The Death of Benazir Bhutto

AA WR WB

Inna lillahi wa inna ilahi rajioon.
Verily we belong to Allah, and to Allah we return.

This morning I woke up to text messages from my friends, Zareen and Farooq, about the assassination of former Paksitani PM Benazir Bhutto. It was a relatively dramatic way to wake up on a lazy vacation morning. After getting ready, I headed downstairs where I not surprisingly found my nani ammi engaged in watching GeoTV. Geo confirmed the horrific news my friends had texted me; Bhutto was killed with a gunshot to the neck. Images of grieving and shocked Pakistanis filled the airwaves. From CNN coverage of the presidential candidates and their thoughts on Bhutto's death to GeoTV showing Pakistanis' reactions in both the homeland and the US.

It seems as though the entire world, at least the political world, is absolutely shocked with each participant pondering the effects of Bhutto's death. More than ever, Bhutto is being hailed as a martyr of democratic principles and a woman of strength and tremendous character. She died for what she believed in, though she knew full well what returning to Pakistan could mean to her after being exiled for so many years.

If you're even slightly interested in politics or Pakistan, you can't help but to think about her death and the numerous implications of it. First, it is my hope that Allah grants her peace, forgiveness, and salvation. May Allah make it easy for her family and give them strength. Ameen. The death of any Muslim, or human for that matter, should never sit well with anyone regardless of personal opinion. The cowardice act of the man who killed a woman should bring our hearts and souls distress. We ask that Allah show anyone who has passed away compassion as we would wish it for ourselves. Let's not forget that despite the ease of which we can alienate or detach ourselves from political figure heads, she was in fact a person with a family. And aside from any political ramifications, her death and the impact on her family and friends is the most serious and grave one. Benazir Bhutto leaves three children and a husband behind and died at a very young age (54).

When looking at a public figure and what they represent, you must of course look at their political career - especially in this case - as that becomes the definition of the person in the mass' eyes. When Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan and was put back on the forefront of Pakistani politics and potentially its future, I wasn't exactly ecstatic. Quite the contrary, I would find myself getting frustrated as I heard her try to appeal to Western agencies by calling for democratic reform. Benazir was a well-educated person and more importantly a well-educated woman in a male-dominated society. She attended both Oxford and Harvard universities and was excellent, like so many politicians, at talking the talk. Based on her mix of Pakistani roots and Western education, plus being a symbol of reform for being a woman and a herald for democracy in a Muslim country, it is understandable why so many people worldwide would view Benazir Bhutto as a strong candidate for reforming an extremely instable and volatile country. But, from the little I remember of Bhutto and her family's history, extortion doesn't sit well for me or many other Pakistanis. In part, I can't help but to feel pessimistic about her agenda; about her wanting to get back into the Pakistani system to perhaps take advantage of it as she had done before.

I love Pakistan, let's be clear about that. But let's also be clear about the state of Pakistan: it is a politically corrupt cesspool. It almost seems that when we take a look at our "leaders" these days, we have to evaluate which one is the least corrupt. Upon identifying such an individual, we can tout him/her as our best representative. And so while Benazir Bhutto is being exonerated as a leader with a vision, I do in all honesty remain unsure and pessimistic about that. She may have been able to come to power and create positive, reinforced relations with the West and encourage development elsewhere, but who knows if the power would have weakened her again. One Newsweek writer put it like this:

"In the end, Benazir Bhutto could become in death the kind of hero for democracy in Pakistan that she never quite became in life. Dogged by allegations of corruption against her husband and her family, she never achieved the popularity that Sharif did in some quarters. But in recent months, as she readied her political comeback, she had shown consummate courage and presence of mind in stating the issues clearly." (http://www.newsweek.com/id/82139)

Out of any conflict, change can likely be achieved by learning and analyzing the differences in opinion; or at least a reasonable comprimise that can still effect reasonable change. If Benazir Bhutto is now going to serve as an image of democracy in Pakistan, then I would in fact support her despite it being after her death. If this tragic event serves as an impetus for change - and a democratic change - and awakens our people, I'm for it. Sure, as a Muslim, I would like to say that it would be great to have an Islamic state like the ones in our phenomenal history; but before reaching such lofty goals, the people themselves need to change. And perhaps with that thought, I can only reasonably conclude that there was in fact some sort of change in Bhutto – even if she was being used as a symbol – to bring about reformation. At least this is what we’re being told to conclude as many leaders are now speaking of her courage and commitment to democracy (http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2232714,00.html.), which is to essentially say her commitment to bring about stabilization to my native, ethnic country.

So, how are we to view Benazir Bhutto, the politician? As a shaheed (a martyr)? A renaissance woman? Conniving? A leader that has been reformed after her exile? Or someone who tasted what absolute power is in Pakistan (i.e. Musharraf) during her tenure and simply wants to get that back, much like Nawaz Sharif?

I guess I can't be an authoritative judge on the matter of Bhutto's stances and intentions as 1) I most certainly am not claiming to know all there is to know about Pakistani politics and her entire history and 2) who am I to critically evaluate a person's intentions? I do know this: The death of Bhutto leaves many questions and creates more problems for Pakistan, that is also something we should be clear about. Pakistan's reputation, already perceived as an instable country with a weak infrastructure, will now be under the magnifying glass along with all its political actors: Musharraf and the question of whether or not he was behind the killing (whether directly or indirectly due to poor security coverage) and Nawaz Sharif are perhaps the most notable actors. Nawaz Sharif, one of Bhutto's rivals, commented about her death: "This is the darkest, gloomiest day in the history of Pakistan."

Living in the here and now, I have to say that I agree (perhaps the only thing I could ever agree on with Sharif). The impact of a senseless death upon Pakistanis and Muslims should be strongly considered and discussed. Pakistan’s image is crumbling even faster than before. Questions on security and safety will outpour. Connections to terrorism will be reinforced and debated. The jihad (struggle) for hope will either be intensified or slowly man slaughtered. The western media will undoubtedly take any angle it can and provide any sort of leverage on misconceptions about Pakistanis. As always, I am fully expecting to hear dismal thing about my homeland. Some may be true; some may be taken out of context.

Regardless, my heart bleeds for the conditions that are in Pakistan. I love both my American and Pakistani roots and above that I hold to my Muslim identity. So if we chose to honor Benazir Bhutto, as either a politician, a woman, or a Muslim, then let's do so through discourse in an educated and an effective manner, not by riots. With that, I ask Allah to forgive our sins and to grant us ease and success. Allah huma sali Allah Muhammad. Ameen.

Pakistan Zindabad.

Muslims & Music (what's next?)

AA

Well, those crazy mumins are trying to get into just about everything these days. Now we're trying to get ourselves a niche in music. Ok, it's not totally out of the realm of possibility considering that we've been in the music world for a long time (i.e. qawwalis, naats, hamds, nasheeds), but there seems to be an increasing market for it right here in these United States of America as well as other major Western countries. And it's seemingly all right now on the DL; an underground movement and world of Muslims who are rocking out and getting down with their bad (in the good, halal sense) selves.

One of my friends - who I thought would be busy being a lawyer - has recently started his own record label out on the East Coast. The odd thing is that he's Bengali (i.e. East Pakistani). If the Bengalis are making a move on the music front, that alone deserves recognition on an intergalactic level. After all, I thought they were all farmers and fishermen. Guess not. Anyway, the name of his record label is TigerWolf Records (my explanation of the name: “Tiger” and Bengali – get the connection? “Wolf” because my friend, Tareq, has apparently watched Jungle Boy one too many times) and you can check out his label and the bands he promotes by going to his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/tigerwolfrecords

I should entitle this blog entry as an Ode to Tareq the TigerWolf Guy since he's the one that emailed me a number of links pointing out this “movement.”

The range of Muslims in music includes hip hop to dance (or something like that). The hip hop one isn’t much of a surprise especially when you factor in 5 percenters (i.e. Lauryn Hill, WuTang Clan members, Rakim) but those guys are kinda strange from the little I know of them. I think they’re some random offshoot of NOI (Nation of Islam). But you have notable Muslims in hip hop like Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, DJ Khaled, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest, Outlandish, and my brother Umar who aspires to be a lyrical freestylist master. But even outside of the mainstream well-known artists (and Umar’s fantasies), you have other Muslims in hip hop that are trying to create a name for themselves. You can get more insight into their world by checking out such links like http://www.myspace.com/muslimsinhiphop, a group that has been around for a few years according to their site.

The next genre of music includes a fusion of sorts. In fact, I’ll let the Muslim artist explain it in his own words, “Celt-Islam uses a fusion of music from dub/electro/drum and bass-breaks and collaborates it with Islamic/world grooves to create this dub driven dance crossover.” Ok, sure. I believe the first part, but I’m really not following his “Islamic/world grooves” bit and how this can be likened to Sufi mysticism (on his myspace, some critics draw that comparison). In its own right, it’s sure as hell mystic, but putting that “sufi” terminology before it is problematic to me because it gives Sufism an eerie, or laughable, or even intimidating outlook. Sufism is not about “music from dub/electro/drum” influences, but rather is a deeply spiritual science in Islam influenced by the love of Allah and The Prophet (sw). I am aware that there are those who would argue with me saying that music is spiritual, and while in some aspects it may be (though I am hesitant to fully claim that); this music does not bring me closer to Allah. Some of it can make me feel relaxed and subdued with the laid back but intriguing flow, but it’s not “sufi” enough to make me feel close to God.

But, I’m semi-digressing here. So the name of this group that I’m speaking of is Celt Islam Soundsystem (http://myspace.com/celtislamsoundsystem) and they like to associate themselves with a larger Muslim music organization called Tawheed Is Unity (http://tawheedisunity.com/news.html). The best way I can describe tawheed in my own words is that it means the oneness of Allah. This organization is using it to describe unity, as made evident by its name, and I do kinda like what they’re trying to do: basically, give hip-hop minded Muslims an outlet. That’s better than going to other sites like MTV where you’re eventually just looking for some haram-ness. Getting back to Celt Islam; the more I listen to some of their music, the more I’m liking them, though you do definitely have to be in a spiritual-like (musically speaking) mood to truly appreciate it (I’m listening to Celt Islam’s Marifa right now; FAKIR is also very solid).

One thing to note with Tawheed Is Unity is what essentially could be likened to their mission statement: “Tawheed Is Unity was launched in June 2006 with the intention to create a home for all things that young Muslims living in western countries could want but not find anywhere else. Beginning with clothing and soon to be expanding into music and art, our aim is to develop a definable urban Muslim culture. A culture that draws on the best of western society but is unashamedly Islamic in its basis.” Tight, my brothers. In this day and age, that works with me (take a look at the clothes they sell). A Muslim music identity and especially one more so in hip hop – a branch of music that I have grown up listening to and loving.

Now comes my favorite part; introducing you to Hayam Nur as Sufi (formerly known as Deadly Kristin). She is an artist that puts out dance/techno-like/gothic/Aegis-like music. You can check her out (not like that) at: http://myspace.com/deadlykristin. Apparently, she’s a Muslim revert/convert in Sweden. How hot is that?! I mean, listen to her music and tell me that you would’ve guessed that this artist is a mumin! I also respect that on her myspace page, she’s specifically mentioned that she doesn’t want any flirtatious people contacting her, which almost immediately ruled me out, sadly. But I am definitely curious to hear about her conversion process. One website posted an interview with her, and though I’m not sure about the website’s credibility because I’m not a metal head, it definitely looks legit: http://www.hailmetal.com/gate.html?name=MReviews&op=show&rid=192
According to that website, it seems that she has an affinity towards Sufism, though she did say that she’s not a part of any particular Sufi order (tariqa).

Well, that’s all I have for now on Muslims & Music. On a side note, my man Tareq is also busying himself with a management company he started called Midnight Skies Management (my explanation of the name: “Midnight” because as a desi Muslim, he can only get away with doing this stuff after midnight and “Skies” because that’s where his head is). Right now he’s managing two rap artists (not necessarily Muslims either):
http://myspace.com/gdashuno [he’s pretty decent, actually]
http://myspace.com/barakyalad [I really like his style]

I gotta say that when I got Tareq’s email about these new endeavors of his, I was shocked because I would have never imagined that this type of stuff was his cup of tea, but I guess it is. I hope it works out for him and I will watch with eager anticipation to see how this develops for him. And, for the record, I knew him before he was Tareq the Desi P-DIDDY Music Mogul.

Good luck, my brother. Keep those links coming.

Eid Mubarak!

AA WR WB

EID MUBARAK!!!

Remember my family and me in your duas and I hope that your Eid was blessed!

Here's our Eid greeting card courtesy of my brother, Umar:


Cheers

The Chicago Bears: Lessons in Sabr (or something)

Hi

Right now, the Bears stand at 5-9. The same team that went 13-3 last season is now at 5-9. Five and Nine, folks. I can't get over it. The same team that has most of the same players from the 2006-07 Super Bowl season is now out of playoff contention. We can't even say "We're not mathematically ruled out" at this point! This is the same team that was by far the most hyped up team during the pre-season (perhaps NE being the only other team to stand above us).

Sure, we were missing key staff and players like Ron Rivera and Thomas Jones, but we also gained Babich, who was supposed to fit perfectly with Coach Lovie, and Greg Olsen and Devin Hester on the offense. And while there was some mad drama about Lance Briggs, ultimately he came back to play at least one more season here. And we were also supposed to get a more confident Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson.

Instead, we've ended up so far with a mind boggling 5-9 record. This is what we have: A frustrated Urlacher who's playing with an arthritic back, a defense that no longer strips or intercepts the ball, a defense that can't make tackles, safeties who don't make the cut (i.e. Archuletta), an o-line (which was praised as one of our strengths last year), an offensive coordinator that doesn't know how to use his amazing plethora of weapons, a friend-less Cedric Benson, injuries (i.e Mike Brown), injuries (i.e. Nathan Vasher until today), and injuries (i.e. bruised up guys like Tommie Harris, Darvin Walker, Cedric Benson, Mark Anderson, Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, Anthony Adams, Dusty Dvoracek, Ruben Brown, and on-and-on).

And this is what we don't have: a prayer.

Or do we?

I've been thinking about the course of the season; debating over how a team this time last year was regarded as the next coming of the '85 Bears and how a team of that caliber can fall apart so easily. Things that come to mind are coaching mistakes (Does Lovie know anything about his offense? Hell, does Turner?!), arrogance (playing with a chip on our shoulders that apparently players in the City of Big Shoulders can't seem to get a hold of), injuries, or a lack of simply making the plays. I'm sure you can see why I'm constantly debating over these issues - you can probably make a case for each one.

My constant inner battles and rages to ascertain the answers to my questions lead me to develop a more philosophical approach in arriving to a conclusion. And so, on my journey to enlightenment, I began asking myself questions like, Why does greatness always seem to succumb to failure? What is greatness? What is failure? If we seek glory and seek to appreciate glory, then do we have to know what failure is? Why do we not forge ourselves into binding contracts where we lure the Dallas Cowboys' cheerleaders to Chicago? Or the Lakers' cheerleaders? And why shouldn't I name my first born Maximus after Russell Crowe's character in Gladiator?

After more introspection and analysis, I was finally blessed to come to a realization that the hardships we are facing as Chicago Bears players and fans are not only due not having hot cheerleaders, but also because we are being tested. Yes, Allah is testing our patience, our loyalties, and our convictions on the Chicago Bears (and, for that matter, all professional Chicago teams right now). Hey, far be it me to to question why we are being tested after over two decades of not winning a Super Bowl. All I can surmise is that we are in fact being tested.

How else can you rationally account for what has happened? We are being tested, my friends! Maybe someone has given Da Bears the evil eye (azubillah)? I mean, after all, we even have Muslims on our team now. Oh yes; Muslims. Take Br. Kyle Orton as an example. Here's a brother that looked forward to nothing more than boozing and getting into precarious pictures of himself completely and utterly plastered (and then later those pictures uploaded on just about every sports blog out there). He went from that to pre-season interviews of admitting that he was a drunken fool who looked to make amends with his Lord and set forth a positive example to all (hey, I'm not saying that I'm quoting him verbatim...). But the point is that you have this type of positive mindset on the team at the beginning of the season and then you somehow mysteriously lose it?!

Call it conspiracy (note: see also "ESPN" for their excessive coverage of all Eastern-based teams especially Boston for further definition of "conspiracy"). Call it stupidity (Ron Turner). Call it lack of confidence. Call it lack of balls (people from Saint Louis). Or just simply call it a test.

If you do, you will free your mind like Neo did when he took the red pill and came to see that right now we're in a Matrix where...oh, jeez, enough of all these different analogies already...

Bottom line: we're for some reason not the same team we were last year. We need to step out of it and make changes where needed. We need to play some good ol' fashioned Chicago football and get our hands down and dirty, folks.

And we need a prayer for this to happen.

And Allah Alone gives Success...

AH's, Reef's and Z's Holiday Fun

Hi

We have documented evidence here, folks, about how AH, Zareen, and Aref intend to spend their holiday season...

Actually, the fact of the matter is that they recently emailed me asking me to post this on my blog so that everyone can share in their happiness around this time of the year. So, without further ado, I now give you the talented trio in some gay holiday cheer:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1434756126

Look at how happy they are! Come on, let's hear it. The collective "Awwww!"


Happy Holidays from AH, Reef, and Z!!

74 to 6

I mean, what else do I have to say about my Madden skillz? Then again, I was only playing against a novice of thb game. Yep, Umar.

My First BP

Hi

Well, this past Thursday I hosted my first ever BP (Bears Party) amongst the BP List guys. This list is pretty big consisting of loyal Bears fans that basically email and update each other about the latest and greatest Bears news and our own thoughts and analysis from the game (the list actually extends out to become the Bulls List as well as Cubbies list, too, during the Bears offseason). Fahad/Masood usually begins each week with his prediction followed by Kamran Riaz (aka Jay Mariotti's protege - and that's not a compliment). After the game, we all sound off on what we thought of the Bears' game play and unfortunately this season the BP list has shared more disappointment and criticism than we would've expected or liked. Other role players in the BP list include Irfan/Bungu/Brian with his verbal assaults (i.e. uncontrolled, Hulk-like yelling); Sikander with his constant reminding that Lovie Smith sucks; OZ talking about how great he is in predicting Favre's winning season; Eyad and his random picture emailing and accompanying caption commentary; Hot Chipz Chippa with his intense love triangle (him, Archuletta, Chris Duhon on the Bulls); and many others who I'm leaving out, but are all critical components of the list.

Anyway, each Bears game most of these guys try to meet up at someone's crib where we not only enjoy watching our favorite team, but also enjoy food and the general company. So, as I recently upgraded our Dish to get the NFL Network and HD, I volunteered to host Thursday night's disappointing game that has essentially sealed any chances for a post season spot (pending Divine Intervention which I am now praying for). Having the NFL Network plus HD is a true blessing not only for the obvious fact that it's football in HD, but also because of the acceptance that KR has now given me after upgrading to HD. Sigh. The things I do to keep up with the Jones's.

So, Thursday's BP seemed to be successful and as much as I would like to credit my hosting abilities, I am not foolish enough to think that it had nothing to do with the food and particularly the buffet of SGPs (spicy gyros pizza from Italian Express) followed by ice cream sundaes, red velvet cake, and homemade brownies courtesy of the legendary pajama-wearing Farooq. In translation, what the food menu really looked like was a line-up of a coronary followed by high cholesterol and some sloth. For some, such a set-up would be a total health nightmare and a food line-up that should be reported to the FDA for immediate action; for men, however, there was nothing more satisfying – not even a woman’s touch (because with a woman’s touch, you have to live with the repercussions like emotional commitment; with food, the only type of commitment you have is with the toilet and for many men that’s a commitment more readily welcomed than a woman’s nagging).

I don’t think I’m going to get into much of the disappointing and – again – winnable game against the Redskins, because that’s a pain I am not willing to delve into without serious psychiatric assistance. Instead, what I’m gonna do is post pictures, something I truly excel at:

Masood: He doesn't need the touch of a woman anyway. And can you blame him? Look who he gets to sit on...

Hey, guys, do you realize that there's a game on? You know, Da Bears? (Hmm, looks like the early stages of the post-SGP knock out.)

The master gourmet chef prepares the final touches on the sundae

Guys? The game? Ok, nevermind...

And this is what it’s all about, folks. Brotherhood. In this case, though, it looks a little more serious. Or questionable. I’m going to blame this on the SGPs and sundaes – that’s the only logical explanation.

And that was pretty much the night. Well, as attendees of the BP know, that really wasn’t it. The night also consisted of some wii action, which lasted for 10 minutes. But the main source of entertainment (not “scare” as some would say) was me casually walking into the living room without my shirt on as if this was normal for me to do. The crowd reaction wasn’t comforting, but I wasn’t gonna let that discourage me. Look, everyone has their “thing,” right? Irfan likes to yell. Tariq likes to eat a few rotis in the morning. Sikander likes peanut butter on everything. Taha likes steroids. Hassan likes his hair. Fahad likes himself (a lot). Farooq likes to hate on everything - especially me. Sami likes to know how many people are coming to my house before committing. And I like to occasionally take my shirt off in social situations…

Well, mad props to Fahad for embracing (literally) this tradition of mine and taking a picture that’s, well, not suitable for you readers (or potential rishtas) to view. Just think of Janet Jackson’s infamous picture and I’ll leave it at that. The only thing that bothered me was Irfan’s involuntary body reaction (he ran up to my bedroom to hurl) and the random flashes from people’s cell phones. At this point, I have no clue where the hell those pictures could be and I’m afraid to ask. But, I trust my brothers in Islam not to go out there and shame me (i.e. ruin my chances to get married). And, yes, I did just bring religion into it! Can you really fault me?!

While I’m giving to props, I just wanna give props to EVERYONE for coming out to my hood, which is apparently “far,” even from people who live 15 minutes away (Chippa, you jerk!)! But, seriously, it was cool having everyone there and a blessing for the 2pac household (especially on a night where it snowed about 5 inches). So, MAD JZK to all. Special recognition to Tariq for supplying the drinks at the last second and Farooq for hooking up the brownies he made himself, the wii, and the ice cream (and to both of them for sticking around afterward to help clean!).

Alhamdullilah, it’s great to have such brothers even if the Bears f-ing lost.

Until the next BP…

Bears: Unable to Plow Themselves into Victory

AA

Perhaps the missing ingredient for the Bears this season is a few grains of rice and chicken that, when mixed together by the right person, would put together a perfect combination of the sweet taste of victory.

At least my good friend Fahad (aka Masood; aka Mo.Lester) and his mom know how to put together a winning combination: A successful BP (Bears Party) with the awesome and delectable taste of plow; a Pakistani traditional dish that mixes rice and chicken in a way that waters your mouth like the way talking about himself does to Fahad (i.e. excessively). Fahad's BP was long awaited and at least ten of us from the BP List enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, we can't say the same thing for the Bears and they way they played that game (or, all season long as I should say). Throughout most of the game, we maintained a good lead over a what seemed like a broken Eli Manning who looked like he was forced into the game by his father and secretly wishing that he was painting our nation's beautiful countryside.

But, as fate would have it, we missed a number of key plays that eventually lead to our collapse. Rex Grossman, for starters, threw an amazing bomb to Devin Hester who was unable to make the play (jeez, this guy’s speed is unreal though; he blew his double coverage by at least 5 yards a piece). Soon after, we in horrific fashion failed to reach the first down. This one offensive mishap – just one play – seemed to have a direct domino affect on the rest of the team. Our defense, playing most of the game true to Super Bowl-worthy form (without Archuletta, I may add), collapsed. And Eli Manning seemed to finally grow a pair, get his head out of fulfilling some bizarre fantasy to be a suppressed painter no more, and took advantage of our degradation.

They took they lead and they kept it by the end of the 4^th, giving us a tragically and potentially season-ending loss. We have a 5-7 record now and failed to reach .500. Achieving 9-7 to have a remote chance seems foolish to believe, but as a fan, I’m left with little to do.

The bright side of the evening was Fahad’s great hospitality. The pre-main course chips and guacamole hook-up was great, but the follow-up main course hit the spot. It was one of those “Damn, that was so good I just wanna sleep it off, wake up in a couple hours, and eat more” meals. He also killed it on the drinks providing a wide array of drink options that you typically don’t see (i.e. Diet Cherry Coke).

Well, at this point, I’m so dejected that all I really want to do is focus on the food and not the game. But, this will do for now. Mad JZK to my man Fahad for coming through and being a gracious host, mA. May Allah reward you & your family for it! Ameen!

Be warned, though, I’m coming over the rest of the week for some of that plow leftovers! (Yes, in case you couldn't tell, plow is absolutely one of my most favorite dishes!)

Cheers