Are fuchkas becoming a popular street food in New York?
Dear Readers,
This week I explore how Bangladeshi street food is becoming a mainstay in New York. Saa Nasta Newsletter has featured some local businesses that are dishing up traditional and unique Bangladeshi foods for people in Metro Detroit. Find out how this trend is growing.
I also take a look at the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and how that’s impacting people locally. Over 7,000 people have been killed in Gaza and Palestine, and 1,400 people in Israel. About 200 Israeli hostages are still missing. Locally schools are starting to crack down on pro-Palestinian protestors, and concerns of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism grow as a local Jewish synagogue president was stabbed to death outside of her home in Detroit. Learn how you can get involved.
Sincerely,
Nargis Rahman
Saa Nasta Newsletter
NY street food vendors create buzz around fuchka
This week the New York Times published a story about fuchka, a popular Bangladeshi street food commonly known as pani puri or gol goppa in other parts of South Asia. Fuchka is a deep-fried shell served with chickpeas and garnishes like tomatoes, peppers, onions, and tamarind sauce. After piling on the toppings, you stuff the whole thing in your mouth for a bite of popping flavors.
Bangladeshi food and culture are making it mainstream after being marketed food as Indian food for decades due to Americans’ familiarity with India. The small country east of India is making a mark in the larger narrative of serving Bangladeshi cuisine in America. A few years ago Mayukh Sen wrote a story about Korai Kitchen, a restaurant made by a mother-daughter duo to serve homemade Bangladeshi foods in New Jersey. British Bangladeshi food writer Dina Begum, who talks about this phenomenon of honoring the cuisine, recently published the “Made in Bangladesh” cookbook with 75 recipes for people to learn how to make Bangladeshi food at home.
Also, if you’re craving fuchka after reading this story, you can get your fix at the Adda Restaurant in Warren.
Palestinian health ministry publishes names of deceased. Here’s what you need to know.
This week President Joe Biden said he doesn’t believe the numbers of people who died in Gaza are accurate. “I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed,” he said.
That prompted backlash and an outcry for dehumanizing language about the rising death toll of Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In response to Biden’s comments, the Middle East Eye reported the Palestinian Ministry of Health published a 210-page report with the names and identifying factors of the 7,028 Palestinians who have been killed. Nearly 3,000 of those names are children. An expert from Human Rights Watch says experts do rely on these figures and there’s no reason to dispute them.
The Guardian also published a few names and faces of Gazans.
Locally tensions remain high after the death of Samantha Woll, board president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, who was found stabbed to death outside her home in Detroit last Saturday. Detroit Police Chief James White says they have persons of interest but have not arrested anyone and the incident is not a hate crime.
Two weeks ago a Farmington Hills man was arrested on terrorism charges for calling on people to “go to Dearborn and hunt Palestinians” in Dearborn. Meanwhile, Muslims say they have faced backlash for attending protests or speaking up for a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and for calling for an end to the occupation, but that has not stopped them from speaking out.
Here’s how to get involved in Metro Detroit:
These Metro Detroit businesses are donating proceeds to Palestinian humanitarian and medical aid.
Local chefs are hosting a ticketed dinner to raise funds for humanitarian aid for Gaza on Monday, Oct. 30 at the Bint Jbeil Cultural Center at 6 p.m.
Detroit Unified Rally & March at Hart Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m.
Historical overview of the Palestinian plight at the Islamic Organization of North America on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m.
Peace Rally for Palestine at the Warren City Hall on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m.
Justice for Palestine rally to take place at the Michigan State Capital in Lansing on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 12 p.m.