I didn’t think this Spring Intensive course could get much better, but our trip to Paterson on Wednesday definitely proved me wrong! Despite the seemingly apocalyptic weather that forced many of us to wear masks, the Refugee Stories group persevered and was able to travel and explore Paterson. First, we visited numerous grocery stores full of fresh produce, spices, herbs, pickled vegetables, drinks, more kinds of oils than one could ever imagine (check out my picture of the selection below), cheeses, baked goods, dates, fresh breads, hummus, and desserts such as Turkish delights or Persian ice cream (which even had a cucumber flavor!). We also saw a great variety of meats, including the halal version of Mortadella which is generally an Italian sausage, and were even encouraged to purchase the cut-off heads of sheep for sale–with eyes, teeth, and all! One of the supermarkets was kind enough to offer free bread with hummus, eggplant dip, and an assortment of pickled garnishes to us, along with some bread with za’atar (a mix of herbs & spices) on top and sesame cookies. Following this, lead by the amazing and charismatic Ms. Watts, we passed a Ramadan crescent statue, and visited a local bakery where we were able to try fresh knafeh for the first time and I was even able to purchase some fresh baklava for my family (which my mom has already told me is the best she’s ever had). In addition, we visited a jewelry store which sold a variety of gold jewelry (that we definitely did not have the budget for!), as well as a store which had popular Middle Eastern fabric, clothing, and furniture. Finally, before heading back to school, we enjoyed an amazing lunch experience with the Culinary Journey Spring Intensive group at a Middle Eastern restaurant where we ate falafels, a variety of meats, and bread with many garnishes. By the end of the day, we were very full, but returned to school happy and with lots of food leftover for our families to enjoy at home!
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