I work near BWI airport, which looks like the middle of nowhere but in reality is only a 10-minute drive from downtown Baltimore. So when my brother took me to lunch at Maiwand Kabob, a nearby Afghanistan restaurant, I was very surprised.
For some reason, I was expecting a sit down restaurant with exotic décor. However, the décor is simple, and patrons place their orders with the cashier upon arrival. Maiwand Kabob’s main dish is of course kabobs, which come in chicken, lamb, beef and kofta (ground beef). The Afghani flavor is added with seasoning and various side dishes, such as mint/garlic yogurt sauce, chickpea curry, samosas and bolani.
We both ordered the lamb and chicken kabob combo, which came with homemade Tandoori bread, rice, salad and a yogurt sauce, as well as a side of chickpea curry. I like how they cook your meal upon ordering so everything is hot and fresh. After about 15 minutes, our number was called to inform us that our food was ready. I was surprised at the enormous serving; we could have split one order.
When I originally read the menu, I assumed the food would taste just like Indian food; however, I was wrong. The flavoring was milder, not as spicy, and everything tasted different but in a great way. The meats were juicy and cooked to perfection, and the rice was sweetened with raisons. While the chickpea curry and somosa tasted good, I definitely prefer the spicier Indian versions. Also, I had a diet coke, but I wish my stomach had room to try the mango shake or yogurt drink.
Overall, I am very excited about this establishment because it adds variety to local options like Bob Evans and Ruby Tuesdays. I cannot wait to go back and try other items on the menu, such as mantu, ground beef and scallion filled dumpling topped with homemade yogurt, meet sauce and mint, and mashawa soup, bean and lentil soup with chicken topped with yogurt.
For those of you that live in Maryland near Columbia and Arundel Mills, I encourage you to check out the Maiwand Kabob establishment in your area.
I attended the Smithsonian’s 2011 Folklife Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC. This year Columbia, the Peace Core’s global outreach, and Rhythm &Blues are being celebrated through music, arts & crafts, dance and food. There is so much to see so I took my time doing as much as possible in one day. The following is only a sampling:
Kenyan Cooking Demonstration – an American woman living in Kenya for 16 years and a Kenyan woman gave a demonstration on how to cook goat stew, fried goat and maize. As they cooked, the American woman talked about the traditions, the landscape and the people of Kenya. I learned that 75% of Kenya is arid and used to raise livestock. The remaining 25% is used to grow produce and other plants. Ingredients in Kenyan cooking do not include spices, but salt is used frequently. However, Somali immigrants tend to cook with spices and fruits (e.g. coconuts and mangos) in local dishes. During special celebrations, the entire animal is slaughtered, cooked and distributed to individuals based on seniority and gender. For example, with goats, men are given the head, and women are given the kidneys.
Unfortunately, they did not sample the demonstrated dishes. However, the smell of the stewed goat with carrots, potatoes and onions made me quite hungry and excited about lunch…
West African Food Concession – While the festival offers foods from Asia and Columbia, as well as barbeque, I, like many others, stood in line at the West African concession stand because I wanted to try something completely different. The menu included four main dishes: beef, fish, chicken and lentils. The chicken platter was the most popular item being sold, but I ordered thiebou dieun, the fish, because I eat poultry at least three times a week. Thiebou dieum comprises of fish, carrots, yucca and cabbage and was served with a heaping portion of djolof rice, which is cooked in a rich tomato sauce. I liked the dish but was not blown away, as I felt it lacked spices. Yes, I just saw the Kenyan cooking demonstration and learned that they cooked with little spices. However, I could not stop comparing this food to my friend’s Ghanaian mother-in-law’s dish where the flavors explode in your mouth. Anyway, I am glad I had this dish over the others because it’s rare that I eat foods from Africa.
Shea Butter Demonstration – I have always been curious as to how shea butter was made because there are vendors that make and sell it at local farmer’s markets and it’s an ingredient in my hair products and lotion. The Peace Core representative explained the entire process of making shea butter. She told the audience how it starts from a nut, which is grounded into a powder and boiled with water. When the oil from the nut separates from the water, it is skimmed from the top and will eventually solidify into the shea butter. The exhibit also included Ghanaian women who were demonstrating how shea nuts are crushed manually using a large muddle. I learned that these women are part of a sustainable economic development program that trains women to produce, market and sell products. They sell their products through Shea Yeleen International, which produces soaps, body butter and balms to be sold around the world. Their body butter is incredible so I bought some in the festival’s marketplace.
After that demonstration, I called my sister Ruth who works nearby because she is a nut for shea butter, no pun intended. It was lunchtime so she came down to learn more about shea and helped me finish off that huge portion of thiebou deign.
Columbian Pavilion – Columbia is the featured country so there is an entire area dedicated to this culture. I saw an Afro-Columbian female group of folksingers that sang various songs about life and nature. I was excited about this group because this ethnic population is rarely seen in media about Columbia. Their voices were melodic and so beautiful, and I loved how they encouraged the audience to join them in traditional dances. Shockingly enough, I did not get up and dance; I arrived late and felt uncomfortable jumping into the circle.
The Columbian pavilion also featured many talented craftspeople making baskets, pottery, canoes and even braiding hair. I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits and learned a lot.
Other Activities – I was at the festival for four hours so I was able to see a lot. In the Rhythm and Blues area, I heard a soulful youth group, a doo-wop group and a Motown female group. Back in the Peace Corps area, I heard music and dancers from Botswana and Mali, saw weavers from Morroco, Peru and West Africa, and learned how to design Ghanaian cloth. I also saw an exhibit on east European wine making and Jamaican organic farming.
As usual, the Smithsonian does an incredible job producing this festival. There are many opportunities to learn, sample and participate in cultural activities. If you are in town for the July 4th holiday weekend or next weekend, I encourage you to take a couple of hours to visit this wonderful celebration of cultures.
I attended Silver Spring, MD’s Tastes of Africa, a festival that celebrated African culture through music, food, dance and the arts. I arrived an hour before it officially ended so I probably missed most of the fun. However, there were a few highlights that did make my attendance worthwhile.
As I walked around, I sensed a great amount of pride and enthusiasm that this celebration was taking place. There were many individuals dressed in colorful African attire who were socializing with friends and family. I also found unique pieces of jewelry and clothing made by African artisans, including my purchase of a beautiful beaded bracelet made in Kenya. There were demonstrations on how to wrap African cloth into skirts and dresses and nonprofit organizations discussing health and education in Africa.
But I must admit that I wished the organizer did a better job. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there were only three food vendors: one American, one Jamaican and one African. Also, the act on stage was a horrible hip-hop group with a very bad lead singer, not a candidate for The Voice or American Idol.
Once again, I did arrive late so I am positive that there were great performances and wonderful food sampling earlier in the day. While this was not the best festival I’ve ever attended, I appreciate the fact that Silver Spring offered a venue for the community to enjoy African culture so close to home. I do wish this event would continue in future years but with some improvements.
A few days ago I spent a great long weekend with close girlfriends in San Francisco – Becky, Steph and Bophany (our SF connection). While we visited touristy locations such as Golden Gate Park, Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market and Sausalito’s waterfront, I really enjoyed our time in Japantown, which is located not too far from the trendy Fillmore District.
Hotel – we stayed at Kabuki Hotel, which is an interesting property that offered a mix of Japanese and western décor. Our room, while small with all the typical furnishing, had huge Japanese print screens in front of the windows, a long deep tub and shower without walls and a Zen like shrine with a spotlight. Outside, there was a Japanese garden adjacent to the hotel with a koi pond and small walking bridge. There was also a Japanese spa, but there was no time to relax with all the activities just steps away.
Shopping – our hotel was connected to a mall filled with mostly Japanese stores, including sushi bars, a dollar and general store with “made in Japan” products, toy stores with a lot of Hello Kitty merchandise and clothing stores with kimonos. While there, we spent a lot of time in the bookstore to peruse through magazines, cookbooks and origami books. Yes, we could not read Japanese; however, fashion and humor are universal. We also enjoyed a snack from Bo’s favorite crepe café.
Dinner – For our first night, Steph and I ate sushi at the hotel restaurant, as we were quite exhausted from a long flight and still on east coast time. However, with Becky’s arrival on Friday, Bophany took us to Shabu-Sen restaurant. Shabu-shabu is a Japanese dish that is like fondue – you dip and eat. Shabu-shabu comes with a pot of steamed broth, thinly sliced beef, seafood, tofu, vegetables, rice and dipping sauces. To eat, you throw whatever you want in the pot, wait a minute or two for it to cook, pull out the food with chopsticks, dip it into the peanut or soy sauce, take a scoop of rice and eat. It’s so easy and fun, especially when you have a cup of sake on the side.
Festival – a Cherry Blossoms festival took place over the weekend on the same street as our hotel. While Washington, DC’s festival is way better (see my blog posting on April 10, 2010), I did enjoy the various vendors, sword fighting demonstration and musicians. Best of all, they rolled out a large banner that read “SF Cares for Japan” in honor of the earthquake/tsunami victims in Japan. They took an areal photo of the crowd holding the banner and plan to send it to Japan.
On every occasion I stay in San Francisco, I usually make a point to visit Chinatown, which is one of the best in the nation. However, this time, I did not miss it because I had Japantown. This new location made my trip so much more interesting, especially when I got to share it with the ladies!
This morning a coworker brought Fasnacht to work for breakfast. I had never heard of it before so I was glad she provided a written description:
Fasnacht is a yeast-raised potato pastry that is deep-fried like a doughnut. The name fastnacht is German for “fast night,” and the tradition of making them began with the Pennsylvania Dutch as a way to use up the lard, sugar, fat and butter that are forbidden during Lent.
My coworker got them from her local grocery store. She lives in Pennsylvania where the Dutch culture is still very prevalent. However, I don’t think they are common in stores located in the Washington, DC area, which is why this is my first time eating it.
The box of Fasnacht came in glazed, powered and plain. I grabbed the glazed, as that is my favorite type of doughnut. While the Fasnacht looks like a doughnut, its consistency is a lot thicker. To me, it tasted like coffee cake or King cake to make a Fat Tuesday reference. In addition, I think it’s fascinating how a pastry can be made from potato starch instead of flour.
All in all Fasnacht is a tasty pastry. I just wonder if it is really a once a year treat. I’d love to try it again.
I work near BWI airport, which looks like the middle of nowhere but in reality is only a 10-minute drive from downtown Baltimore. So when my brother took me to lunch at Maiwand Kabob, a nearby Afghanistan restaurant, I was very surprised.
