Book Review: Threading the Needle by Marie Bostwick
Tweet In Threading the Needle, Marie Bostwick discusses friendship lost and then found. She explores the ways we create the experiences of our past and future, along with the impact of relationships with family and friends. Bostwick uses as the background of her story the recent economic downturn in the US. One character becomes the [...]
Tweet Share your story of reconciling your bi-cultural heritage and seeking authenticity, anonymously. Email it to priamba6@gmail.com. You may find that sharing is cathartic and healing. You may also find support and connection. I will make certain that there is nothing to identify you (unless you state otherwise).
Tweet We all grow up with a certain sense of how we perceive the mothering we receive and the role of motherhood in our lives- whether as mothers ourselves or as children in need of mothering. This role evolves throughout our lives – whether it is about our changing how we parent while keeping in [...]
Tweet For many South Asians, summers have meant a trip back home, especially while growing up in the states. Our parents wanted to make sure we were getting a good dose of our heritage to balance out all the Western exposure and values we were subject to the rest of our time. For most of [...]
When we are “American Born Confused Desis” or even become “American Born Confident Desis,” how do we reconcile past cultural expectations of us with our quest to be our own empowered authentic women? Do expectations of our upbringing fit with our quest to be true to ourselves or do we have to make adjustments? If so, what are they?
One of the key differences I’ve observed and experienced as differences between the culture of my heritage and that which I’ve grown up in is the level of focus on individualism. Much in the Western and particularly American culture is based on the value and importance of the individual.
The South Asian Festival of lights, “Diwali,” is celebrated at this time. It is one of the biggest celebrations in India and is seen as the beginning of the new calendar or financial year in some parts. Diwali is traditionally celebrated for five days with each day having a specific myth and belief.
In Hindu mythology, Ganesha, Lord of Overcoming Obstacles, is the god with the elephant head and human-like body. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is wise and jovial, often impulsive and sometimes careless, but always filling the world around him with laughter and joy. He loves to dance, eat sweets and he rides a tiny mouse, Mushika.
I recently wrote an article for ABCDlady Magazine entitled “Fitting In.” It touches on an aspect of immigration that does not get much attention. I’m certain there are many people that upon moving to another country, particularly the US, have seen dynamics in their family change.
Since having moved to the US when I was seven, I’ve gone through various phases of adjusting and adapting to a new culture and figuring out what parts of two cultures I wanted to integrate.
Tweet An on-going light-hearted “debate” I’ve had with my “North American” spouse is over the word “Asian” to describe anyone from Asia. I told him that if I, as someone native to the country of India, is “Asian,” than he, as a native to the country of the US, should be referred to as “North [...]
Tweet Kadhi or curried buttermilk is a popular side dish from India that can also be enjoyed as a soup. It is consumed by villagers and urbanites. Kadhi is great served over rice or khichdi (or khichadi) – a delicious and healthy porridge made from rice, lentils and vegetables. In this photo, red cabbage was [...]
Tweet Microfinance is an innovative type of charity allowing effective improvement in the lives of many needy people in some of the most destitute areas of the world. One way to get involved in the concept is through The International Alliance for Women (TIAW). TIAW is an umbrella network of women’s organizations designed to support [...]
Tweet I’m trying to find interesting ways to use healthy grains like quinoa. I was inspired by a dish last weekend made by a fellow camper that seemed to be like Southwestern taboule. It had black beans, chives, cilantro and tanginess from possibly lemon. I was going to try to replicate it from taste and [...]
Tweet I love reading books by South Asian authors so I asked my local librarian to find me more. She was not able to, as it’s a complicated search. However, when I walked over to the fiction area, “The Way Things Look to Me” by Roopa Farooki was the first book I noticed. How ironic! [...]
Tweet This is a generally standard recipe for pakoras or vegetable fritters from All Recipes, minus the garlic. I included the garlic from the recipe because “why not?” I’ll use garlic whenever possible. I mentioned I would make these and post on my site to a gal on my Facebook page for “Raising Vegetarian Kids,” [...]