Bangladeshi Americans share stories of food, caregiving and 9/11
In this edition of Saa Nasta learn about bhortas, and how Bangladeshi caregivers worked to provide services for people during the pandemic. Also, learn about the experiences of Bangladeshis two years after 9/11.
A household favorite: bhorta
Bhortas are types of food that incorporated ingredients such as garlic, chillies, vegetables and sometimes mixed with fish and mustard oil. Usually in the form of a fine paste, these types of dishes are eaten with rice. While it’s a popular Bangladeshi food, similar types of foods can be found across South Asia.
British American food writer Dina Begum shares why bhortas are a household favorite.
“During summer holidays growing up in the UK, I would visit my grandparents’ house and we’d roast potatoes in their garden, placing them in old royal blue biscuit tins, buried deep within thick wooden offcuts from DIY projects. We all knew that Nani, my grandmother, would reserve a few of the potatoes for aloo bhorta. After the briefest cooling period, she would carefully peel the still-hot potatoes and mash the soft, fluffy interior with raw onions and chillies by hand — the traditional technique used to make bhorta — her quiet intention and love bringing the dish to life.”
Caring for our loved ones
This week Detroit Public TV hosted an hour special of caregiving and caregivers in collaboration with New York and Michigan’s Solutions Journalism Collaborative ad Strides for Seniors. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, the live forum brought together a panel of caregivers, journalists and specialists in the field.
Nargis Hakim Rahman spoke on a panel discussing caregiving of older Bangladeshi adults, who often live in intergenerational homes and struggle with the challenges of language access. Read her stories about caregiving at Tostadamagazine.com.
One Bangladeshi American shares his reflections of 9/11
Mohammed Razon, mortgage professional and food blogger
Nargis: What do you remember about 9/11 when that happened?
Razon: I was about seven years old when 9/11 happened and like most people, my, my age and from my generation, I wouldn't discredit myself just because I was told, it is a traumatic events for most Americans who were alive at that time, whether they were a child or full grown adult or even in retirement age.
My dad's first name is Muhammad. My first name is Muhammad, so it kind of did play into the name that even kind of fell into effect as well. But at that time we were traveling to Bangladesh, for this it was our first ever visit as a family after we immigrated to America back in 1998. So 2001 was the first time we'd be going back home and seeing our family for the first time. We had a few stops along the way because we had family all over the world too, so we were stopping the new end for about two weeks, and then in Dubai for another two weeks. And I want to say, 911 happened literally the day before we arrived to the UK.
I remember sitting in my aunt's living room, having breakfast, we had just gotten back from London Heathrow Airport like just literally a couple of hours before. And my uncle turned on BBC News. All the adults were emotional in shock. I wasn't sure what the significance of the World Trade Center was or what the big deal was, because all I saw was a building collapsing, and I didn't understand what a terrorist attack was I didn't know like why would anyone fly a plane into the towers. For me it was more so of like, oh look like a demolition or it looked like, you know, a building just collapse because of poor construction or something like that because then seven year old, you can't really comprehend what terrorism is.
But I remember us trying to travel to Dubai. Right afterwards. And at that time. Like, it didn't really affect my family too much because no one is going to question a whole family traveling together with an itinerary set to Bangladesh and everything and even though your parents are both American citizens and you guys are American citizens so it's like, it wasn't as hard for us, but I'm sure it was for other people because the airport lines the security. I still remember that we missed our flight to Dubai, because of the extreme extreme shutdowns that they were doing at the airport security.
We had to I remember we had to pay a couple hundred extra just to kind of just to kind of reschedule our flights, and we were accommodated with the free hotel I believe I remember that part, but all the countries that were on red alert and traveling anywhere it, the whole travel industry changed at that time, you know things before much more relaxed, and since then it's, it's like TSA and homeland security and customs and all that, everything changed.
I remember coming back to America we had to sit in customs for hours, which we never had to do before, just trying to get clearance and then then checking your baggage. Oh my god. Like, I know like nowadays we check packages and he was just to see like you know what kind of things we're bringing back because you know you can't bring back, you know, certain plants and whatnot. At that time they were checking for like ridiculous things like explosives and anything in relation to like even bioterrorism. So, things have definitely changed since.
Nargis: Has anything changed over the years, have you felt like there are certain things that you're mindful up of or you know observant of because of 9/11?
Razon: I don't have an accent or anything like that. I will try my best and make sure I stick to a Midwestern accent and I'll make sure that, you know, like people know that I'm super liberal and you know it's just like you kind of make yourself look as American as possible even though like it's not much of an identity crisis because I am American, like I am a Bangladeshi American and you know I did grow up here I don't have an accent, I am liberal and whatnot but like doing that on steroids if you know.
I walk around the airport (when traveling) I'm wearing slides and, you know like a tracksuit or something like that or sweats in a hoodie. And, you know, my hair is brown or like, like, you just look like you're very very Americanized and you're not foreign at all. So that's like, it's not that I forced throwing like that, at that point on the airport kind of embrace it, to show that like hey I'm just like you I'm normal like, you know American citizen… I'm American. There's no difference between you and I and all those traumatic events and like all those terrorism attacks and domestic terrorism and all that other stuff, it doesn't apply, you know it doesn't apply. It doesn't apply, you know, to me, my family, our people, our culture, anything like that. Those are all isolated. Those are all isolated events that shouldn't represent a group of culture or of people that are just different from you.
Nargis: What does it feel like 20 years later, like what does it feel like right now being American Muslim in America.
Razon: I feel like it's not much of an issue than it was before because a lot of things that we're seeing right now like domestic terrorism, stuff like that. Muslim folks I'm glad that it's not, you know, brown people in general like that are causing domestic terrorism people are really opening up their eyes and seeing that okay like it's not just a one culture to one religion issue, it's there truly anyone, anywhere, and you know it can be… people become terrorists in their own within our own backyards like the insurrection that happened in the Capitol.
You saw that there was not a single Muslim person at that event and whatnot, some people would classify it as, you know, a terrorist attack on the Capitol, some people would classify it as a riot. A great example of how terrorism is born, because that kind of event that that insurrection could turn into something much bigger, and thankfully it didn't. And it was contained. But it's a great example of showing you that anyone can be a terrorist all they need is all they need is a motive. All they need is anger, and, and frustration, towards a certain, you know towards you know either, either politicians or a group of people, you know, it doesn't matter what it is as long as there's a motive and frustration behind it.
Nargis: If there's a takeaway you'd like to share with your fellow Americans, what would that be?
Razon: I want fellow Americans to understand and accept is that the person that is right next to you even though they're from a different background, even though that they may be a different skin tone, even though they may speak a different language from you, or different religion, just know that they're on the same mission as you and that they're here to live the American dream, make a difference in their lives and their community and the people around them, and they're doing it in the name of good and they're doing, and they're doing community service just like you, they're trying to make the world a better place. Because every day, no one ever has intention of causing me ill, no one ever has an intention of, you know, how do I make somebody's life miserable. How do I make other people miserable what not everyone is out here, just doing their best, giving it all every single day to make a living for themselves and live what you know the American Dream is supposed to be about.