By Randa Katib
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Step 2 – The Dress |
Step 3 – Color |
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Category Archives: December 2014
Arabic Coffee
By Randa Katib
Arabic coffee is an important drink in the Middle East. The people in the Middle East drink Arabic coffee every evening. Usually they eat sweets or dates with Arabic coffee. Arabic coffee is the main drink in celebrations. In Saudi Arabia, there are some rules about drinking coffee. The first one is that you should carry the coffee pot in your left hand and carry the cups in your right hand, as taught by Prophet Mohammed. This rule also applies to all drinks and food in Islamic culture. The coffee should also be put in smaller half cups. The main ingredients for Arabic coffee are water, ground cardamom, and light coffee beans. In the North of Saudi Arabia, people add ginger and cloves in the coffee with the main ingredients. In the West of Saudi Arabia, they make the coffee only with the above-mentioned main ingredients. In the East of Saudi Arabia they add saffron and cloves with the main ingredients. Arabic coffee is very delicious. If you haven’t already tried it, you really should.
Photo Credit: intl-students-discovering-usa.blogspot.com/2011/03/coffee-in-saudi-arbia-and-america.html?m=1
How to Make Arabic Coffee
By Randa Katib
Ingredients
- 3 Liters of water
- 4 Spoons of the Saudi grounded coffee beans
- 1 Tablespoon cardamom (or to taste) either ground or crushed with a mortar
- Small pinch saffron (optional)
- 1 teaspoon rose water (optional)
Directions
- Prepare fresh beans, and use mortar to crush cardamom.
- Boil 3 liters of water, and then add 4 spoons of the Saudi grounded coffee bean. Boil the coffee beans in the water for 20 minutes. Later, add a spoon of grounded cardamom.
- Stir the coffee beans, the cardamom, and the saffron for a few seconds. Put the coffee in the samovar through a strainer, and pour the coffee in the Saudi coffee cup.
Photo Credits:
- www.ehow.com/how_4865871_make-coffee-using-fresh-beans.html
- arabiczeal.com/prepare-enjoy-arabic-coffee/
- www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Saudi-Coffee
Sargent Choice Recipe: Brownies
By Rina Hirate
I have always desired a healthy brownie. Every brownie I tried in the past was very sweet, but I ate brownies because I wanted them as a study break snack...
No worries anymore! Here is a healthy, not too sweet, and delicious brownie recipe from the Boston University Sargent Choice Nutrition Center!
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are incorporated.
- Spray the oil into the pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4-cup chocolate chips.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing into 2-inch squares.
Above photos by Rina Hirate
Check the Sargent Choice Nutrition Center website to learn about other healthy recipes!
www.bu.edu/sargentchoice
All About that Bass by Megan Trainor and Kevin Kadish
-Song Review-
By Katja Davidoff
cos.h-cdn.co/14/28/980x490/nrm_1405002775-meghan-trainor_all-about-that-bass_video-snap.jpg
As someone who was raised on music, I never tire of its myriad forms and variations. From a very young age I was exposed to all genres and I am constantly enchanted by the latest sounds. One day as I was doing chores I heard a lively upbeat tune with a chorus of harmonic female voices reminiscent of the 50’s Doo-wop harmonies. As I listened to the words I was struck by the double entendre in the lyrics of the chorus. Before long I found myself singing along. As the lyrics progressed, the story of the song became clear. The positive and lighthearted description of the female body was much appreciated. In today’s hits, there are so many songs that depict women in vulgar descriptions.
The bouncy melody and the message of self-appreciation regardless of one’s size manifest in positive and cheery images. I have quickly added the song to my current list of favorites. If you haven’t heard it yet and you are in the mood for a new song that is easy on the ears, this is one to try!
Restaurant Review: Garlic ‘N Lemons
Written by Katja Davidoff
Click here for the full review (a text only version of the review and a Google Map can be found below)
On Wednesday December 3rd, three CELOP faculty and six students took the number 57 bus to Garlic and Lemons restaurant. I had not been there in almost a year and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the restaurant had expanded, allowing for lots of room to sit.
Garlic 'N Lemons offers an array of Mediterranean food that one can get in the restaurant or catered. The menu is a simple offering of large roll ups or plates with side dishes. The portions are generous and fresh. The service was very fast and efficient. If you are not already familiar with this type of cuisine, I suggest you look at the menu first, as the servers expect you to know quickly what you
want. They politely and efficiently expect customers to order as soon as they get to the server counter in order to keep the line moving.
One of my favorite types of Mediterranean food is a Shawerma. This is their specialty. It is a type of roll up with chicken and various spices and sauce inside a pita or another type of bread called Saj. One can get the Shawerma with chicken or beef, and spicy or not spicy. It is a great combination of meat and spices. Another offering is a Shawerma plate, which is the inside meat and sauce served Shawerma style without the bread. There are also meat kebabs and meat kebob roll ups.
The restaurant offers veggie roll ups with vegetables, Falafel, or Halloumi, for anyone who is vegetarian or does not desire to eat meat. Many dishes are sold as a combo where one can get garlic and rice pilaf, Tabouleh Salad, Greek Salad, Falafel Fatoush Salad, Cous Cous Salad Cauliflower, Hummus, Grape leaves, Rice & Lentils, Baba, Mousaka, Green Beans, French Fries, or Spicy Potatoes as a side dishes. The meat is cooked rotisserie style and cut fresh for each sandwich. In addition to my favorite Shawerma roll up, I love the Fatoush salad. The combination of the salad with the spices and the lemon juice make this one of the freshest salads I have ever had. The hummus is also creamy and fragrant. If you have room left for dessert, the Baklava is pure sweetness.
I was pleased that the students and the faculty seemed to really like the food. Maria Palermino ordered stuffed peppers, grape leaves and rice. When I asked her what she thought, her answer was “OMG, OMG”. Many of my students planned to come back at a later date. That was proof enough for me that they were not just being polite when they said the food was really good. The prices are also very reasonable for the generous portions. I hope to have lunch there again soon.
Reading is the Key
By Sultan Aburezeza
Reading in English has recently become my most favorite habit ever, whereas I never liked reading in my mother language. For most foreign students, writing is the most difficult obstacle that they face. I can say it is really hard to write in a way that lets the native English speaker truly understand what is going on in your mind. So let me make it easier for you and tell you that reading is the key, not only to create a perfect paper of academic writing, but also to expand your vocabulary. I highly recommend reading for foreign students. In addition it is very important to read about something that you enjoy.
Two books I read and found easy to understand were titled; Strengths Finder by Tom Rath, and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. Not surprisingly, these books have improved my writing skills. The first book is about a number of strengths, and the author is trying to explain how to develop a strength that you have. The book doesn't tell you what your strengths are, but how to work on them. The other book is an enjoyable novel about an Indian family that lives in the United States. The novel is really admirable and motivating, and the writer provides an amazing picture of their lives. It really inspired me a lot.
Restaurant Review: The Map Room Café
(3.5/5 stars) $$
Written by Felix Poon
All Photos by Felix Poon
Students often ask me the question: where is the best place in Boston for clam chowder? There are a lot of places in Boston to get clam chowder, it's true. And depending where you go, you’ll get different chowder. In my opinion, the bigger and fresher the clams, the better the clam chowder. Extra points for chowder that is nice and creamy, and for restaurants that have good atmosphere. So what is my pick? The Boston Public Library.
“What? The Library?” you might ask in surprise. That’s right. The Boston Public Library has a small café called the Map Room Café. On their menu they have soups, salads, and “gourmet” sandwiches like garlic & herb-roasted sirloin, herb-roasted lamb, or apricot chicken salad. I always get the bowl of clam chowder, which is creamy, and rich in clam flavor. I also got the tuna salad, which comes with vine-ripened tomato, romaine lettuce, and an egg on rye bread.
The sandwiches always come with a dill pickle, and the chowder comes with oyster crackers. Sandwiches at the Map Room Café are good, but they are not great. It’s the chowder that I come for, and the atmosphere. This café has beautiful maps of Boston back in the old times, before parts of Boston Harbor and the Charles River were filled with land, and you could only come into Boston through Washington Street on the “Boston Neck”. So enjoy your soup, salad, and sandwich while gazing up at the history of Boston’s geography and urban development! Or, if the weather is nice, bring your food into the courtyard.
From CELOP, take the Green Line to the Copley Square station. The library is right at the T station exit.
Dear Sultan: Keeping Busy On Winter Break
Dear Sultan: I cannot go home for the winter break and I want to know, how can I keep busy?
It is a very hard fact to face when we cannot go home and see our families for the winter break, but hello, here we are in Boston, our second home. There are many things you can do during the winter break in this cold city. First of all, let a duck introduce you to Boston, not a real duck but the Boston Duck Tour. You will learn about some of the history of Boston and also go into the Charles River for an exciting trip. Then, drive to the Aquarium. At the New England Aquarium you can experience hands-on the largest shark and ray touch tank in the East Coast.
Moreover, you can show off some of your skills and talents at Boston’s coolest bowling place. At Kings bowling alley you will not only go bowling, but you can also enjoy some sports events, like the Celtics, Bruins, and Red Sox. You can spin around the ice on Frog Pond. On Boston Common during the winter you can rent skates for a small fee, perfect for your budget, and enjoy skating around the Frog Pond. My last suggestion in addition to all of this fun is to study, whether it may be for the TOEFL, the IELTS, the SAT or the GMAT exam. You can take this opportunity to fine tune your language skills and prepare for future tests.
"Dear Sultan..."
Have a question for Sultan the Advisor? Whether you have a question about life as an international student in Boston, the weather, culture, where to eat, where to have fun, socialize, or meet new friends, you can email him with your question at CelopSun@bu.edu.
Would You Like a Date?
By Sultan Aburezeza
Would you like a date? A question which when asked by Saudi students, especially female students, can cause total confusion. People think about it as going out on a date, but the date is one of our cultivated products that grow mostly in all areas in Saudi Arabia. The best dates grow in the northern part of Saudi Arabia, specifically Al Qassim, and the eastern region. So from now on, I hope that no one misunderstands the offer of a date with going out on a date.
Photo Credits (left to right):
- www.seventeen.com/love/advice/date-ideas-for-teens#category2-1
- http://lettersfromsunnybrook.com/wanna-date/