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Lounge Loves
By Sahar Iqbal
Mariam Aftab’s alternative healing now for free From being an Oculist to Clinical hypnotherapist; from practicing Child psychology to Tarot reading, Mariam Aftab has done it all. Not only does she give an insight into client’s life but also provides facilities to restore well-being of the client. This week Lounge provides you a way to get out of your depression and anxiety by visiting Mariam Aftab’s free-of-cost healing centre where cure is done with Colour Therapy, Neuro linguistic programming, Karuna Reiki, Hypnosis, Meditation and a lot more. www.mariamhealingcenter.org
Enjoy ‘Kesa’ By Lala Grab popcorns for the remake of ‘Agnipath’ You should reserve a seat in your nearest cinema for Agnipath’s release. This Karan Johar’s remake of the 1990’s film, is in the news for all the right reasons. First, it was Katrina’s hottest item number, ChikniChameli, which Bollywood can’t get enough of these days. Secondly, it was Sanjay Dutt’s villainous looks that have stirred curiosity. It’s also Hrithik-Priyanka chemistry recreated, last seen in Krish (2006), which fans are desperately waiting for. Now it’s Hrithik Roshan’s intense look as Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, revealed by the producer Karan Johar on twitter. While the original 1990 blockbuster starred Amitabh Bachchan and Danny Denzongpa, Johar has roped in Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt to essay the roles of Vijay and Kancha Cheena (villain) respectively. In Pakistan the PR of the movies is done by Encyclomedia PR.
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Kesa by Lala takes inspiration from the richness of Japanese culture. The House of Lala interprets this heritage within a Sub Continental Context with their brand Kesa, which combines the intricacies of art and design while retaining the best in fabric and embellishment. Indeed the latest summer collection from Kesa represents Islamic and Oriental art presenting designs in floral and geometric patterns in a variation of colours accentuated by embellishments, panels and embroideries. For more details do check out the official Lala Facebook page. http://www. facebook.com/lalaprints
January 29 - February 04, 2012 I 35
Interview
Saba Waseem: La Chantal- making waves in bridal fashion
By Sikander Ahmad Khan
L
a Chantal is a fashion house run by a very talented designer Saba Waseem. She mixes our rich cultural heritage with modern sensibilities. Her work depicts a sense of strong motivation taken from our eastern background, which has been transformed into modern fashion design - a must for women of all ages. Her list of achievements include showcasing her work at the Dubai Fashion Week and The Bridal Couture Week. Lounge caught up with her and here is what she had to say.
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What is fashion for you?
To me fashion is one of the purest forms of art. In my knowledge art has many definitions yet I consider art to be a continuous search, a thought, a feeling and being a fashion designer I can say that same applies to fashion.
Where is your brand based?
It is based in the United Kingdom.
Being a UK based company how did you enter/survive in the Pakistani fashion industry?
Making a name for myself in the Pakistani fashion industry was always part of my plan. The only reason for bringing my brand to Pakistan was to serve my people as this is my homeland and as far as the question of survival is concerned, I never faced or expected such adverse conditions. But I still believe that no difficulty can stop La Chantal from becoming the best of brands.
first outlet will open up in Lahore.
How did Montage and Bridal couture Week Karachi 2011 go? These were the shows where I originally discovered the love and appreciation of
The only reason for bringing my brand to Pakistan was to serve my people as this is my homeland and as far as the question of survival is concerned, I never faced or expected such adverse What was the response of the conditions. But I still believe that people of your no difficulty can stop La Chantal homeland? I am very thankful from becoming the best of brands to God, the support of media and the Pakistani fans for their fabulous response towards my show.
Why Pakistan and UAE?
Pakistan is my first homeland and Dubai is my second. My whole family lives there and I spent the most part of my life in these countries.
What inspired you to come into this field?
La Chantal is getting more and more recognition in bridal couture and the sole reason behind this are the brides of South Asia who recognise good quality.
When did La Chantal came into existence? The year 2010 saw the birth of La Chantal.
When and where did you present your designs publicly for the first time? Rhythm of Asia 2010, England.
Who coined the name La Chantal and what is the concept behind it?
I myself named my company. It is a French word that means candle. The concept simply represents hope and a vision to introduce and create new things.
Since you have gained a lot of respect and a name as an emerging talent, when do you plan to open an outlet in Pakistan?
I am working on that and within a few months La Chantal’s
Pakistani fans for the first time. My bridal designs received amazing responses and a lot more than I expected. I thank them all and this certainly will help me to keep up the good work in the future. Do you plan to design for men?
I do have plans for that but I guess it will only be for grooms.
What makes you different from other designers?
That would be my selection of colors, my cuts and the embroidery designs that I use.
What is your source of your inspiration? Eastern classics especially of the Mughal era.
Where do you see La Chantal in next ten years?
I want La Chantal to be internationally recognized and become the second name in Bridal Couture Designs.
Any advice for upcoming designers.
Always learn to appreciate others and have a broader vision. January 29 - February 04, 2012 I 37
38 I January 29 - February 04, 2012
By Rubia Moghees
A
fable of human emotions, distressing loss and finally salvation, ‘Seedlings’ depicts all of these factors to bring about the victory of human spirit in dealing with tragedies that so often people come across in their lives. No matter how devastating the damage; the key is to move on. Starring in a debut role is Aamina Sheikh, Mohib Mirza and Gohar Rasheed as the leads with Hira Tareen, Mehreen Rafi and Tara Mahmood in supporting roles. The film is produced by Meher Jaffri, Summer Nicks and Craig Peter Jones under the banner of their production house, Bodhicitta Works. The original screenplay has
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The crew of the film has high hopes for the young yet dynamic cast, ‘Aamina and Mohib will be a discovery for the local Cinema,’ predicts the Director Mansoor Mujahid been written by Summer Nicks and the film is directed by Mansoor Mujahid. The crew of the film has high hopes for the young yet dynamic cast, ‘Aamina and Mohib will be a discovery for the local Cinema,’ predicts the Director Mansoor Mujahid. Here’s a sneak peek into what the cast and the crew has to say about this project which will be released shortly in the cinemas. Producer: Meher Jaffri speaks on ‘Seedlings’ Most of the people who have worked on ‘Seedlings’ came together for the love of film - pure and simple. We had been working on the development of another film project (Kolachi) for a while and while that was panning out - we had this fantastic
script that was begging to be translated onto screen. When we got a favourable response from Aamina Sheikh and Mohib Mirza, we shifted into 5th gear, jumped into production mode and never looked back. I just hope that Pakistani filmmaking will not continue to be about Bollywood formulas or terrorist themed stories - but branch out to embrace all types of stories and different ways of storytelling. As we enter the final stages of postproduction, we have begun looking for distribution both locally and internationally. Inshallah if all goes as planned and viable distribution is secured we will be set to release in the first half of 2012. Director
Mansoor
Mujahid
It is a story of loss and forgiveness. It’s about how we find the strength to carry on with our lives
talks about the film: Seedlings’ is about three individuals who are united by a horrific tragedy and follows their lives a year after the event. It is a story of loss and forgiveness. It’s about how we find the strength to carry on with our lives. Time was really a killer but we pulled through fine. I really want to give a pat on the back to everyone involved though for running the marathon with us. Another concern was to keep the film as real, raw and organic as possible. This meant giving the actors the freedom to experiment and allowing myself that too, so that we could all bring something personal to it.
Aamina Sheikh’s candid views about the film: The professionalism of the team of Bodhicitta Works and its crew sets an example not only for other emerging film production companies locally but also for our currently existing TV productions. I play Maliha with a vibrant, youthful, loving past. Struck by loss, grief, tragedy and countless questions; she is now frozen in a time warp. Maliha struggles internally to pass time and push through her days. She wants to deal but doesn’t know how to do so without damaging those around her and her fading spirit. Film is about the scale, the larger than life shots, emotions...yet at the same time when it gets intimate with the characters, it has the potential to go much further than TV. Therefore, the actor again needs to work according to
the stance of the camera. It’s a juggling act which varies with the role, the character, director and the cinematic requirement and sometimes the location dictates the performance of the actors. Mohib Mirza’s role: I play Raza, an ardent photographer who loses himself and direction in life after tragic circumstances that tore apart his family life. Hiding under a shell and illuminating his life with work and in particular, a colleague, he struggles with temptation and his plight to normalize his life once more. I could relate to the pain of that character which is very real and I think a lot of people in our society will also relate to it because we suppress this kind of pain. As for its impact on my career, I would say that it’s yet another gem that’s going to shine.
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Trends
A
KS is an upcoming contemporary silver jewellery brand with the most intricate and unique collection of designs studded with precious stones. The first retail outlet is to be launched very soon at Vogue Towers, Lahore. More retail outlet launches are in the pipeline. Their design aesthetic is classic, elegant and modern, and their sensibility is minimalist and innovative. In this exclusive feature, Komal Sultan from AKS gives us their opinion on trends for this season. What’s the mood this winter with regards to the fashion industry? The mood is to rock, hopefully. Our fashion industry is as active and on fire like never before. Last year, a lot of new talent has made its debut in the industry and I hope that the upcoming talent is going to give a new-fangled vision to our fashion industry. What colours would you advise for the brides to explore? Colours like white, antique gold, orange, royal purple, blue etc can be very different, provided, the combinations are well designed and well executed. What is the perfect colour for a valima this season? White! It defines elegance of a bride perfectly. Should we expect a comeback of any particular style? I think the Patiala shalwars are going to make a comeback this year. The long chain strap handbags are going to be in fashion once again this year. What’s the new colour for mehndi this season? Combinations of purple and orange or using multi colours with white would look different for a mehndi function. Greens, yellows and pinks have been experimented with a lot. I think it is time to look different now. What fabrics, in your opinions, are going to in this winter? Silk and different types of wool constructions because I think these fabric types are very soft and comfortable and look very graceful and stylish, if carried well. Are there any colour schemes that you are focusing on for your winter collection? I am loving bright colours this winter. Blue and mustard have been my favourite. For casual wear, I am adding a lot of vibrant colors to my wardrobe but for more formal occasions, I’d like to stick to colors like pear white, black, rose pink etc. Are heavy embellishments in fashion this winter? I think the mood is of light embellishments and more subtle colours this winter. Delicate stone studded brooches on different coloured plain shirts are very in nowadays. Those look very chic and classy for formal occasions. Is it churidars or tights for this season? It has to be tights definitely, because they look a bit classier than a churidar and can be rated high on the convenience scale when it comes to wearing them. Any striking and recurrent patterns or prints those are popular this season? I see a lot of tiger and snake skin prints this season, not just in clothes but also in bags, shoes, tights, shawls etc. And I would admit that I just love these prints in as many seasons they come and as many times they come.
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Another kind of makeover
W
hen looking for a makeover women generally go for a haircut or pile on their wardrobe, which is alright, but the best and quickest way to have style is through accessories. You can take the worst outfit you own, add jewellery and you can have a totally different and chic look. However, there are essential pieces one must have to create the different looks. Every woman is unique in her own way and therefore while buying jewellery women should make sure that every purchase reflects on their personality traits and should be according to their physique. First, let me say that the size of your jewellery should be proportionate to your body size. If you have a larger body size, then you must stay away from small studs, pearls, hoops, or any other small stone. Small earrings or small scarves will make a larger woman look even larger. If you have a smaller body size, then stay away from large earrings and large accessories. These larger items are going to make you look even smaller. The same applies with necklaces, bracelets and rings. For a jewellery makeover you start your search with the first essential jewellery item which is earrings. Every woman should own a great pair of hoop earrings, gold hoops would be the perfect choice. These will come in handy whether you are going out with the girls, or simply running to the grocery store. The earrings have the ability to alter the appearance of your face. For example, oval-shaped hoop or long dangly earrings create a vertical line which gives the square or circular face structures a slim look. The second item that you need is a necklace. It is a misconception that necklaces are not as wearable as certain other items because they need to always match your outfit. Every woman must own a 20 inch necklace and at least 1 nice timepiece or a pendant necklace in her jewellery box. A strand of pearls is also a smart purchase; they are elegant, classy and not meant for grandmothers only. It can simply create a vertical line in your figure. Short circular necklaces are suitable for women with oval face structures. Mid-length to long necklaces are suitable for square, rectangle, and circular structures. Remember the goal is to always appear slimmer and taller not wider. Another essential item includes accessories on your wrist and hand. It is not necessary to have bracelets, rings and a watch all on at the same time. However, it is important to have at least one of them on at all time. The hands and wrist are known as the expressive zone. People notice the hand gestures the most because they are frequent. A great item to wear in this area is a set of bangles. Always wear
bracelets in sets of 3 or any odd number. Rings should also be proportionate to your body size. Let’s move on to the ethnic side of jewellery shopping. No jewellery box is complete without a Teeka. It is not an accessory that can be worn on a daily basis and is restricted to appear on women at weddings only but it is still a mandatory piece to own. It should be mentioned that buying jewellery in sets is a not a smart move. It makes your choice of jewellery limited for any outfit. However, it is alright to mix and match your jewellery. Don’t be afraid to wear gold and silver together! Reama Malik is the owner and founder of GOLD, a high-end jewellery label that offers a wide range of exquisite hand-made and bespoke jewellery for women of all tastes. Reama established GOLD in 1987 in the US and has since brought the label to Pakistan as well. Reama is also a devoted mother and wife, and is also President, Lahore chapter of DIL, a charity dedicated to promoting literacy in Pakistan.
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Many were thinking that why we were always late in honouring our heroes and legends
G
By Nadeem Alam
reat Persia was great because in the 3rd century AD, it had Mani, a master miniature painter and in the 15th century AD, it had Kamal Uddin Behzad, the founder of Herat School of Painting. That is one of the many reasons that Persian miniature painting evolved and developed strongly, and broke the aesthetical and geological boundaries to enter into its neighboring countries. The Mughals brought this tradition and painting style to the subcontinent in the early 16th century when in 1524 AD, Humayun came back from Persia after an exile of five years. He brought Khwaja Abd al-Samad and Mir Musawir with him, who laid the foundation of miniature painting style in the subcontinent where already a practice of Gujarati miniature painting was in existence. Since its birth, the College of Art and Design at the University of the Punjab has been contributing in miniature painting style along with other genre of visual arts. In the
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beginning, Haji Sharif used to teach miniature painting that was later taken over by Khalid Saeed Butt. This style of painting has been inspiring many students. Although College of Art and Design is chiefly known for its landscape painters like Khalid Iqbal, Zulqarnain Haider and Ghulam Rasul and figural painting for which it produced a master exponent in Collin David. Even then, the miniature painting has always been a bright spark within the walls of this institution. That is why when there was a moment to name a newly built open-air painting and drawing studio, they named it after two great Persian miniature painters as “Gosha-e Behzad-o Mani�. Moreover, they selected Prof. Emritus Khalid Iqbal to inaugurate this architectural addition to the already
gorgeous splendor of the red bricks of the College of Art and Design. It was an evening with soft light of dusk, and the breeze was caressing everyone with a shiver. Gosha-i Behzad-o Mani is a newly built open-air platform, constructed in inspiration of traditional patterns of Islamic architecture with a fountain in the center. This open air space is mainly designed to be used as a drawing or painting studio where students can observe natural light and experiment with various mediums of drawing and painting. Normally, in our art institutions, drawing studios work under artificial electric lights where students learn to use dramatic light or high chiaroscuro. However, this open-air studio will provide students to learn and observe RGB (Red, Green, Blue) theory, which has been a pivotal force in Modern Art Movements, especially Impressionism, in late nineteenth century. Everybody was waiting for Prof. Emeritus Khalid Iqbal, a distinguished veteran artist of Pakistan who is considered as the father of modern landscape painting in Pakistan and the pioneer of an emblematic style and technique in this genre. Mr. Khalid Iqbal inaugurated Gosha-i Behzad-o Mani at the art institution where he used to teach in his peak days after coming back from Slade School of Art, London. When Mr. Khalid Iqbal came to the campus, many of his students (who themselves are teachers of many) welcomed him with warmth and passion. The new generation of artists was just anxious to catch a glimpse of the maestro they have been admiring in his great landscape frames. Prof. Khalid Iqbal arrived at the campus and walked slowly to the main stage. The hands that painted many frames, with thin layers of paint to capture the true light and ambiance of
this land, were so frail now that it was hard for them to hold the walking stick. Time had painted many wrinkles on the face of a great painter but his eyes were still as glistening as they used to be! With shivering hands, and trembling voice, Khalid Iqbal unveiled the marble slab, there were claps, applause and smiles everywhere, but few eyes were shining with tears! Those eyes were of those who knew Khalid Iqbal as a great legendary painter and his status, and who knew that the maestro had left with very short time! Many were thinking that why we were always late in honouring our heroes and legends! The Vice Chancellor of the University of the Punjab Prof. Dr.
Mujahid Kamran titled this studio platform as a beautiful addition while the Principal of the college, Dr. Rahat Naveed Masud welcomed the guests. Renowned artists, art critics, art lovers and many art students were together in the shadows of redbrick architecture of the University of the Punjab standing erectly on the Mall. They were: Mr Zulqarnain Haider, Saeed Akhtar, Dr Kahlid Mahmood, Ms Saira Dar, Mrs Shahnaz Malhi, Dr Kanwal Khalid, Mr Zafaullah, Dr Nikhat Khan, Ms. Faryal Saigal, Mr. Quddus Mirza, Mr. Naeem Ehsan, Mrs. Zara David, Mrs Tahira Ayaz, Mrs Jamila Zaidi and Mr. Jawed Iqbal. Mohammad Hossain Bani Asadi from the Iranian Consulate and ex-governor Mr Shahid Hamid were also present.
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Books
The redress of fiction
On three books of short stories in Urdu and Pubjabi
S
By Syed Afsar Sajid hort story is a popular genre of literature in our times. The story in Urdu has now come of age thanks to the genius of writers like Prem Chand, Manto, Ismat
Chughtai, Krishan Chander, Bedi, Ghulam Abbas, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Qurat-ul-Ain Haider, Aziz Ahmad, Intezar Hussain, Ashfaq Ahmad, Mansha Yad, Anwar Sajjad, Mustansar Hussain Tarar, Khalida Hussain, Masud Mufti, Asad Muhammad Khan,
Mazharul Islam, Rashid Amjad, and many others. Side by side, Punjabi short story has also taken a whole century to travel from the early didactic period to the present day tradition focussed on a thematic multiplicity embodying love, longing, nostalgia, ecstasy, gender and caste issues, and the growing complication in human relationships. The work of noted writers like Amrita Pritam, Sujan Singh, Kartar Singh Duggal, Kalwant Singh Virk,Prem Prakash, Gurdial Singh, Navtej Singh, Waryam Sandhu, Gul Chauhan, Attarjit, Bhagwant Rasulpuri, Afzal Ahsan Randhawa, Ahmed Salim, Mansha Yad, Zahid Hassan, Ilyas Ghumman, Surjit Birdi, Veena Verma and others of their ilk has lent a considerable diversity to the short story in Punjabi. With this background in view, three books of short stories in Urdu and Pubjabi are being reviewed here. Intezar Ka Akhri Paher The collection
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Side by side, Punjabi short story has also taken a whole century to travel from the early didactic period to the present day tradition focussed on a thematic multiplicity embodying love, longing, nostalgia, ecstasy, gender and caste issues, and the growing complication in human relationships contains some 24 short stories by Munir Ahmad, portraying love, separation, loneliness and melancholy in a quasi-impressionistic strain. The format of the book is in effect its essence with the dust-cover symbolizing its phantasmagoric themes. The innovative catalogue, reflective of the writer’s aesthetics, bears captions of the stories – resounding with a gloomy nostalgia – along with images relevant to their context.
The narrative seems to have been designed as an ‘internal’ dialogue seeking to explore, nay expose, the psychic pathos besetting the anonymous actors. Vicariously through his personae, the author would wish to attain the Keatsian ideal of beauty equating truth. Shabnam Shakil extols his style and approach as much as do Aisha Masood, Bano Qudsia, Iftikhar Arif and Ataul-Haq Qasmi in their respective flaps appended to the book.
Mujassima Aur Doosray Afsanay Muhammad Aminuddin Publisher: M. Aminuddin, E-135/2B, B.7, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi Pages: 159; Price: Rs.150/56 I January 29 - February 04, 2012
Mujassima Aur Doosray Afsanay The book contains 15 short stories. The author already has four published collections of short stories besides a novel to his credit. The characters in these stories represent the common folks caught up in the web of situations peculiar to their character and class. The themes of the stories impinge on the harsh facts of the workaday life that readers are not alien to. However, he treats them in a manner that bespeaks his artistic consciousness and ingenuity. The flap writers have unanimously lauded the author’s style and the quality of his creative output in their comments. ‘Mujassima Aur Doosray Afsarnay’ indirectly suggests that if poetry redresses (Cf. Seasmus Heaney), fiction does also address or redress the pangs and anxieties that we often experience in the course of ordinary life. Railway Phatak Tay Hore Kahanian Zahid Hasan, himself an
acknowledged poet and fiction writer of both Urdu and Punjabi, has translated into Punjabi as many as 16 short stories, originally written in Spanish, Japanese, English, Persian, Nigerian, Urdu, Gurmukhi, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Oriya. In his prefatory remarks, the anthologist implies that his venture of translating these stories from different languages of the world into Punjabi is aimed to inform the reader that the literatures of all languages share a common lineage of values and themes like beauty and truth, love and hatred, hope and despair, right and wrong, optimism and pessimism, success and failure, reality and romance, fact and fiction, philanthropy and misanthropy, peace and war, pride and prejudice. The authors rendered into Punjabi include Borges (Spanish), Yasunari Kawabata (Japanese), Baba Muqaddam (Persian), Grace Ogot (Nigerian), M. Salim-ur-Rahman (Urdu), Asif Farrukhi (Urdu), Parvez Kaur Sindhu (Gurmukhi), Ram Kumar (Hindi), Abdul Bismil (Hindi), Vasudeva Nair (Malyalam), Ishwar Chander (Kannada) and Gopinath Mohanti (Oriya). The stories though represent a broad cultural heterogeneity, yet these converge on an all-embracing commonality of such universal themes as love, strife, the ever widening chasm between desire and fulfillment, ethnocentricity, socio-moral evils, war-mongering, economic disparities and a deepening discontent with the status quo. One hopes that the book will, inter alia, interest the reader of Punjabi for the rich variety of its text and the quality of the translation.
Recipe
Preperation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Makes: 4 main-dish servings
Pita Pockets By Sadiya Babar
Ingredients
Method
1tsp olive oil 750 gm skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves, cut into 1-inch chunks ½ tsp dried oregano Salt and pepper, to taste ¼ cup tahini ¼ cup water 3 tbsp curd 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 garlic clove, crushed ¼ cup loosely packed fresh dhania Coriander leaves, chopped ¼ tsp red chilli powder 4 (6-inch) pita bread discs 2 cups sliced lettuce ½ seedless cucumber, chopped 1 large tomato, chopped 2 spring onions, sliced
1. Sprinkle the chicken with oregano, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat. 2. Heat oil for one minute over medium heat in a non-stick pan. 3. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until it is cooked through. 4. Transfer the chicken to a plate or bowl and cover it with foil to keep it warm. 5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, curd, lemon juice and garlic. 6. Stir in the dhania, red chilli powder, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper. This makes about ¾ cup sauce. 7. To serve, cut off one-fourth of each pita disc (save it for another day). Carefully open each pocket and fill it with one-fourth of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, chicken and onions. 8. Top with sauce. Serve the pockets with any additional sauce on the side. January 29 - February 04, 2012 I 57
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