more than just a necessity for life, but a way of life. They treat meal time as a way to connect to others and tasheeb represents this. Tasheeb represents the feeling of home, nurture and comfort to the people in the story.
As an American woman, my thoughts on Iraqi men were not very pleasant. I believed Iraqi men to be disrespectful to women and believe themselves to be better than others. The reading definitely changed my perception within the first few pages of the story.
I still have the old fashioned mind-set that women are the ones responsible for the cooking while the men are the providers for the family. I found it very surprising that the men in the story took it upon themselves to all work together and prepare a meal for everyone. The discussion of meal time being so important and traditional definitely changed my original perception of the people I the story.
Annia Ciezadlo first met Ali while he was eating tashreeb and the first meal she had with him and his roommates was tashreeb. Ali also compares the great Iraqi civilizations to a bowl of traditional stew, another detail showing the importance of food. Before Ali leaves for the United States, Ciezadlo reminseces about something Ali had told her months earlier. Over a serving of tashreeb, Ali said, “When I eat this food, I feel like I’m home,” (p. 187). The food culture, especially the dish tashreeb, is the essence and memory of home for these men.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading the piece I had no initial view of what an Iraqi refugee would be, but as I read the piece I became intrigued. Most Iraqi men do not cook in their homeland, but Ali, Jassim, and Ahmed created a system of cooking that not only worked, but reminded them of home.
The fact that the men did not serve Annia the typical foods they would serve a guest, but rather served her the food their mothers would have served them at home, made an impact on me. This gesture showed that not only did the men accept Ciezadlo, they saw her as one of them and wanted to provide for her like family. In fact, I found it interesting that these men took it upon themselves to serve a woman when the roles were typically reversed in Iraq.
I loved how Ali called his mom and would ask what was for dinner, then attempt to replicate the meal. It’s as if food bonded the two despite being worlds apart. “As his mother spoke, Ali closed his eyes and smiled, picturing the meal his mother was describing, interrupting his reverie occasionally to prod her for more details. ‘And what else? What else?’” (p.187) This quote emphasizes the bond of food with a vivid imagery.
As I read the piece I had a warm and comfortable feeling about the men. This trio embraced and remembered their homeland through food, but learned and grew from their current environment.
When I first started reading, I thought that when we were fist introduced to Ali eating the tashreeb, it was really nothing. But then When Ciezadlo was invited back to his apartment to have dinner with his roommates, it became something much more than it seems. These men were refugee’s from Iraq, who had left there families. This dish reminds them of home and everything about it. No matter how much someone can take away from you, they cannot take away your heritage. These men still have their food which is a major part of their culture.
ReplyDeleteAt first, I viewed the men to just be, well, normal men. The only difference between us and them is culture. Then as I continued to read on, I had realized that there was so much more to them. They are all very deep and sentimental. all three roommates value what life has given them, and willingly play the cards that they have been dealt. The one thing that stood out to me was at the end of the piece, when all of them were eating their last meal together, not knowing if they would ever see each other again. To me that is just a scary feeling. They have been living together for years and they are unsure what will happen to them. But I guess that’s what life is, not always knowing what is coming next.
The reading on ‘they remember home’ piece by ‘Ciezadlo’ is a really interesting and insightful reading. I really enjoyed reading this, the reason for this is because I could relate to it in some aspects; not completely on the same level but it made me think of home whilst reading it. They were very good at describing their food really well, I actually wanted to eat this food after reading this passage. Also the really good thing about this is that the recipe was used at the end of the reading, and it was on the food that they were talking about thought the reading the food that they miss; which is very culturally connected to them from home.
ReplyDeleteThe part that I could relate to in some aspects was about being away from home and missing the food that I ate with my family. Also the fact of being away from your home for so long and not being able to see them the only thing that you can do is calling them on the phone. This is something that I could relate to because this is what Ali was doing. I really liked the part when he was on the phone asking more questions about the food and then imagining being there with his family and eating that food.
There are sections in this chapter that really make you realise how lucky we truly are; take Ali for example he fled the country without his family because his life was in danger for not agreeing to join ‘Shiite Militias’. Leaving everything behind is very hard and without your family around you is even harder because you go on living your life without them.
Annie does a great job at describing the different middle eastern foods she encountered on her visit to Iraq doing her freelance journalism work. I hadn't known I was hungry until I started reading it. She explains how being in Iraq during the war she often sought comfort foods and thoroughly enjoyed the foreign delicacies. "Tender okra slow-cooked in thick tomato sauce; beef and lamb layered with tomatoes, eggplant, and green peppers; lush stews of tomatoes and apricots poured over yellow rice". I noticed that she often refers to tomatoes when describing her meals with Ali. I thought it was pretty cool that he calls his mother to see what she's eating to make it seem like they were still eating dinner together. Apparently Ali was a refugee who was forced to leave his family because the army threatened his life if he didn't join them. So in a way, comfort food was Ali's escape from the harsh realities as well which is probably why he had such a passion, and talent, for cooking. The lush descriptions Annie makes for each meal made my mouth drool. I could literally feel my stomach making several reaches toward the computer screen. I really enjoyed the part of the story when she tries to explain to Ali and his roommates what a "Mick-Donalds" was.
ReplyDeleteTo the men in this story the tashreeb is more then just a dinner they like to eat- it's what keeps them connected to their Iraqi heritage. After finding out that Ali had to leave Iraq because of the extreme recruitment that the Shiite militias used on him, it made more of an impact on this meal and its significance to him. This part of the story made Ali a much more in depth person that made me feel more attached to his life. The part where Ciezadlo talks about how Ali calls his mother and asks what she is having for dinner was another part of his life that made a further impact on me and made me sad for his loss of his homeland.
ReplyDeleteThe other men in the story did not have as significant of an impact on me as Ali did, probably because of the lack of information Ciezadlo presents about the other two friends. The one thing that did make these two stand out was their connection to their Iraqi heritage through the meals that they remember from home. This is a good story about people's loss of something they love and the little things in life that can keep them connected to their past. By the end of the story I was very happy for Ali that he had made his dream come true of making it to America, but I was sad for the other two men. I like to think that the other two made it to America as well.
In Annia Ciezadlo’s piece, They Remember Home, the dish Tashreeb Dijaaj represents home to the three Iraqi men. This is evident in many instances throughout the piece. First, Ciezadlo states that the dish had been traced all the way back to ancient Mesopotamian culture and then passed through “the Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Babylonians, and others,” as Ali states. This indicates the significance of Tashreeb Dijaaj to the men from a cultural standpoint, similar to what steak and potatoes is to the midwestern food culture. Secondly, in addition, to having been part of the men’s culture throughout numerous civilizations, Tashreeb Dijaaj, reminds the men of their home life in Iraq, where their mothers would cook for them and when times were peaceful. “Iraqi cuisine keeps them whole, keeps their scattered would intact,” states Cizadlo, referring to the three men that she had befriended. Lastly, it is rather apparent that food is more culturally significant to the Iraqi people than it is in our, American, culture. This is supported by the fact that Ali and his mother, during their phone conversations accounted throughout the piece, repeatedly and almost exclusively, speak of food and what they had eaten earlier that night.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I cannot say that my views or preconceptions change throughout the course of the reading, because I had no views or preconceptions going into the assignment. I know that were/still are at a supposed “war” with the nation Iraq, but in no way would I let that influence my perception of the individuals in the piece without having met them, unless I had read something in the text to make me believe otherwise. I believe that each person is unique and has their own set of beliefs, values, and customs. Just as anybody that I know in my own country has their own identity, so to do I believe people from Iraq or other Middle Eastern countries
The closing quote, "When I eat this food, I feel home”, is the perfect example of what tashreeb symbolizes. As Ciezaldo says, these men cook this food from kitchen to kitchen. Having to leave home behind and take on so many new locations can be challenging. These Iraqis unite around this food that reminds them so much of their culture. It is an item that not only do they strongly identify, but also they enjoy greatly. Ciezaldo identifies this, and it appears almost shares the same views. It may even remind these men of life before the war. The tashreeb may evoke thoughts of better times when becoming a refugee was a life or death choice.
ReplyDeleteThere’s nothing about this article that strongly changed my viewpoints on these men. If anything, the fact that they have certain experiences in their life that remind them of comfort and home, shows they have as rich a culture as anyone. It’s unfortunate that their displacement was inconvenient and arguably unjustified. I cannot identify with coming from such a world that does not know Mcdonalds, to a place like Texas, but I can imagine that it must be quite a culture shock. These types of experiences, including drastic change in diet, can be unsettling. At least these men have each other and their food to inspire thoughts of home.