Sources—The Key to my Family History
“Policy Brief.” Immigrationpolicy.org. Immigration Policy Center, 2 June 2002. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
This article from the Immigration Policy Center says, “Indian immigrants have overcome great odds to become one of the most influential communities in American society today.” From this they take us through the timeline. How rare Indian immigrants were seen around the 1790’s and those who did come over the pond ended up losing their culture by marrying and assimilating into the African American culture. Early in the 20th century, there was a increase in Indian immigrants; they came as workers on farms, railroads, and sawmills or worked as indentured servants. From 1899–1913, about 7,000 Indian immigrants came into the States to work as unskilled laborers. This rapid increase of immigrations caused the Japanese and Korean Exclusion League to rename to Asian Exclusion League to include Indians in their target.
The Indian independence proved to be a turning point for Indians who had dreams to come to America; by winning this war many Indians started to travel to the United States. Entire families started crossing the pond, and by the 1950’s Indian immigrants began to establish themselves in middle class neighborhoods and enter the professional field. Many Indians were brought to America because of job and educational opportunities, and soon started emerging as top professionals in their field of work or study. Now the Indian culture in the States is very rich and widespread; a huge difference from what it was when immigration first started. This article gives me a lot of background about Indian immigration and how they slowly built their way into America. Jobs and educational opportunities do seem to be the leading factor as to why people decided to come to the States; furthermore, I do know that job opportunities were the reason my parents were passionate about coming to the United States.
Brooks, David. “Lady Gaga and the Life of Passion.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Oct. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
In this article, Brooks describes that “to be passionate means to put yourself in danger.” He continues to discuss the dangers one must experience in order to be defined as a passionate person. He states the two forms of courage people need possess in order to overcome the dangers of being passionate: the courage to understand and alter their issues, and the courage to be themselves without being influenced by public opinion. Brooks uses Lady Gaga to help illustrate his theory; she works as an excellent example because Lady Gaga has never conformed to thoughts of the public opinion, and instead continues to present and express herself the way she desires. This article contributes to my project by allowing me to discover how passionate my parents were to immigrate to America and the courage it took to leave the comfort of their homeland.
America has always been viewed as the land of opportunity through my parents eyes. When they resided in India, they made it their goal to travel and start a life in the United States and soon became very passionate about it. According to Brooks, people who are passionate have the courage to dig down and discover themselves, which left my parents with no choice but to evaluate themselves. They were forced to ask themselves what they wanted to achieve once they settled and other questions that would help describe who they are.
As she came into the United States, my mother was passionate about attending college and entering the workforce in the software field. She was able to determine what “core concerns preoccupy” her life, and she sought after them.
Although software engineering seemed to be a male dominating job at the time and frowned down upon women entering this field of the workforce, my mother fought the public opinion and continued to pursue her ambitions. From this, we can see that my mother does, in fact, have the courage to live with the dangers of being passionate. My dad, on the other hand, did not possess the courage to “dig down and discover” himself, but he did have the latter of the two forms of courage. My father assumed the role as a stay at home dad and looked after my brother and I as we grew up. Looking at the gender roles at the time, one may have ridiculed my father for such a decision; however, my dad had the courage to ignore society’s outlook and decide for himself. This article has provided me with an outlet, in which I was able to discover the courage my parents held in order to be passionate and achieve a life here in the States.
Ferguson, Kirby. “Everything’s a Remix.” Everything Is a Remix. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
According to the Kirby Ferguson’s video, the three basics of creativity required to remix something are to know how to: copy, transform, and combine. My parents did just that; therefore, by Ferguson’s definition of a remixed item, I am a remix of my parents. Biologically speaking, I am a remix of my parents because I’m made up of their genes that were initially copied, transformed, and then combined to create me. However, I can be seen as a remix of my parents in another way — through culture.
Copying proves to be really easy when remixing, but transforming is where the difficulty arises. At first, I was a copy of my parents customs and beliefs; I had just taken the same faith on to myself. Then came the transformation. They transformed my customs slightly so that we would still be able to practice in the States. Many of the festivals and celebrations held in India are very extravagant. For example, in India on Dusshera, which is the celebration of Lord Rama’s victory over the ten headed demon, Ravan, a crowd gets together to watch Ravan’s downfall. Visualize a huge, towering figurine with ten heads, like Ravan, and setting it on fire. After the whole figure catches on fire and then burns down, Ravan has died and we start the celebration.
As much fun as this celebration is, we can not celebrate it here to its full scale; therefore, it was necessary to tweak our customs a little bit so that we can still celebrate. Last but not least is to combine your almost-ready remix with something else to make it unique. My parents decided to combine our Hindu culture with the American culture. What my parents did to combine our Hindu customs with American customs was adopt some of the ways Americans carried out things. We starting combining by having family dinners; we would all gather around the table and talk to each other about our day over a nice meal. The process soon quickened and we introduced many things from the American beliefs into our lives.
At the end of this process, my parents were left two things; two remixes of themselves: my brother and me. This video is useful to my research because it allowed to analyze how I fit into my family, which allows me to add more detail in my project and show that I influenced my family history.
Neusner, Jacob. World Religions in America: An Introduction. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster/John Knox, 1994. Print.
After moving from India, I assumed my parents would have had trouble adjusting to life in America. I figured that finding the opportunity to practice religious acts would be difficult; however, this book has evidence proving that the opportunity to perform acts of worship are easier than expected.
Neusner states, “According to the 1990 Census, there are 815, 447 Asian Indians living in the United States.” Following this statistic, he proceeds by stating the five basic types of Hinduism in America: Secular Hinduism, Non-sectarian Hinduism, Bhakti/Devotional Hinduism, Reformist-Nationalist Neo-Hinduism, and Guru-Internationalist-Missionizing Neo-Hinduism. The word “Neo-Hindu” is used to describe the new elements being introduced into the classical Hindu culture as a result of living in America. Change in our beliefs was inevitable due to the drastic change, but I did not realize the many branches of Hinduism that was created because of it. He continues by briefly describing the characteristics of each type. After reflecting on this for some time, I decided that my parents, brother, and I fit into the Non-sectarian Hinduism branch. By Neusner’s definition, these types of Hindus “practice a broad form of Hinduism that relates to the regions of India from where they come from.” I think this is entirely true when regarding our family’s religious beliefs, because my parents are from South India, which means the the way and time that we practice may differ from those who are from North India.
Neusner observed that almost every Hindu in America has a special place in their home that is reserved for puja, the Indian term for worship. In this room, one would find multiple pictures and miniature statues of gods and goddesses facing either east or west. The orientation of these figures is very important to provide a nice, ideal home for the gods and goddesses. Although puja rooms allow Hindus to pray at home, some prefer the act of going to a temple to pray.
Temples used to be very scarce in America but in time the number has increased exponentially; now there are hundreds of temples stretching across the country—one of the largest temples being in Atlanta. Jacob Neusner concludes by stating that the many forms of Hinduism are endless because of the many ways one can incorporate new ideas and old traditions. From this book, I was able to see how Hinduism has changed after coming to a new land and that the opportunity for Hindus to worship is still there; whether it be at home or at a temple, the option to practice is available.
Banerji, Chitrita. Land of Milk and Honey: Travels in the History of Indian Food. Oxford, UK: Seagull, 2007. Print.
Chitrita Banerji is a Bengali-American author and translator, and is one of the few Indian historians in the world. In this book, Banerji discusses the history of food and the role that the main ingredients play in traditional Indian meals. She ties in the importance of food in cultural events, such as Indian festivals, as well as its importance in our daily lives. The Indian festivals Banerji refers to range from strictly religious (the worship of Hindu gods) to entirely secular (weddings, birthdays, etc.), and she goes into great detail of how each meal is symbolic in its given situation.
One of the meals that is brought up many times in the book and serves as a key ingredient in many Indian dishes is rice. This proves to be useful to my research because the main component to biryani, the meal that I chose to describe my family, is rice. Therefore, I am able to trace the history of rice and the role it plays in the many cultural traditions that its appears in.
Banerji refers to the role of rice in weddings as pivotal as it is used to signify the auspiciousness of the ceremony, which explains why biryani is present at every big event and is almost considered mandatory. Banerji also discusses how rice is used as offerings to gods and goddesses; however, from prior experience I know that biryani is not offered during puja’s, acts of worship, because it contains meat and non-vegetarian foods are usually never, with the exception of one festival, offered to gods. The reason our culture does not usually offer meat as prasad, which is what we call religious offerings, is because we do not want to offer foods that require bloodshed or taking lives. Another important Indian ceremony that Banerji describes that involves rice is called an Annaprashana. This right of passage marks the first solid food that a baby eats. The literal translation of annaprashana is “food feeding” and is also referred to as the first feeding with rice. All this being said, I can conclude that rice plays a very important role in my culture and this book provides great detail how and why rice is integral in our cultural customs, which allows me to comprehend the importance of biryani to my family.
Achaya, K. T. Indian Food: A Historical Companion. Delhi: Oxford UP, 1994. Print.
Achaya is a respected nutritionist and food historian who has published several books on the history of food in India. Like Banerji talked about in her book, Achaya also referred to how important of a role rice played in South Indian dishes. Achaya describes in detail how rice is the key ingredient in many dishes; in fact, he continues to say that rice is the foundation of South Indian meals. Deeper in the novel, he specifically addresses certain cuisines in Hyderabad, which is a region in South India where my parents were born and raised.
Achaya talked about various foods that describes Hyderabad, and one of the dishes he referred to was biryani. He talks about the many variations that this dish can be made, ranging from no meat to chicken or lamb. From this, I can derive that biryani is a widespread dish that many can indulge in no matter the dietary habits. For my family, we tend to cook it with chicken or goat meat, but we also make it vegetarian when the time calls for it, such as days of worship. Although this meal is much like another Indian dish called pulao, biryani is different in the way that the meat takes precedence over the rice in the mix.
Achaya states how traditionally biryani is always served with an irregular saffron staining on top rather than a coating of gravy or ghee, which is typically unusual for an Indian dish. Also, biryani is always served with a watery onion raita, which is an Indian side dish of yogurt containing cut cucumber, onion, and spices, such as cilantro and cumin. From this book I was able to learn things about biryani that I was previously unaware of, such as its difference in preparation when compared to other Indian dishes. Now I can say that biryani is a very unique dish and it definitely defines my family.
Smith, Andrew F. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford U, 2013. Print.
This encyclopedia starts off by describing the basic dietary laws of Hindus. It goes into detail about how we eat depending on if it is a special occasion, like a festival, or a religious holiday, like a god or goddess birthday. Some Hindu’s also choose to be vegetarian in different forms — some decide to just rule out meat, some will give up meat, fish, and eggs, whereas others avoid all types of meat and onions, garlic, alcohol, tea, and coffee. The Hindu diet is one with many complications and differs day to day depending on the person and type of Hindu; transferring the Hindu diet from India to America must be a difficult task.
Smith illustrates the three paths Hindu immigrants take when they land in the States: fully embrace tradition and become devoted to religion, ignore traditions and totally assimilate, or blend aspects from the American diet to the tradition diet. My family definitely took the third path where we try to incorporate both cultures in our life — try new things while still being in touch with our roots. One of the most important things that has helped Hindu families keep in touch with their roots is the many Indian grocery stores that have formed as a result to the large number of immigrants. These kind of stores make it possible for Indians to recreate their authentic meals; these stores carry indian spices, grains, and even pre-made food on their shelves. Many people take advantage of these stores during Indian festivals because during those times, specific meals are cooked and eaten to celebrate the occasion. For example, biriyani is used to celebrate Dussehra, the day where we celebrate Lord Rama’s victory over the ten-headed demon, Ravan. Although there is a lot religious meaning behind the foods Indians eat during festivals, many second generation immigrants will not understand. This is due to the fact that they have grown up in a culture that is different from their own and are not exposed to the full culture of Hinduism.
Another thing that has changed about the dietary habits of Indians once they have come to America, is the way they dine. In India, the elderly and the children eat first, then the men, and finally the woman eats after tending to her family. Now, many Indian families have assumed the American style of everyone sitting down and enjoying the meal together. After being here and then traveling back to India, Hindu’s have brought back some new traditions that have stuck in India; the new tradition of eating out and fast food was seen as very unhygienic but is now a very popular activity. Although the Indian diet is composed of many strict dietary laws, it is inevitable that change will occur after moving. Most Hindu diets have changed in order to assimilate into the surrounding culture; however, the basic traditional foods used for celebrations and prayers are still intact.
Singh, Rocky, and Mayur Sharma. “Indian Food- Evolution to Revolution.” TEDxIIMShillong. 14 Mar. 2014. Lecture.
Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma are food enthusiasts who have traveled more than 120,000 kilometers across India searching for memorable eating experiences; they are both anchors on a food and travel show called “Highway On My Plate”. In their Ted Talk, they discuss the authenticity of Indian food, and how it has evolved over the centuries.
They start off by saying that every region in India is different, so the food and spices may differ from each region the next to the point where one may not recognize some of the ingredients being used. “Indians have evolved spice to quite an art,” Rocky says; he continues by describing how a tunde kabab, which is a street food in Lucknow, India, has over one hundred and fifty three ingredients — roots, berries, shoots, leaves, the many spices, etc. — in each kabab. Although now India is known for their hot and spicy dishes, we would not be able to create them if we were not introduced to them. Mayur takes us back in time and discusses the how India was influenced by many outside forces. The initial influence was from the Indus Valley Civilization, who grew cereals and grains; this laid the foundation for an Indian diet. After came the Aryans, who brought meats and cheeses to India. Following the Aryans came the Mughals, who refined our cuisine by their use of spices; this is when our use of spices and other ingredients reached a pinnacle, which allowed us to create the spicy dishes that India is known for. Although India is very known for the spicy foods, India also carries some of most decadent sweets the world has to offer. This was brought to us by the British; they brought over tea, breads, pastries, and confectioner items. Now we know what factions have influenced India to become what it is today; however, each region is different because they must have been influenced in a different way or intensity. Rocky and Mayur both ask, “How are we going to tell the rest of the world about the diversity and beauty of Indian food?” Revolution. Not the act of overthrowing the government, but the act of making a full circle. Being able to go back to the roots and the basics that started our unique cuisine, learn their techniques, and try to implement those to the modern world can ensure that the Indian cuisine will always be authentic.
From this very interesting Ted Talk, I was able to understand what factors influenced and helped create the Indian cuisine. Now I have some knowledge on the background of the Indian cuisine, and can now use this information to benefit me when writing my project.
“The History of Biryani” | DESIblitz.” DESIblitz The History of Biryani Comments. 14 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
From this article, I will be able to receive knowledge on the background and origin of biryani. This is useful to my project because the meal that I have chosen to describe my family history is no other than biriyani. It is reported that a Mughal Queen is the one to inspire the dish. She found many malnourished soldiers and told her chef to cook a meal that has a perfect balance of nutrition and protein; biryani was the result.
Since biryani was derived from royalty, it stands out as a dish for special and large events. According to this article, “birian” is derived from the Persian vocabulary and means “fried before cooking”. This describes the process in which biryani is prepared. The rice is fried before boiling and is added into the chicken or mutton curry to finish the remainder of the cooking. The article describes what spices are used while making biryani and how they influence the meal. Cardamom and cinnamon add aroma, while bay leaves, fresh coriander, and mint leaves add flavor. Although this technique is not common, some people like to add nuts and dried fruits in their dish to add texture. This dish was once known for only royalty, but now stands as a trademark for the Indian community. This article gave me further understanding in how biryani was created and how the spices in the meal affect the dish.
Yin, David. “Lamb Burgers and Biryani.” Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
In this article, David Yin introduces a former software engineer, who is now the head of one of the largest Indian restaurants in the States, Raj Gowlikar. The reason he entered the food industry was because he wanted to branch out from the Indian population and bring his food to others. His first restaurant, Paradise Biryani Pointe, proved to be such a success that he decided to open more across the country; currently, he owns thirty three branches in fifteen states.
Since the name of the restaurant is Paradise Biryani Pointe, one would assume that they sell biryani. Biryani is the main form of business for the restaurant and accounts for 80% of the sales. This is because of how popular biryani is to Indians; this dish is an icon and is one we can indulge in. Furthermore, I would say that many Indians even consider biryani a comfort food — whether is be chicken, mutton, or vegetable biryani. Gowlikar says that he mixes the spices himself and then distributes them to each branch so the quality from branch to branch is the same. I can confirm that the tastes from the branches do taste the same because I have been to three of his restaurants; two of the restaurants were here in Georgia and the third was in India. The ability to taste traditional biryani while being in a whole different country is incredible. Although Paradise’s biryani is very good, it does not compare to homemade biryani made by my mom. Watching her make the biryani, I can see that she works really hard to prepare it so that it has a perfect mix of hot and spicy. Sometimes, she even reduces the spice content when we are serving guests who have a lower heat tolerance. The differences between my mom’s biryani and Paradise’s biryani are very evident. Paradise food joints cook their biryani by preparing the rice and the chicken/meat curry separately and then mix them together before serving. This results in grains of rice stained by the curry but few grains of rice still white; although the color texture is very interesting to look at, most would prefer taste over visual. The way my mother makes biryani is by cooking the rice and the chicken curry separately to its halfway point and then combine them for the remainder of the cooking time. This process allows the rice to absorb the spices into them, so that every bite is full of flavor. This article helps with my project because it brought to my attention the differences between the restaurant’s and my mother’s biryani. I can use this information to enhance my project by adding these details so the reader can paint a picture in his head.
Joesph, Ashish, and Sharanya CR. “9 Kinds of Biryani Every Food Lover Must Know — The Times of India.” The Times of India. 23 July 2015. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
I found out from another source that every region of India has some sort of quality that makes them unique from the rest, and this magazine article can support that. While biryani is a widespread dish that everyone in India eats, the process in which one makes it differs causing it to take on a different taste. This “Times of India” article describes nine different types of biryani’s and how they are unique to that region.
The nine different types of biryani are: Hyderabadi biryani, Dindigul biryani, Ambur biryani, Bhatkali biryani, Lucknowi biryani, Kolkata biryani, Malabar biryani, Sindhi biryani, and Bombay biryani. Hyderabadi biryani — the one I am most familiar with because my parents were born in Hyderabad — stands out because it is cooked using saffron and coconut. This biryani is unique because it is cooked in layers and the saffron rice mixture dominates the taste rather than the mutton or chicken gravy like in other biryani’s. Dindigial biryani is different because it uses jeera samba rice, instead of the normal Basmati, cube size meat pieces instead of big chunks, and rather than using the usual spices, like chili power and tumeric, this biryani uses a lot of pepper. Ambur biryani and Bhatkali biryani are very similar in the fact that they both incorporate curd, aka yogurt, into their recipes; the Ambur biryani soaks the meat pieces in curd before cooking, whereas Bhatkali biryani actually cooks the meat pieces in the curd which eventually makes the biryani less spicy. Lucknowi biryani takes after a Persian style of cooking and uses a completely different method called dum pukht. The last four types of biryani’s, Kolkata, Malabar, Sindhi, and Bombay, all incorporate different things in their dishes that make them stand out, such as nuts, eggs, potatoes, or raisins.
Although all these types of biryani’s have their differences, they are still able to unite all of India together. Every part of India knows what biryani is, and whether or not they have their own type, we still share the same dish. This is why I picked biryani as my meal to describe my family history. My family is very tight-knit and biryani is always a meal that can bring the whole family together and unite us for a meal.
Bachai, Sabrina. “5 Indian Spices That Are Good For Your Health.” Medical Daily. 2 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
The spices that we put into biryani and other Indian dishes don’t only add flavor to the meal, but they also have many health benefits. This article discusses the health benefits of the five most used ingredients for preparing Indian meals.
First up is Turmeric. This yellow power adds a peppery, warm taste to the dish but it is also used for its ability to color foods. This spice is part of the ginger family and like ginger, has many health benefits to it. The National Institute of Health has found that consuming turmeric helps to treat arthritis and multiple gastric problems, like heartburn, stomach pain, and loss of appetite. However, turmeric can be mixed with water to be turned into a paste and then applied to the skin to help with skin inflammation, infected wounds, and ringworm. The next spice that Bachai talks about is one that is prevalent in meal preparations across the world: black pepper. This spice helps digestion, congestion, and upset stomachs when consumed and can also stop bleeding on a cut when applied. Following black pepper is Caramom, an ingredient that is very popular in India for drinks as well as foods. These green pods are full of little seeds inside that possess the flavor of the spice; in order to get the most out of this spice, one must break the shell and release the tiny black seeds while cooking. This spice is also used while making chai, which is the Indian term for tea; coffee shops in the States use this spice when making chai tea, which essentially means tea tea to Indians. Cardamom, like the other spice, can help combat digestive problems but unlike the others, it can help treat bad breath. According to Bachai, “Preliminary studies had shown that cardamom has cancer fighting effect but more research is needed to confirm.” The next spice in line is the clove, a spice that resembles a tiny flower. This spice has cosmetic uses as well as medical uses; the clove is found in toothpastes, soaps, and perfumes. For the medical standpoint, the clove plant provides doctors with oils, flower buds, and stems that are used in multiple medicines. Like the other spices, the clove helps with digestive problems and can also be considered a pain reliever when applied directly to the skin. Last but not least, the spice cinnamon that originates from Sri Lanka. This bark-like spice helps in treating people with type II diabetes, because it acts as a stimulant for increased insulin.
Most of the spices we see here help with digestive issues; however, each spice does bring a little something extra to the table. This article benefits my project because each of these ingredients are present in biryani and now I have some information on the health benefits of the ingredients found in my meal.
