FOCUS Magazine | March 2019

A REMARKER PUBLICATION | MARCH 2019

FOCUS A CULINARY LOOK AT WHERE WE COME FROM

Spanish instructor Jorge Correa prepares a traditional Chilean dish of Cuaranto over an open flame. See page 10 to read his story.

EDITORS Nathan Han Christopher Wang WRITERS Sam Ahmed Alam Alidina Colin Campbell Jack Davis Parker Davis Sahit Dendekuri Mateo Guevara Ishan Gupta Sam Goldfarb Rajan Joshi Kamal Mamdani Henry McElhaney Lyle Ochs Cristian Pereira Luke Piazza Robert Pou James Rogers Siddhartha Sinha Paul Sullivan Sai Thirunagari Aaron Thorne Sid Vattamreddy Tianming Xie PHOTOGRAPHERS Benjamin Hao Adnan Khan Will Rocchio Lee Schlosser Kyle Smith Rohit Vemuri FOCUS, a twice-yearly magazine supplement to the ReMarker focusing on a single topic, is a student publication of St. Mark’s School of Texas, 10600 Preston Road, Dallas, TX, 75230.

THE WAY THE BUTTER SPREADS T

ake a look around campus.

Take a look at the student body. The faculty.

The staff. And the many others who make 10600 Preston Rd. a second family for many of us.

St. Mark’s is the single, unifying theme that connects all of us, yet we are all so different from one another.

Each one of us has a different story to tell. Where our ancestors came from. Where we were born. Where we are now. Perhaps, even, where we will be.

Our own unique narratives.

The purpose of this magazine is to showcase the diversity of ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds within the school community through a traditionally-made dish that tells of a person’s, family’s or community’s journey.

We featured nearly 20 unique culinary pieces graciously made by members of the St. Mark’s community.

What makes food so special is the fact that it is universal — everyone understands food. And what makes it even more special is that even though food is in every corner of the world; there are so many remarkably different products using the same ingredients throughout the different cities, countries and continents. Food allows us to share our stories and cultures in an incredibly satisfying way. It’s uniform yet unique. There’s nothing quite like it.

Our writers were graciously given profound glimpses into the many worlds that make up our campus through taste. From Texas chili to Hungarian chicken paprikash, we’ve been able to experience so many different dishes and cultures that all have one thing in common: their part in the community here at St. Mark’s, where a common goal of education unites us all.

This magazine, however, doesn’t nearly do justice to fully displaying the incredible stories and backgrounds that individuals hold in our community. We know that we unfortunately left many out — in that sense, we apologize if we didn’t get the opportunity to share your story. Consider this as an appetizer for the main plate that is the community at 10600 Preston Rd.

— NATHAN HAN, CHRISTOPHER WANG EDITORS

THE AMERICAS

07 Second grader Dax Kane Hawaiian plate lunch 08 Sophomore Drew Woodward Texan chili con carne 09 Spanish instructor Teri Jellad Puerto Rican asopao de gandules 10 Spanish instructor Jorge Correa Chilean dish curanto 11 Spanish instructor Eslendy Noble Colombian Arepas 12 Orchestra director Sarah Choi Canadian Poutine

ASIA

14 Sophomore Andrew Nuth Cambodian feast 16 Senior Darius Ganji Persian saffron rice cake 18 Sophomore Daniel Wu Family Chinese restaurant 19 Junior Matthew Raroque Filipino kare-kare 20 Chinese instructor Janet Lin Taiwanese pork ribs

AFRICA

22 Junior Odran Fitzgerald Togolese fufu 24 The Omonije family Nigerian fried dodo 25 Sixth grader Sam Light South African bobotie

EUROPE

27 Senior Kristof Csaky Hungarian chicken paprikash 28 Third grader Taki Economou Greek lamb dishes 29 The Alfalahi family Timman bagilla 30 Headmaster David Dini Family Italian restaurant

RECIPES To view recipes discussed in each of these stories, visit our website: www.smtexas.org/FocusRecipes There, you will find coverage of each family’s recipes for the dishes contained herein.

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WHAT’S FOR LUNCH?

Diversity in the school’s cafeteria meals has been a priority for SAGE Executive Chef Marshall Garrett — just as it is for the school and Director of Admission David Baker.

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o matter where they come from, all Marksmen share the same meal every school day: lunch.

Lower schoolers race each other to be first in line. Middle schoolers eat quick to leave enough time to play on the quad or the back field. Upper schoolers grab box lunches on their way to meetings with teachers.

But no matter where they are on campus between 10:45 and 1:25, every student eats the same lunch.

Culinary traditions from all over the world inspire each meal — which creates not only good food, but also a reflection of diversity on campus.

••• In the summer of 2017, Executive Chef Marshall Garrett joined the school community as SAGE Dining Services became the school’s food service provider.

Garrett first joined SAGE at Wilson College in Chambersburg,

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Pennsylvania in 2012. As the sous chef, he worked there for two years until he found a management opportunity at the all-boys Blue Ridge School in Charlottesville, Virginia.

And three years later, he moved south to Dallas.

“Every school has a certain amount of pressure with an outside caterer coming in,” Garrett said. “St. Mark’s had been a sought-after school for a long time.”

Starting at the school, Garrett recognized the concern about what would happen to the community’s favorites, like Indian food day and Chef Howard’s Pot Pie. But each SAGE location has the creative freedom to design their own menu, and this built-in flexibility lets Garrett and his team adapt to the unique tastes of the community here.

“We, as the chefs, get to tailor our own menus as we see fit,” Garrett said. “We have a recipe da-

tabase, where we have thousands and thousands of recipes that we can pull from. And if we have a meal like Howard’s famous chicken pot pie, we can submit it to the home office and have it added.”

For Garrett, SAGE’s main priority is making the school fresh food prepared from scratch by the chefs every day, no matter what cuisine they’re serving.

“That can be sloppy joes, but it’s going to be done from scratch,” Garrett said. “It’s going to be fresh and we’re not opening cans and opening bags of product full of chemicals.”

But having worked at multiple schools over many years, Garrett has also noticed that on top of cooking fresh food, making food from diverse cultural backgrounds has grown increasingly important.

“Ethnic food is becoming more popular year to year as private schools branch out into other countries,” Garrett said. “Latin and Indian foods are becoming

especially popular around the country. Here, Asian and Mexican are consistently on top.”

Garrett’s watched what the students like and don’t like, and he takes those observations into account when choosing what goes on the menu any certain day, but there are also other factors that get taken into consideration.

“Knowing how diverse our community is, all information as far as ethnicity is concerned is welcome and it definitely plays a factor,” Garrett said. “It helps us get it right.”

F

or Director of Admission David Baker, the term “diversity” is a loaded one–and one surrounded by many misconceptions. He considers ethnicity to be one small part of the complex concept of diversity. Socioeconomic background, previous life experiences and many other factors play just as much of a role.

But in terms of ethnicity,

Responsible for the day-to-day cooking in the school cafeteria, SAGE Executive Chef Marshall Garrett considers creating a diversity of food choices a priority for the kitchen.

Baker notices there has been great progress made throughout the decades. He doesn’t attribute the growth to himself or any other person, but rather the entire school.

“In the late ’90s, early 2000s, the percentage of students who were not Caucasian was around 20 percent,” Baker said. “Now, it’s about 46 percent. And that’s over a 20-year period of time.”

Although that’s a big achievement according to Baker, he’s not so focused on the numbers.

He’s much more concerned with creating a dynamic campus environment.

“Diversity to us has a much broader meaning,” Baker said.

“We are striving to facilitate great conversations: transformative conversations. It really is that simple.”

“The diversity of this community is its strength.

We draw power from our individuals, places and perspectives.”

- Director of Admission David Baker And those conversations are the essence of a Marksman’s education, according to Baker.

“The best conversations are those in which a variety of perspectives and contexts are presented and are a part of the conversation in the room,” Baker said.

Baker believes that to create a good dialogue, the Admissions Office must admit applicants with diverse thoughts and stories.

“If you take a whole bunch of people who all think exactly alike,” Baker said, “have the same points of view, eat at the same restaurant and do all same things, there’s not going to be a lot of innovation. The generation of ideas is going to be substantially narrower in that room.”

Creating a variety of thought

in the school’s classrooms doesn’t necessarily have to do with ethnicity.

According to Baker, diversity is an all-encompassing term with many different subsets.

“To me, it is every bit as important that you are sitting next to a young man who is from a different socioeconomic background than you,” Baker said. “I don’t distinguish between any of the things that we would call diversity. The whole universe of diversity is important to me.”

Although the Admissions Office does have methods they use to ensure they’re reaching a large amount of families internationally, at the end of the day Baker believes the school’s prestige makes a big difference.

“The fastest way to make sure that you have a diverse pool of applicants from which a diverse class will naturally come is to have a great school the people want to come to,” Baker said.

“That’s the way we approach it.”

But regardless of the diversity — the socioeconomic, religious, personality and ethnic differences in the community — Baker sees our identity as Marksmen as the most important. “[People] tend to segment guys into different groups, artificially,” Baker said. “But the last time I looked, you’re all Lions. I was there when you got in, so I know it. You’re Lions.”

STORY Ishan Gupta, Sam Goldfarb PHOTOS Will Rocchio

WHO WE ARE Ethnic diversity on campus

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percent growth of the number of students of color in the past ten years

46

percent of St. Mark’s students are students of color

25

percent of St. Mark’s students identify as Asian-American

15

foreign countries the school received applications from

6

percent of St. Mark’s students identify as African-American

8

percent of St. Mark’s students identify as Latino or Hispanic

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AMERICAS Dax Kane | Hawaii

Drew Woodward | Texas Teri Jellad | Puerto Rico Jorge Correa | Chile Eslendy Noble | Colombia

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daughter has shown them just how little the typical U.S. education teaches about Hawaii.

The state has, they say, a history that is worth studying, if for no other reason than to better understand the wide variety of cultures present across the U.S. The Kanes believe that same lack of understanding contributes to the image of Hawaii as a flawless tourist destination where the entire economy revolves around beaches and hotels. But that is not the reality many like Simon see.

One of Hawaii’s most crippling problems is poverty. As an issue unacknowledged in the contiguous 48 states, addressing it properly will take much more attention from people in positions of power.

While that change might not come today or tomorrow, the Kanes hope that, by continuing on a tradition that is slowly dying out, they can do their part to ensure Hawaiian culture continues to spread, spreading with it the trials Hawaiians face on a daily basis, stuck nearly 5,000 miles away from their capital city.

STORY Parker Davis, Rajan Joshi PHOTOS Parker Davis, Courtesy Simon Kane

HAWAII 10

percent

of current Hawaii residents identify as Hawaiian or Pacific islander.

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percent

HAWAII

right. Long grain rice, easily found in Latin American or European cooking traditions, is almost traitorous. Anyone who finds themselves indulging in long grain rice is not a true Hawaiian.

••• THE KANE FAMILY Hawaii, which has a rich cultural past Hoping to keep in touch with rivaling that of many nations, had a long their Hawaiian roots, traditional history as a recognized nation of its own before being annexed by the U.S. in the late island cuisine is a staple in the 20th century.

Kane household. Originally settled by other Pacific Islanders, Hawaii’s food, people and culture grew largely undisturbed from the first human settlement until the Kingdom of Hawai‘i was overthrown in 1893.

And that sudden change from traditional to Western rule has left many native Hawaiians hoping to preserve elements of their past as long as possible.

Since he was born, second grader Dax Kane has found Hawaiian food and history to be as big a part of his life as the typical American staples. His father, Simon Kane, was born and raised in Hawaii, living there through college all the way until his mid-twenties, when he moved to California and met his now wife, Carli Kane.

Since his kids were born, Simon has worked tirelessly to instill in them an appreciation and affinity for all aspects of Hawaii he can show them in Dallas. One of many of those aspects is the food.

“I think [Hawaiian food] is all he really knows,” Carli said. “But he does it really well.”

Food has become a key piece of how the PLATE LUNCH The traditional Hawaiian plate lunch, family keeps in touch with their Hawaiian consisting of kalua pork, steamed short grain rice roots, especially as living nearly 4,000 miles and macaroni salad, garnished with cabbage. from the state prevents them from returning on a regular basis. While everyone in the ften, the culture — and the food — family has a different favorite dish, many of of Hawaii is stereotyped down to the the most popular revolve around the plate luau, a traditional party in which a lunch. Macaroni salad was even a feature of large, roast pig is prepared over hot coals their most recent Thanksgiving meal. and presented with near endless accompa“Plate lunches, I mean, that’s the thing,” niments. But that tradition, used and abused Simon said. “Hawaiian food has some for decades to impress tourists to anAmericontemporary and traditional, and they’re canized Pacific island, is far from the norm really more of the contemporary, but they’re and the truth. all over.”

To be Hawaiian is to know the plate For the Kane family, the plate lunch can lunch. It’s a very simple meal, but is a staple serve of a symbol of an underrepresented, of contemporary Hawaiian tradition and largely unappreciated culture, that of the life. Three elements are key. original Hawaiian people. The Kanes — First is a protein. Whether it’s a short rib similar to many other native Hawaiians, nadish adapted long ago from Korean traditive-focused institutions tion, the Japanese-inspired chicken katsu or and Hawaiian legislators the long-Hawaiian kalua pig.

— believe the image of Second comes the macaroni salad, the true Hawaiian culture obligatory elbow pasta topped with a very has been taken over by light mayonnaise-esque sauce sprinkled a somewhat misleading with a few vegetables. one chiefly as a result of Last and most importantly, comes the tourism. And just like rice. The unit of measurement is the scoop, many of those people, usually one for the average eater and two they are doing their small for those looking to go a little bigger. But piece to help preserve it. the kicker is simple. It has to be short grain Beyond the food, the — commonly referred to as “sticky” — rice, two have found diving another nod to the true Hawaiian culinary into Hawaiian culture culture, firmly rooted in that of nations with Dax and their all over East Asia, but unique in its own

the percentage of Hawaiians living in poverty in 2015

SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

THE FAMILY The Kane family poses for a photo near the water. Simon moved to the mainland U.S. just after college.

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TEXAS

THE WOODWARD FAMILY Traditional Chile con carne is a generational favorite in the Woodward household, who came to Texas in the late 1600s.

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h, she’s one of those, is she? exclaims the great-grandmother of sophomore Drew Woodward.

Upon meeting her grandson’s girlfriend, the Albany, Texas native has a hard time grasping the young lady’s vegetarian and low-fat diet.

When dinner time comes, granny’s take of what a vegetarian meal looks like: a bowl of cauliflower, drenched in butter and garnished with bacon.

“It wasn’t chicken fried steak, so therefore it was healthy and vegetarian,” said Melinda Woodward, Drew’s mother and the recipient of the West Texan spin on a healthy meal.

Melinda eventually married into the family, and, in doing so, the marriage united two families with strong American and Texan roots.

Melinda’s family came to the United States from Ireland in the 1670s. Not too long after, the family of Drew’s father, Andrew Woodward, settled in Texas.

“Our family is out near Albany, Texas, which is about two and a half hours from here,” he said. “In the 1860s there was a military fort called Fort Griffin, which was put out there to protect against Indians and things like that. It was on the flat ground underneath a hill where a town was, which was a traditional old west town with saloons and stuff. It’s what you imagine an old west town would be … Our family ranch is on Maine street of

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that town.”

Despite centuries old connections to locations all across the country, the entire Woodward family came to a resounding agreement that they feel like they are Texans first and Americans second.

“We’re Americans, and we’re all proud of that, but my feeling is that when you have roots in Texas, your family goes back in Texas and you grew up here, there’s a certain pride that Texans have that’s different than any other state,” Andrew said. “The history that we’ve got are a lot to be proud of.”

There is an outdoor musical called “Fandangle” that celebrates the history of Albany each year.

It has been running for 81 years. For Melinda and her family, it allows them to remember the history of the town where their family ranch is located. Members of the family have even participated in it.

“The town where the ranch is has a lot of pride in the settling of that part of the country,” Melinda said. “We know so much about how that land was settled and our family is part of that history. We’re very tied to it, still. There’s a big festival every year celebrating the settlement of that part of the country.”

For the Woodwards, beef and chili are perfect representations of life on the ranch, where the family likes to hunt, fish, spend

time outside, relax with family and watch Texas sunsets.

“We spend a lot of time at the family ranch out in Albany, Texas, which is in West Texas,” Melinda said.

“We eat a lot of beef. They have a cattle ranch out there. Chili represents what the ranch and our time out there feels like. It felt like a good representation of our family.”

To the family, cooking meat too much is somewhat of a crime.

“We don’t trust people who cook their steak too much,” Melinda said.

Drew’s grandfather, Cliff Teinert, cooks for the family while they are out there.

“He’s a really good cook,” Drew said. “Whenever we go out there, he makes steak, chicken, or just some really good country food.”

This past fall, the Woodward family hosted junior exchange student Lachezar Hadzhigenov. Thanks in large part to food, he quickly assimilated into the Texan culture.

“He likes food and he’s very adventurous and willing to try anything,” Melinda said. “It was fun to take him around town to all of our favorite restaurants and cook for him.”

Keeping up with their family and the culture of Albany through food, the Woodwards are constantly reminded of their strong Texan ties.

“We have a lot of opportunities to remember and celebrate the roots that we have here that we don’t have as much for all of America,” Melinda said.

“So we just think about Texas a lot and why we’re here and what we love about it.”

BARBECUE, BISCUITS & BEANS Sophomore Drew Woodward’s grandfather published a cookbook of traditional family Texan recipes.

STORY Colin Campbell, Eric Yoo PHOTOS Nathan Han PICTURED Chile con carne

FAMILY HISTORY Both sides of sophomore Drew Woodward’s family settled in America and Texas several centuries ago.

PUERTO RICO SPANISH INSTRUCTOR TERI JELLAD Composed of beans, bell peppers and onions, Asopao de gandules is a Puerto Rican staple.

S

oaking the beans overnight. Dicing the bell peppers. Slicing the onions.

As Spanish instructor Teri Jellad goes through the long and tedious process of making the traditional Puerto Rican dish, asopao de gandules, she’s reminded of the past.

She’s reminded of her family coming together on Christmas nights and enjoying the dish. She’s reminded of a different culture, one of conviviality and togetherness.

She’s reminded of home.

•••

When Jellad left Puerto Rico for America over 30 years ago, she didn’t want to stay in the states for long.

After a second masters degree in library science, she was ready to get back home to Puerto Rico, but things changed.

“There was a job in the oil industry. It was a job as the consultant for a company, and I applied, but I had no experience whatsoever,” Jellad said. “I didn’t know enough English. I didn’t know geology, and I was going to work with geologists.”

Although she didn’t have the credentials, Jellad got the job and stayed with the company for nine years, but after she left the company and met her husband, her life became different.

“I became a full-time mom here in Plano,” Jellad said.

“A couple of years after that, when [my kids] started going to school, I became a library assistant.”

After Jellad’s time with the library, she moved with her family to Bainbridge Island in Seattle, where she became teacher. Eventually, she moved back to Texas and joined the school’s community in August 2016.

Nevertheless, Jellad’s familiarity with the Dallas area didn’t help her transition

from Seattle to Dallas.

“When I moved to Texas, I spent two years crying,” Jellad said. “It was a culture shock. There are some things you learn as a human being that you don’t realize you have. I had a lot of issues here, especially in social parties.”

Eventually, Jellad found herself being able to be reminded of Puerto Rico through food, using it as a medium to relive her favorite times back home.

“For me, it just brings memories from home,” Jellad said. “Obviously, the smells of the kitchen, bring your memories of your parents, the people who used to be with you.”

Beyond food, Jellad appreciates the Caribbean culture, especially how it blends cultures from various parts of the world.

“We have a combination of people from Venezuela, Colombia, and Africa,” Jellad said. “The African culture is very musical. A lot of the music and dancing is very lively, so [being energetic] is who I am.”

Always having a passion to cook, Jellad has also learned new dishes and even combined traditional Puerto Rican meals to make new family favorites, working off pure instinct and experience.

“There are some things that I just learn because I see other people cooking,” Jellad said. “I learned it from the family. We just learned it from scratch because it’s part of who we are. You don’t have to follow a recipe or anything like that. If I want to cook something from Puerto Rico, I usually find out how do you make this a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and you just do it, you don’t have measurements or anything like that.”

After marrying her husband, who is from Lebanon,

FAMILY TIME Jellad and her husband prepare for a hearty Puerto Rican meal of asopao de gandules and fried plantains as they set the table before dinner.

FINISHED PRODUCT After cooking for over an hour, Jellad’s dish is finally ready.

Jellad also began to learn how to cook Middle Eastern food. And just like she combines food from her homeland, she also tries combinations of Lebanese food and Puerto Rican food.

“My mother-in-law taught me how to cook a lot of Lebanese food,” Jellad said. “I had to use

STORY Sid Vattamreddy, Siddartha Sinha PHOTOS Sid Vattamreddy

MASTER CHEF Jellad slices up a plantain before frying it in a pan.

a book and write down whatever she told me because she will change the recipe. Eventually, I learned how, but not like her.”

Ultimately, Jellad thinks food and culture as a whole is one of the most important things in the lives of both her and her family members, and it’s

their collective duties to continue the tradition.

“For me, food is a connection,” Jellad said.

“There are some things [my kids] like, and some things they don’t. I saw it was important to preserve both of the [Puerto Rican and Lebanese] cultures, so they grew up eating tabbouleh and tostones.”

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CHILE

SPANISH INSTRUCTOR JORGE CORREA

An assortment of red meats, seafood and vegetables, the traditional Chilean dish Curanto is cooked over an open fire.

SIZZLING HOT While the food cooks, Correa (left) recounts his journey from Chile to America. Cooking a wide variety of beef, pork, chicken and seafood into the pan (above), Correa waits until the meat is simmering a golden brown color.

D

uring a cold winter night under the stars, Spanish instructor Jorge Correa sits around the oval shaped metal disk containing a stew of different meats, seafood and vegetables, prodding at the embers and checking to see if the food is ready.

Conversation ensues. The only distraction for his family is from the barking coming from one of his dogs. No cellphones, no television. Just the company of his family.

For Correa, making Curanto not only reminds him of his Chilean roots but also ways of bringing family together.

••• Before coming to the United States in 1999, Correa dreamed of leaving Chile and exploring the world.

“There are two different types of people in the world, the type that stay in one place for their whole life and then there are the other type, the people who are always moving,” Correa said. “That is the way that it used to be. I was in high school and I was trying to go somewhere. I was looking in foreign magazines all the time.”

After receiving an offer to move to New Orleans so he and his wife could teach Spanish and French, Correa began to think of a life outside of his home country. Moving to a new country and starting a new life with his four children and only six suitcases, the Correas were ready for the new challenge.

When the program ended, Correa’s wife found a job at Hockaday as a Spanish teacher, and Correa soon followed suit and joined the faculty at 10600 Preston Rd. He’s now in his 20th year here.

Correa’s first memories of eating the Chilean

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dish go all the way back to his childhood when his parents used to make it for him.

“The first time I had this when I was a kid, and my parents first started making it and then I learned how to do it,” Correa said. “In Chile, this is really the dish you make at a tailgate. I don’t really know how to make anything inside, but I know how to make this outside. When there is fire and company, we make this.”

The roots of Curanto originate from when farmers used to make it by using a piece of the plow to help cook their dinner.

“This disc is what you get from a plow, so people didn’t have to go anywhere,” Correa said. “They used the same part of a machine to cook with. I went to college in the south and people used to make this all the time.”

Although Correa’s four children never learned how to make the authentic dish, he wants them to be able to so they can continue the tradition.

“I don’t think they have ever made this, but I think they should,” Correa said. “It is not complicated. Like everything people do, you want it to have an authentic and specific flavor. It is just a mixture of all kinds of meat and potatoes like this” For Correa, part of the reason he continues to make the dish is to continue his Chilean culture and remember his roots.

“There are many people who forget,” Correa said. “Fifty years from now, some relative of mine maybe will never know where I, his grandfather, came from. If [relatives] are important to you then

STORY Sam Ahmed, Sid Vattamreddy, Aaron Thorne

you should know about that.“ Correa always looks forward to cooking the dish because it allows him to be able to spend quality time with his family.

“It is something we can all do together, and since we have to wait for it to cook, we are forced to talk,” Correa said. “The big event is when the family gets together. It is getting the whole family together and making the time to make that happen because otherwise it doesn’t happen naturally with the schedules. Food really does bring people together, but it is different when it is inside because people are on their phones and some are watching TV — when they are out here this is it.”

While the traditional Curanto is irreplicable, Correa continues to make it to reconnect with his culture.

“It is like re-creating something that happens over there and trying to bring it here, it is not exactly the same but it is a way of reminiscing. I feel a connection to it, and that reminds me of Chile,” Correa said. “It reminds you of something that you have been doing all your life, because it has been 24 years here.”

As Correa says, preserving the culture he grew up in helps him to not only remember his past, but also shape his future.

“It’s important to never forget where you come from because having that understanding molds your decisions,” Correa said. “In many ways, we bring pictures or photographs or things like that. There are many things in my house that have that meaning. That’s where the roots are It is the smell, the taste, it is the things that you do with all your senses.”

PHOTOS Benjamin Hao PICTURED Curanto

COLOMBIA

SPANISH INSTRUCTOR ESLENDY NOBLE Arepas aren’t too complicated — ­ any sort of filling in a baked white corn shell. Their simplicity makes them a Latin-American staple.

A

classic staple for everyone who lives in Colombia, Venezuela and the Preston and Royal area.

Arepas are a Latin American multitool.

Almost anything can go in the folded-over corn flour shell (always harina de maíz blanca, white corn), but it varies from region to region.

In Venezuela, anything goes: meats, veggies, frijoles and plátano bananas are all fair game — Arepas, TX right down the road follows this custom. In Colombia, simple queso blanco is the tradition.

For Eslendy Noble, fourth grade Spanish instructor and Bogotá, Colombia native, the taste of a gooey, cheesy arepa is the taste of her childhood.

“I remember the feeling of an arepa fresh from the oven,” Noble said. “It would be warm, and you’d bite into it and and the cheese would keep going and going.”

Arepas have no true American analogue — comparing them to hamburgers or pancakes wouldn’t do justice to the versatility of the dish.

“We would eat them at breakfast, at lunch, even as a snack between meals,” Noble said. “In the summer or in the winter — it didn’t matter.

People would always be selling them from street carts like hot dogs in New York.”

During the summer, no arepa could be consumed alone — a bottle or can of Postobón Manzana, an apple-flavored soda, always went along.

“Postobón was always my favorite when it was hot out,” Noble said. “We always got it in a bottle — for some reason, it tastes better that way.”

With a flavor that started like apple and finished almost like a cherry popsicle, the cool, sticky-sweet soda contrasted perfectly with the hot, salty arepa. The logic of Noble’s combination was unavoidable.

In Colombia, arepas are commonly paired

with another drink — chocolate, spiced hot chocolate. Piping-hot milk, real cocoa, cinnamon and clove go into the drink, never water.

“Bogotá is very cold, since it’s high up in the mountains,” Noble said. “So every day in the afternoon, there was chocolate time in Bogotá.”

Everyone in city would take a break in the afternoon for a steaming mug of cocoa and and an arepa — almost like English tea and biscuits at teatime.

“Between 3:00 and 4:00, my mother would make us chocolate,” Noble said, “not from a packet like you have here, but real chocolate with foam on the top, and clavo and canela and chiles. Most of the time, we’d have that with an arepa.”

A global citizen, Noble has lived and worked on three continents. But no matter where she goes, her Colombian roots stay with her.

“When I studied back in Colombia, my bachelor’s degree was in languages, English and French,” Noble said. “I applied for an exchange teacher program that sent me to teach Spanish in Minnesota for ten years.”

Though she enjoyed her time in the states, Noble wanted to keep exploring.

“So I lived ten years in Minnesota, and oh my God, I was so happy,” Noble said. “And of course, I did come back to the U.S. But I went to live in Europe for ten years.”

Her travels took her to France, Israel and Austria, where she also learned German. But the States called her back.

“I moved back here because I didn’t like any place else the same way,” Noble said. “I always dreamed to come back. The same company that helped me in Europe helped me in Colombia to come back.”

But her urge to get moving again caught up to her as she finished her citizenship process.

“I was getting tired of the cold in Minnesota, and I found St. Mark’s 17 years ago,” Noble said. “It was only supposed to be for five years,

NEW HOME Noble shares her stories from homes around the world from one of her favorite places in the world — her fourth-grade Spanish classroom.

because, you know, I love to travel.”

But something about this school caused her to stay.

“I got to this place and I saw the boys,” Noble said, “and I had that feeling that this was the place I wanted to be. I love my boys, love them. And I’m passionate about teaching my language and my culture.”

Having seen so much of the world, Noble understands the powerful connections food creates across and within cultures.

“Food is something everyone can understand, no matter what language you speak,” Noble said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, Colombia or Venezuela or the United States.”

As Noble knows, food is a universal language — and everyone can understand an arepa.

FILLED UP While traditional Colombian arepas are filled only with cheese, Venezuelan tradition is slightly different: if it’s food, it can go in an arepa. Pork and plátano, beef and queso, or chicken, avocado and veggies can all be found between the white corn shell.

STORYSam Goldfarb, Henry McElhaney PHOTOS Lee Schlosser

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CANADA

ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR SARAH CHOI Orchestra director Sarah Choi’s parents come from Korea.

Choi herself is Canadian. Her kids are American. The struggle for Choi? What parts of her past to pass down to the next generation.

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rchestra director Dr. Sarah Choi is Canadian.

Self-proclaimed 100 percent Canadian.

Her last name and her ancestors might have come from Korea, but Choi says she couldn’t pick out any extended family from a police roundup.

Choi might’ve lived the majority of her life in America, in various cities from New York to San Francisco to Dallas, but she still calls Canada home.

“The only time I ever visited [Korea], I actually got kicked out of a building,” Choi said. “The security guard was yelling at me and I couldn’t understand him so me and my friends got kicked out.”

When asked to name a favorite Canadian dish, Choi mentioned poutine, a dish originated from Quebec consisting of french fries and cheese curds topped with gravy.

“Cooking is just not my thing,” Choi said. “Food just isn’t something I care about a lot or make

a big deal about. I’ll eat almost anything you put in front of me.”

••• Choi was born and raised in Toronto to two Korean parents, who she credits with her knowledge of Korean and familiarity with Korean food.

“I grew up eating a lot of Korean food,” Choi said. “It’s kind of like comfort food for me — but I don’t particularly have a favorite Korean dish or remember anything really strongly.”

Then, at the age of 18, she moved to New York, then San Francisco and now Dallas. It’s been quite the journey for Choi, who joined the school this fall as an interim orchestra director.

But through all of the moves, Canada has always held a special place in her heart.

“I was born and raised in Canada,” Choi said,” and I would still call Canada home.”

Just like many of the students here are first-generation Americans, Choi is a first-gener-

ation Canadian. But just as her parents came to Canada from Korea, Choi’s children will also be first-generation Americans.

And just like her parents, Choi is trying to pass down her heritage from parts of Canada and Korea to her children as well.

“That’s why I bring my family back to Canada every summer,” Choi said. “It’s partly visiting family, but it’s also about teaching them about Canada and Toronto and how life is over there.”

“I feel a little regret that I don’t know my Korean past that well, yes, but at the end of the day, I’m proud of my connection to Canada and I’ve embraced that.”

— Sarah Choi

The issue? Balancing her Korean, Canadian, and her husband’s heritage, as well.

“My husband is Chinese and I’m Korean,” Choi said. “So all [the Korean] they know is basic phrases. Instead, they’re working on their Chinese more.”

And even if her kids already know English, there’s still much more to be learned about Canada and the culture in Toronto.

“There’s a lot of differences between [Canada] and America,” Choi said. “It’s just a big culture difference — just like there’s a big culture difference between Texas and New York, there’s a big difference in how people act and living in Canada versus America.”

Like poutine, which Choi said she makes sure to eat with the family everytime they visit.

While her Canadian roots may be strong, Choi doesn’t particularly identify with her Korean roots as strongly.

“I feel a little regret,” Choi said, “about that ,yes, but at the end of the day, I’ve proud of my connection to Canada and I’ve embraced it.”

STORY Nathan Han, Cristian Pereira PHOTOS Courtesy Sarah Choi

FAMILY COMES FIRST Orchestra director Sarah Choi, pictured alongside her husband and her three kids, has always called Canada home.

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CANADA DAY Extended family members of orchestra director Sarah Choi celebrate Canada Day.

ASIA Andrew Nuth | Cambodia Darius Ganji | Iran Daniel Wu | China Matthew Raroque | The Philippines Janet Lin | Taiwan

CAMBODIA THE NUTH FAMILY

Reconnecting with before: that’s why they prepare this meal.

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e tries not to dwell on his past.

A past riddled with sounds of gunshots. A past marred by the death of his youngest brother. A past wasted away in the Khmer Rouge’s labor camps in Cambodia.

But Pithou Nuth, father of sophomore Andrew Nuth, still tries to reminisce of a time before everything went wrong.

From beef salad to amok soup, food is his tool to reconnect with memories of him and his family gathered around the dinner table. Memories of lazy summer Sundays spent playing with his four brothers in the field. Memories of his father’s warm embrace.

For Pithou, food is a way to remember.

••• Led by the ruthless Pol Pot, the Cambodian communists known as the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. They forced the people in cities to evacuate and work in rice fields in the name of agricultural reform and reeducation, eventually executing professionals, intellectuals and any suspected affiliates with the former government.

“They don’t believe in the family structure,” Pithou said­­­­­, “so they separate the men from the women and women from the children. And they abolished currency, they abolished religion, they abolished pretty much anything that society would have.”

Fleeing from the Khmer Rouge forces, Pithou’s family retreated to a rural village near Phnom Penh, but his father, a pilot in the Cambodian air force, decided to return to the capital to help the new government.

Pithou never saw him again.

Transferred from labor camp to labor camp, the next four years of Pithou’s life were a blur of endless days and hungry nights. Pithou’s grandparents and youngest brother eventually died from starvation and sickness.

He didn’t even have time to grieve.

“You kind of [have a] ‘well, I’m next so who care[s]’ attitude,” Pithou said, “because

you didn’t have anything to eat, you didn’t have anything, you have to work, you have to do all that stuff. So you never really take the time to grieve properly like probably some people would do. When your brother pass[es] away, it’s a blessing for us because they don’t suffer anymore. He was literally bone and skinny, and we had to shave his head.”

But, in 1979, Pithou’s family was finally liberated, as the Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia and defeated the Khmer Rouge regime.

After making it to a refugee camp established by the Red Cross and UNICEF at the Thai-Cambodian border, one thing led to another, and eventually, the Catholic Diocese of Dallas sponsored Pithou’s family to immigrate to the United States in 1981.

“Fortunately, since my dad was associated with, I guess, the U.S. Air Force because he was in the Cambodian air force,” Pithou said, “so we got the kind of priority. So they say if you have any connection with the U.S. government you can get the priority to come.”

It’s been 38 years since Pithou emigrated to the United States.

And for Pithou, cooking Cambodian food is a way for him to reconnect with his culture that he left behind.

“Because of that [Khmer Rouge] period and all of the oppression and labor camps,” Pithou said, “they didn’t provide us with food, so they could starve us to death, because that’s what they wanted to do. Certain [foods] remind us of that time, one of these things being raw spinach. We survived with that because we didn’t have any other stuff.”

Because of the difficulties in making a full Cambodian meal, the Nuths only cook these recipes about once a month.

STORY Sahit Dendekuri, James Rogers PHOTOS Lee Schlosser

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“When you cook, you can see it’s too much sometimes and for us,” Nuth said, “in a way, we’re kind of lazy. When you cook, it takes time to do. [The kids] also don’t like it too much.”

Pithou acknowledges the shift in his cooking style and tastes after living in America for such a long time.

“For us we sort of “Americanize, so we don’t use all of the rice,” Pithou said. “I came over when I was 14, but I went to school and you kind of get used to that cafeteria food or food for four years right, and then no one cooked because we didn’t have Cambodian food.”

Pithou’s adoption of Americanized food coincides with his acceptance and appreciation for American culture and the American Dream.

“I don’t dwell on the past,” Pithou said. “That’s kind of one good thing about who I am because I have a really sad, kind of horrific childhood. What this country has done is that it has afforded me opportunities. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of us Cambodian refugees are successful. A lot of them are still in hardship because they were in the wrong place. I consider myself lucky. What this country has done is that it has helped me achieve the American dream.”

Despite being a refugee and understanding the importance of immigrants, he does not believe in opening our borders to just anyone.

“I don’t have any qualms about refugees that come here legally,” Pithou siad. “But I do for those who come illegally. I know we have the right and left, but just have common sense.

The world has changed, you can’t just open the borders for everyone.”

Looking back, Pithou is grateful for all the opportunities granted to him in the United States.

“I am blessed to call myself an American,” Pithou said. “I pinch myself sometimes with Andrew and my daughter. I always say feel blessed to be where you are at. Take advantage of it.”

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1. LAYED OUT Before preparing the meal, the Nuth family shows off the raw ingredients.

2.MIXING IT IN Pithou Nuth mixes the beef in with the limebased seasoning.

3. BLENDER-READY Sinna Nuth prepares the broth for the Fuzzy Squash soup by blending the ingredients together to make a smooth paste.

4. FAMILY TIME From left to right, Sinna, Pithou and Andrew Nuth sit in anticipation of the feast that lies ahead.

5. FISHY BUSINESS Pithou Nuth labels an amok dish with red snapper into a lemongrasslined bowl.

6. BEST FOR LAST The Durian Custard is baked then served on top of sticky rice.

7. FINISHED PRODUCT Once done, the dish is left to boil.

8. INTENSE PREPARATION The Nuths only cook a full Cambodian meal once a month because of the difficulty.

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15

IRAN

THE GANJI FAMILY Their lives were forever changed by the Iranian Revolution. But senior Darius Ganji’s parents and their families persevered.

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arab “Rob” Ganji’s father had a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, a PhD and had done postdoctoral work.

He had worked for the U.N., almost becoming secretary general.

He had been the dean of the law school of Tehran University, advisor to the Iranian prime minister and minister of education in Iran.

Now, with everything but his education lost, he was starting from scratch.

••• Darab’s father didn’t expect to be going back to Iran. Until that point, he had lived an almost entirely western life after he had left Iran to study in the U.S. “[My father] went to the University of Kentucky, got his bachelor’s and his master’s,” Darab said. “Then he went to Geneva International and got his PhD in international law and human rights. Then, he went to Cambridge and got his postdoc in International Law and Human Rights, and then the United Nations offered him a job in New York.”

Things at the U.N. were going well, to the point where Darab’s father was a contender to the position of secretary general of the U.N. But now, he had to return to Iran.

“My mother came from a political family and her cousin was prime minister of Iran in the 1960’s under the Shah,” Darab said. “The fundamentalist Muslims assassinated him in front of he Parliament.”

Darab’s parents only planned on returning for the funeral, but Darab’s father soon realized Iran wanted him to stay.

“Everyone approached my dad,” Darab said. “They said, ‘Why don’t you come back to Iran – you can do what you want to do in Iran.’”

And so his path changed. Darab’s father became dean of the law

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school of Tehran University, advisor to the Prime Minister, and Minister of Education in Iran.

“He really wanted to contribute to the education side,” Darab said.

Then the revolution began. darab’s dad wasn’t worried – at first.

“It was inconceivable to us for Iran not to have a shah,” Darab said.

Soon, he realized his assumptions were misguided, and he fled Iran, leaving almost everything behind – and restarting his life in the United States with nothing – except a son.

Darab’s father started a French bakery to provide for his family.

“I was born in this country,” Darab said. “[My parents] came here at a very difficult time. It wasn’t easy for a 14-year-old Iranian in the U.S.” Darab described how the post-revolution Iranian government kept all Americans in Iran hostage and how this changed the American perception of Iranians for the worse.

“The regime in Iran took Americans hostage, and when I was going to high school kids could not differentiate between those guys and a good guy who had left Iran.”

Despite these hardships, however, Darab is extremely thankful for the opportunity the United States gave his family.

“This shows the beauty of this country ­— that anyone can start from scratch,” Darab said. “My father started a bakery, did remarkably well with the bakery, and he started our life from zero, practically.

That’s the beauty of this country.”

Like his wife, Darab is extremely passionate about the importance of education.

“That’s the only thing no one can take away from you no matter what happens in the world,” Darab said.

“If you have a good foundation and a good education you can start all over.”

FAMILY HISTORY Flanked by his father and mother, senior Darius Ganji holds a family cookbook with several Persian recipes.

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eath to the shah.

Things were getting dangerous for the Azar Pahlavi and the rest of her family.

“Death to the Shah.”

Demonstrations, revolutionaries marching in the street with one goal: overthrow the monarch.

“Death to the Shah.”

Pahlavi was the Shah’s niece.

••• Just two weeks away from starting school, Azar “Azi” Pahlavi Ganji, then 14 and named Azar Pahlavi, started to pack. She had to leave Iran ­— she genuinely feared for her life “Things were getting very dangerous,” Azar said. “People would go into the streets and chant, ‘Death to the Shah.’”

Azar’s grandparents were scared for her and her sister. Don’t leave them here, they said. Have them come to Europe.

So to Europe they went. Little did they know, they would never return to Iran — for the rest of their lives.

“My father had a place in Paris,” Azar said. “So we stayed there, and then school started and [my grandparents] said, ‘Don’t come back.’”

And her family weren’t the only ones worried for her.

“The government of Iran was calling my parents, saying, ‘Don’t come back,’” Azar said.

Azar says the move was so quick she didn’t even really have time to process the situation.

“We packed the two weeks before “We packed for a two-week vacation to Paris before the beginning of school.

We went to Paris and never came back home.

- Pahlavi Ganji

STORY Cristian Pereira, Nathan Han PHOTOS Nathan Han

the beginning of school,” Azar said.

“We went to Paris and never came back home.”

Everything that meant home to her — she would never see it again.

Luckily, Paris turned out to be an adequate new home.

“There was no culture shock,” Azar said. “Because every summer [my family and I] would go to Paris.”

Azar says school was probably the most challenging aspect of her new life in Paris.

“English was my third language,” Azar said. “I could communicate, but when they threw me in a class with a Shakespeare book, I was like, ‘Wow.’” Luckily, since she was extremely young for her class, she was allowed to repeat a grade, which helped her catch up to the level of other students.

Things seemed to be going well.

But even in Paris, the terror of the Iranian revolution and its leader, Islamic radical Ruhollah Khomeini, still followed her.

“Khomeini came to Paris and things got really dangerous,” Azar said. “My parents said, ‘For your safety, we will get you in boarding school.’ And we were gone. I never thought in my life I would end up in a British school.”

Luckily, the threat soon subsided, and she was able to finish high school in Paris. After graduating she attended the American University in Paris, which is where she met her future husband, Darab Ganji, and later moved with him to the United States of America.

Azar stressed the importance of friends, family and education.

“No matter what happens,” Azar said, “the love of family and friends and your education is all that can hold you together.”

1. HEAD CHEF In an Elevated Cooking apron, senior Darius Ganji sits in front of his saffron rice cake.

2. TEA TIME Most Persian meals are served with tea to wash down the meal.

3. DESSERT The Persian Napoleon is a pastry with heavy influence from French cuisine.

4. PASSING IT DOWN The family cookbook holds several recipes written by relatives, including Ganji’s aunt.

FEASTING Sangak bread - “It’s a traditional Iranian bread served with main dishes. The name comes from the Persian word for ‘rock’ because it’s cooked over red hot pebbles.”

Kebabs - “They’re the signature protein in Iranian cuisine. There’s everything ranging from minced meat Koobideh kebabs to Baarg kebabs — made from beef filet — and Joojeh — a saffron marinated chicken kebab.”

Senior Darius Ganji explores the in’s and out’s of a plate of traditional homemade Persian food.

Tahchin - “It’s a crisped, Persian, saffron rice cake with a custardy inside that comes from a yogurt, egg and saffron mixture. It’s in the oven for almost two hours.”

Eggplant stew (Khoresht Bademjan) “A slow, simmered stew with beans and dried limes. There’s so many Khoresht’s (stews) in Iranian cuisine and they vary per household.”

Basmati rice - “It’s a long-grain rice commonly used in Persian cuisine.

We dress the top of it with saffron to give the few yellow grains their distinctive color.”

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CHINA THE WU FAMILY

Sophomore Daniel Wu has worked hundreds of hours at his family’s restaurant: Wang’s Chinese Cafe — to which he credits learning many life lessons.

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welve hours a day. Three-hundred-sixty days a year. Late night shifts during holiday seasons.

Sophomore Daniel Wu’s parents, Kai Wu and Pansy Zeng, immigrated to the U.S. from China, seeking a better a life. And they have it.

After Kai owned and worked as a chef at Hong Kong Express, a partner-owned restaurant, and Zeng was a waitress and food deliverer there, they decided to buy a restaurant and start a family business. Now they work tirelessly to manage Wang’s Chinese Cafe in Preston Center.

••• After coming to America a few years apart, Kai and Zeng met each other because they lived in the same apartment complex. Kai invited Zeng to work at the first restaurant, and they later married each other. A desire for autonomy primarily motivated Daniel’s parents to buy Wang’s and leave their old jobs.

“I know my dad isn’t the type of person to follow other people’s instructions,” Daniel said.

“He wants to be his own boss, and he’s very outgoing, so he’ll do things his way. That’s the main theme of them opening a restaurant, coming to America: independence from other people and not having other people tell you what to do all the time.”

Buying the restaurant presented many logistical and financial challenges for the Wu family when they settled in the U.S. “Opening the business was extremely difficult because when you open a new business, you have to rent out a place or buy a place,” Daniel said. “You have to buy all the stuff that you’ll need: plates, silverware, decorations [and] set up with telephone companies so you can do delivery.”

When Daniel was one and a half years old, his parents sent him to China to live with his grandparents because the restaurant entailed too much work to raise their son simultaneously.

When Daniel grew older, he began to work with his parents in the restaurant.

OPEN LATE Located at 6033 Luther Lane, Wang’s Although he only wiped tables and Chinese Cafe has served the Dallas community for cleaned dishes during Lower School, he faced more responsibilities as he became over ten years. older. wants, but it will take work to accomplish it.

“In Middle School, I would be serving tables, “I’ve taken that being independent is diftaking care of customers who came in,” Daniel ficult,” Daniel said. “But once you’ve gotten said. “Then towards the end of Middle School, control of everything, it’s a lot better than taking I started taking phones, packaging food, and orders from someone else.” then usually during New Year’s or the holidays, Because the restaurant is extremely time-conour whole family will suming for the family, it’s one of the main places be here. And we’re all where he can be with his family. At least one of “I left China to find just working together his parents is typically at the restaurant until more opportunity.” trying to get everythey close.

— Kai Wu thing done so we can “That’s mostly my dad, so I’m able to be go home.” somewhere that he is most days of his life and Daniel sees the hundreds of hours he’s spent most of the time during his day,” Daniel said. at Wang’s as a time for him to bond with his “Now he’s in college classes, he has to study parents over individual successes, similar to for stuff, so I don’t really talk to him very much how a sports team feels after their persevering other than when I walk by to get water. We’ll through a rigorous practice. just exchange a little story, and then go our sepa“My connection with them doesn’t really rate ways.” come from us working on a single thing togethAlthough Daniel hasn’t decided his career, he er,” Daniel said. “When I see them working hard is sure that the lessons he’s learned at Wang’s or when they are happy because a big order will guide his future. has come in, we’ll all feel that joy. Then once “Whatever “I left China to have more it is I end up the shift is over, we’re all like, ‘Yeah, we did political freedom.” it.’ That’s something to talk about the next day, doing, I’ll still

— Pansy Zeng something to talk about in the car ride.” be able to be independent,” By working with his parents at Wang’s, Daniel Daniel said. “And I’ll still be able to deal with has picked up many lessons about how to deal difficult situations.” with different situations as they present themDaniel believes many people don’t have the selves during his shifts. privilege of inheriting a well-established busi“If someone doesn’t have enough change ness and financial security from their parents. or is acting disrespectful to other customers, “I realize that not everyone, not every family how to ask them to leave without being rude,” who is attending St. Mark’s is as lucky or has as Daniel said. “Small things like that that you pick much of a foundation that is helpful because my up [are] not only important for your job in the parents started from scratch here,” Daniel said. future but also for social situations that occur.”

“Some people had to work harder to be where Over the years of watching his parents build they are at, and some people got it passed down their restaurant, he learned he can do what he to them, and they didn’t have to work as hard.”

STORY Jack Davis, Sai Thirunagari PHOTOS Adnan Khan, Courtesy Daniel Wu SETTING THE TABLE At the Wu’s family restaurant (far left), diners enjoy traditional Chinese food. The restaurant, located in the Preston-Royal shopping center, has become a staple of the family’s life here.

THE HEIR Sophomore Daniel Wu (top right) looks around his family’s restaurant. Wu has learned a lot from his time spent watching his parents run their restaurant.

THE FOUNDERS Standing in front of a band, Kai Wu and Pansy Zeng (bottom right) pose for a picture. The two created their restaurant soon after coming to the U.S., despite difficulties finding the money to get the project off the ground.

PHILIPPINES THE RAROQUE FAMILY Junior Matthew Raroque’s parents were born in the Philippines, and he’s had a taste of that culture as far back as he can remember.

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spiral of colorful dishes lines the giant round table—adobo, pancit, lechon, kakanin, ube halaya and lumpia — each one influenced and manipulated with each wave of countries that had colonized the Philippines.

As dozens of shoes pile up at the front door, Malaysian, Oriental, Spanish, Muslim, African-American, Indonesian and Dutch cousins all gather around the table.

At the center, the huge bowl of steaming Kare Kare, made with oxtail, tripe, shrimp paste, and various vegetables simmers in peanut sauce and toasted brown rice.

Kare Kare is that stand-out dish. It’s the centerpiece of all major Filipino gatherings, requiring days of preparation and work in advance. In many ways, the diverse array of Filipino food embodies Filipino culture: the country itself is a delicious melting pot of races, cultures and religions.

••• Junior Matthew Raroque can’t remember exactly when he first ate Kare Kare, and neither can his parents, Henry and Tes Raroque, both of whom grew up in Manila, capital of the Philippines.

“It’s a big dish, we don’t usually just cook it every day,” Henry said. “Usually when people gather together, friends and family gather together, everybody looks for it. There’s always a big pan with it. This one is always going to be there, so everybody looks for it. It’s the highlight of the feast. I guess it reminds you of friends and family every time you see it.”

Although Matthew didn’t like oxtail at first due to the pungent shrimp paste ingredient, he suddenly found himself obsessed with the dish one gathering.

“My older brothers, John and Christian, were so into it,” Matthew said. “But I was never really into it. And then I guess, one gathering we had, I decided to try it, and then I instantly loved it. But you have to acquire taste for it over time. It was probably during some party that we held when I was young. From then, I just grew up with it.”

While oxtail can be found in any regular supermarket, it is expensive now due to the increase in chefs that are using oxtail in their dishes. When Tes and Henry Raroque first immigrated to Dallas, however, oxtail was still relatively cheap.

“We didn’t meet in the Philippines,” Tes said.

“We met here in Dallas in the hospital that I was working at. We grew up the same way—both of us went to Catholic schools, not those elite schools. No, our families couldn’t afford that,

so it was an average neighborhood that we grew up in.”

When Henry and Tes had their firstborn child, Henry’s mother flew in from the Philippines A SPOONFUL Lifting up a piece of meat, junior Matthew Raroque enjoys to cook for her grandson a bowl of Kare-Kare, a traditional Filipino dish prepared with a variety of different meats and vegetables, chiefly oxtail, tripe and shrimp paste. and family, because you come here, you work hard, you get passing down to become somebody, and I think most people her recipe for Kare Kare in the process. from third-world countries are hardworking,” “His mom is a really good cook,” Tes said.

Henry said. “You come here for better things.”

“In fact, she was the one who taught me a lot Both the Philippines and the U.S. are similar of the dishes I know. She cooked a lot when she because they are both melting pots of people was staying with us at that time, and she taught from different kinds of cultures and experiences. me a lot of these dishes, especially Kare Kare.

“To some degree, the reason that there’s a lot She even gave me her recipe.” of problems here is because it’s a melting pot,” Henry said. “But, we’re used to that. In our culHenry, who immigrated to the U.S. to receive more advanced training under UT Southwestern ture, we have a Fiesta, and every house is open — it doesn’t matter who you are, you can go to after completing medical school in the Philipevery house and eat. And when you go there, pines, was working on his fellowship at the time everybody’s different, everybody’s coming from while Tes, after her sister settled in the U.S. as different places. So when we came here, we a nurse, decided to come to the U.S. to enter were used to different cultures. It doesn’t bother nursing school. us at all, and we really enjoy it. We don’t take “The U.S. is just so advanced, and the Philany of those things negatively because it’s an ippines is a unique culture in the sense that we evolution, it’s a journey to getting to know each were invaded by everybody — we were under other.”

Spain for three years, we were under Japan In the end, the Raroques have stayed for five years, and prior to that, the in Dallas since they came to the U.S. Malay race were there, and then because it is the ideal place to raise the Americans came — and a family, according to Henry. each culture, each country, “If you’re not from here, that came in brought someyou won’t know how much thing, but it’s the American of a mixture Dallas is because culture that brought everythe impression is that you thing,” Henry said. “I use come here, and everybody’s that term loosely, but at a cowboy,” Henry said. “Well, one point, we were called you get to be a cowboy if you Brown Americans in Asia stay here long enough. But you because we were so Amerirealize there’s a lot of people canized — like our system of from different cultures. And a lot education.” of people I knew here were not from Since the American culture was Dallas — they just got attracted here. already ingrained into the Philippines, I think it’s the same attraction that we have.

Henry believes that the U.S. was just like an When I came here, I knew that this was a place I extension for him. could raise a family.”

“But it was better [coming to America]

STORY Tianming Xie, Jack Davis PHOTOS Will Rocchio PICTURED Kare-Kare

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TAIWAN

CHINESE INSTRUCTOR JANET LIN Far from home on a newspaper assignment Chinese instructor Janet Lin found more than a story — she found her whole life ahead of her.

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riving across a foreign country with all of her belongings in tow, Chinese instructor Janet Lin found herself eight-thousand miles from her native country of Taiwan. As she jumped from city to city, Lin looked for a place to call home.

She started in San Diego.

Chicago was too cold.

New York was too crowded.

Houston was too humid.

On a whim, Dallas was perfect.

••• Lin was born in Taipei, Taiwan. Her father was in the army, so she attended school with other children who lived on the base together. She attended elementary school, high school and college in Taiwan.

Having lived there her whole life, she became a section editor for a prominent Taiwanese newspaper. She would be given assignments around Taiwan and sometimes internationally.

On an assignment for the newspaper in Mexico, Lin was tasked with interviewing a man by the name of Lawrence. Lin had no idea she would be interviewing her future husband.

“Lawrence was my assignment,” Lin said.

“We met in Mexico. Not in China. Not in Taiwan. Not in the United States. In Mexico.”

Lin would return to Taiwan soon after getting married because her job and family had remained there while she met Lawrence.

A CLOSER LOOK The BBQ pork ribs are plated on a bed of broccoli and tomatoes.

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“My roots are in Taiwan.”

Lin said. “All my life I’ve only known Chinese, so he moved back for one year and I saw him suffering THE DISH Lin putting on display her homemade, traditional because his whole life was back [ in the United States]. I BBQ pork Ribs in her office on campus. could really sense his sufferThe dish Lin took to the United States is ing. So I said, ‘Ok. It’s time for me to sacricalled “步步高升” or in English, BBQ pork fice.’ So that’s why we moved here.” ribs. It’s meaning and significance come from Lin continued to work as a section editor its simple ingredients and ease to cook. for the Taiwanese newspaper while she lived The name of the dish roughly translates to in the United States. “get promotion continuously; and to attain “They were holding my position for eminence step by step.” Since the ingredients anytime I wanted it back.” Lin said, “I didn’t come in a series of one tablespoon of wine, make a final decision for a while because I two tablespoons of vinegar, three tablespoons had only brought two suitcases when I came of sugar, four tablespoons of soy sauce and here.” five tablespoons of water.

Lin lived in a couple of cities before she Lin’s mom wanted her to have the dish not decided to stay and live in Dallas. Her path only because it was easy to make, but also for took her across the country, originating in the what it meant for Lin’s career and future. west coast and taking her to the east coast “The ingredients are a metaphor for life.” and finally south to Dallas.

Lin said.” So the ingredients are going higher “We stayed in Houston for some months, and higher, and that’s about your life. Mom but I didn’t like it because the weather was wanted me to have it so it would remind me like Taiwan and very humid.” Lin said, “I that my life could go higher and higher.” decided we should go back to Chicago, but Lin’s life has certainly changed as she driving on the way from Houston to Chicago moves higher and higher through life, and we passed through Dallas. We stayed a she believes her work as a journalist helped couple of days in Dallas and I thought that it her see the world with a more open mind. was a place we should live, so that’s why we That’s not to say she hasn’t faced some stayed here.” challenges along the way in her journey While Lin was growing up she would alimmigrating. ways watch her mom cook for her and love it “Because I travelled a lot and interviewed when she cooked special dishes for birthdays a lot of people, I was more open-minded.” or other celebrations.

Lin said. “It was easier for me to adopt to a “I liked my mom’s 糖醋排骨. It’s a sweet new lifestyle, but on the other hand my caand sour rib but it’s difficult to make.” Lin reer and education was all Chinese, so when said. “ She would always make for my birthI moved to the United States I had to start day or whatever celebration.” learning English.”

Lin is always looking for ways to stay in When she moved to the United States, Lin touch with her family back in Taiwan and asked her mom for the recipe to her favorite feel connected to them. This dish is one of dish. many things she has brought with her to the “When I decided to move to here, I asked United States. my mom if I could have the recipe for it.”

“I really like the dish because it has a lot Lin said, “She said, ‘why don’t I give you the of meaning to me.” Lin said. “And the ‘one, other one? It’s easier to make and it also has a two, three, four, five’ means that everybody good meaning.’” can do it.”

STORY Mateo Guevara, Trevor Crosnoe PHOTOS Benjamin Hao

AFRICA Odran Fitzgerald | Togo

Fisayo Omonije | Nigeria Sam Light | South Africa

TOGO THE FITZGERALD FAMILY Fufu, a doughy-like yam accompanied by a spicefilled broth, is a long-time Fitzgerald family favorite.

A

t 19 years old, Sylvie Fitzgerald was on the run.

Escaping the widespread civil unrest and violence against the dictatorship in Togo, her father, a politician, sent her along with her six brothers and sisters out of the country.

One of her brothers landed in Germany.

Others stayed with relatives in different parts of Africa and Europe.

Sylvie, herself, ended up in Italy.

And that’s where she met Barnaby.

Sylvie and Barnaby Fitzgerald married in Italy and moved to the United States where they had junior Odran Fitzgerald and his sister, Moina.

Even after living in the United States for nearly his entire life and being born on American soil, Sylvie thinks it is important for her son to still hold onto his African roots.

“For me, it’s very important that he considers himself an African,” Sylvie said.

“When he was about six years old, just so that he knows where he comes from, we moved back to Togo. Things were not completely stable at that point, but they were stable enough. My husband had a year of sabbatical and he wanted to do some research in villages in West Africa, so we went back to Togo and spent a year there.”

Going to school in Togo provided Odran unique experience that Sylvie believes he would not have been able to obtain anywhere else.

“I think it gave him a sense of confidence that he wouldn’t have if he grew up in America,” Sylvie said. “Every two or three years we go back. Two summers ago we had a big family reunion with all my brothers and sisters from all over the world, with my father — everybody came back. That was the first time we were all together in the same house in

A TRUE PASSION Sylvie Fitzgerald loves the process of making fufu.

STORY Chris Wang, Han Zhang PHOTOS Benjamin Hao PICTURED Fufu with Chicken

35 years.”

Fufu, a traditional Togolese dish composed of gigantic, mashed yam with a doughy-like texture accompanied by a sauce or a broth, reminds Sylvie of her hometown.

“It reminds me of my childhood,” Sylvie said. “Memories of all of us taking turns pounding the fufu, and then usually we would put it in a big dish with the sauce on it, and we all sat around the table and we would use our hands to eat it. So it’s for everybody — it’s community, it’s family.”

Slyvie credits her Togolese background for providing her with a different perspective when looking at the world around her.

“I think it gives me the capacity not to be stuck on things: to see that whatever the appearance is, it’s not always just that and to go beyond that, to give people a chance to express themselves without having already made my opinion,” Sylvie said. “I have to say, it gives me a different perspective than when I’m with my friends that are African Americans. We definitely have different perspective on things like race relations, on racism.”

Similarly, Odran feels a sense of pride in having such a unique background behind him.

“For me, having a background in another country is not something that I see a lot, especially in a country like Togo, which is a pretty small country,” Odran said. “Having something to look back on and having something that I can express — it’s nice to be able to wear a Togolese suit. It doesn’t really affect me in any way other than how I think and have a different perspective on different things.”

Both Odran and Sylvie have recognized the profound relationship between fufu and the Togolese culture, community and people.

Sylive uses chicken, garlic, ginger and other spices in her own take on fufu.

“In making fufu—that’s really it,” Sylvie said. “It’s a very simple way of cooking fast, and Togo is not a rich country, so it’s the simple things that people can do with a few ingredients that makes this dish and country so special.”

2

times a month Odran eats fufu with his family

TEAMWORK Odran and Sylvie work together on preparing the yam base for fufu. It takes two to properly undergo the process.

“Togo’s just wonderful. It’s poor but after a few days you don’t even notice that. Everybody’s charming and hardworking and the food is especially great. My understanding is that when I went to Togo for the first time in 1999, I read in guidebooks; almost unanimously, they said that there was only one dish, which is what we know as akume. But in fact it turned out that when I got there, there were endless dishes—it was like was like Bologna— it was like Northern Italy. It was really surprising that whoever writes these traverls’ guides don’t have the food that the people serve. What this told told me is that people reduce contexts—they make them very small so that they are swallowable. So for eample, because I paint figuratively, I am called a realist—but of course that’s not true at all.”

—Barnaby Fitzgerald

IN HIS ELEMENT

Father of Odran, husband of Sylvie and artist Barnaby Fitzgerald passes much of his time developing creative masterpieces in the comfort of the studio in the backyard.

NOTHING LIKE HOME Barnaby’s workplace gives him not only a chance to produce beautiful work but also a sense of comfort.

MASTERPIECE Barnaby explains the story behind his piece, a painting inspired by visits to African villages with his family.

THE SAFE SPACE Barnaby’s cabin-like work space provides him with serenity and time to reflect and is filled with tools too.

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NIGERIA THE OMONIJE FAMILY A favorite in Nigerian households, fried dodo is a common meal cooked by the Omonije family.

I

n Nigeria, most homes have gardens where they grow plantains. When fried, they become the Nigerian delicacy dodo.

You can eat it with almost any dish: as a snack, a side dish or an entree.

Freshman Fisayo Omonije and Seun Omonije ‘18 eat it with all kinds of Nigerian dishes. Pounded yam and okra, Jollof rice and barbecued meat are favorites to eat with dodo in the Omonije household.

Because dodo is a common delight in Nigeria, Seun believes that making it at home helps him connect with his roots.

“It is probably the most popular of all Nigerian foods because it is eaten no matter what ethnicity you are,” Seun said. “Eating it makes us seem like we’re taking part of that common culture.”

Femi, father of Seun FAMILY TRADITION The Omonije family is dressed in “I’ll always carry my and Fisayo, grew up in traditional Nigerian attire. last name with me Ondo State, Nigeria. After attending the University of — and that should Port Harcourt in Nigeria, remind people of my he pursued a master’s heritage — but I also at the University of bump Nigerian music degree Texas at Dallas to start a here at Yale in my life in the United States. dorm room.

Today, Femi focuses - Seun Omonije ‘18 on ensuring he stays connected with his Nigerian background.

“He grew up in Nigeria where there were a lot of rules that we don’t necessarily have here in America,” Fisayo said. “He still adheres really strongly to his culture. Around the house, we have a lot of Nigerian stuff, we have a couple Nigerian paintings and Nigerian drums. If you look in our house, you can see that we appreciate the culture from Nigeria.”

While Seun never felt pressure from his father to keep the LAYED OUT Sliced pieces of dodo are placed on Nigerian “pride,” he believes it’s the little things that the paper towels just after being fried. family does which allows it to stay connected.

“I think just the way that Nigerian people act is different than an American person,” Seun said, “so by acting like my parents raised me to act I am taking pride in my ethnicity.”

One way is through the food; about the half of the meals Femi cooks at home are Nigerian dishes, and Seun has learned to cook many of the dishes himself.

Freshman Fisayo Omonije shares his “Nigerian food is delicious and I know how to cook it, so I top five favorite Nigerian dishes. can carry that with me wherever I go,” Seun said. “I’ll always carry my last name with me — and that should remind peo1. Plantains ple of my heritage — but I also bump Nigerian music here at Yale in my dorm room.”

2. Pounded yam and stew Both Seun and Fisayo value and emphasize the signifi3. Jollof rice cance of staying connected with their culture — whether that 4. Dodo means by cooking the food, decorating the house or bumping the music.

5. Garri STORY Kamal Mamdani PHOTOS Courtesy Seun Omonije

Fisayo’s top five

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SOUTH AFRICA THE LIGHT FAMILY Incorporating many spices brought straight from South Africa, bobotie is enjoyed in the Light family.

F

ive spices in a dish might seem like too many.

Cumin, turmeric, cardamom, coriander and cinnamon. Bay leaves on top.

It might seem strange to include raisins, chutney and jam in a dish with a meat base and a egg topping.

But for Lindi Light, mother of sixth grader Sam Light ‘25, this is tradition.

Bobotie, a delicious casserole-like dish served with yellow saffron rice, is a common South African dinner, which is where Lindi is from.

Lindi grew up in a town named East London, which is between Cape Town and Durban, during the South African apartheid.

“When I was living there, it was separate,” Lindi said. “There was very strict whites and blacks. We weren’t allowed any black kids in the school. It’s terrible. You can’t even describe it — can’t even imagine it — but that’s how it was.”

After attending the University of Cape Town, Lindi decided to move to the United States to pursue her career as a physical therapist.

“I came over on a contract for a short period of time, and then I really liked it,” Lindi said.

“Then I went back to South Africa, got married, and came straight back. Our parents were a bit shocked at first, but they were okay with it…

I’ve lived here for 16 years in Dallas and ten years in LA and then four years in Florida.”

Eighteen years after she first moved to the U.S, Lindi received her American passport in 2007, the same year Sam was born. However, in the process, her South African passport was taken away, unlike her ex-husband Chris. Now, she considers herself more of an American than South African.

“The South African passport was taken away—it’s green, and the second most deadly snake is the green mamba, so we called that passport the green mamba,” Lindi said.

“What happened is Sam’s dad, Chris, asked

the South African government when he got his American passport if he could keep his South African passport, so he has dual citizenship.

But I never did because I was like, ‘yeah, I’m American now!’”

Lindi, Sam and her daughter Emma, who is a sophomore at Greenhill, still manage to travel back to South Africa once a year, despite her lack of citizenship.

“It’s awful getting there,” Lindi said. “The problem is that it takes two days to get there, and two days to get back, so that’s the tricky part. It takes up so much of your time, so as soon as school is over, we’re going to just go.”

During their annual trips, bobotie is a necessary tradition.

“We were just in South Africa eating [bobotie] and the kids were not used to it because they don’t eaten it that often. I try and make it often but if you’re not used to eating it then you’re not crazy about it.”

Bobotie has been a culturally-important meal ever since Europe colonized the east.

“It’s got a ton of history,” Lindi said. “Europe was colonizing the east due to the spice trade.

The ships would come past South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, but the way east from Europe was such a treacherous and long journey that they had to stop in South Africa. In the East, the Dutch colonized Malaysia, so what they did was come back to South Africa and develop their own little community called the Cape Malay population. The Cape Malay made this little population in Cape of Good Hope and they were really good at cooking because they used all the spices that they got from Malaysia.”

Bobotie isn’t a complicated dish but is rather a comfort food that South Africans enjoy weekly.

“It’s not like a fancy meal,” Lindi said. “It’s just a throw-together, because sometimes on Sunday, traditionally everyone would have a roast, so they’ll take the roast leftovers and mince the meat from the leftovers and change it up with curry spices. There are always five spices and chutney and jam.”

Lindi learned how to make bobotie from her grandmother and mother but has made changes to the traditional recipe to fit her family’s desires.

“My grandmother and my mom made it,” Lindi said.

“I actually just changed up the recipe myself a bit. Some people put fruit pieces like chutney, which has big pieces of fruit, but I use a South African chutney: this thing CLEAN PLATE The plate for Bobotie is almost always clean called Mrs. Ball’s. Mrs. Ball’s after dinner in the Light home, as it is loved by everyone.

STORY Lyle Ochs, Paul Sullivan PHOTOS Rohit Vemuri

LOOKING ON Sixth grader Sam Light patiently waits for his mom to cut the dish. is very famous and and when we go home, we just bring a suitcase full of Mrs. Ball’s.”

Mrs. Ball’s chutney isn’t the only other South African food that Lindi makes sure her family enjoys.

“We get green cream soda, which you don’t get here, and we get tea,” Lindi said. “There’s a thing called Biltong, which is like beef jerky, and you can get ostrich biltong, kudu biltong or you can get beef, and I get the spices from the butcher back home to make it.”

In addition, Lindi speaks Afrikaans around the house which preserves her South African heritage and allows her to talk about her children without them knowing.

“My dad’s also South-African, and they knew each other since they were five,” Emma said. “Whenever they talk about us they speak Afrikaans. We use like random South African words like ‘how’s it,’ like what’s up and ‘lekker’ and it means good.”

While they may visit South Africa every year, Lindi and her family will always feel more at home in America.

“I think that the nicest place that I have ever lived, as in people, is Dallas,” Lindi said.

“They’re so friendly and so nice. The Californians are a bit stuck up, and the Floridians are just too old and quite a transient society. But Texas has been fabulous. Everyone is so nice.

The American Dream is fabulous and it’s so nice to be here. South Africa is great but I don’t think I would ever go back.”

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EUROPE Kristof Csaky | Hungary Taki Economou | Greece Alfalahi Family | Sweden David Dini | Italy

S

usan Dischka Csaky, senior Kristof Csaky’s paternal grandmother, came to the United States in 1950 for a study abroad opportunity.

Her goal was to move back to Hungary after finishing her studies in about a year. Just one year.

But one day, Susan got a call from her mother. She was worried, afraid. Don’t come back, she told Susan. It’s not safe.

The Soviets had taken over.

•••

Although senior Kristof Csaky was born in America, he’s familiar with the culture of Hungary from the multiple trips he’s taken with his family. Growing up in Dallas, Kristof and his sister learned Hungarian as their first language, and then later learned English.

“In Middle and Lower School we went back to Hungary every year,” Kristof said.

“Before that, before we were even in school, we probably stayed there for several years.”

Kristof’s mother Eva has a better memory of Hungary. Born and raised there, she left the country after finishing college to start a new life in America. She received a scholarship from George Washington University and moved to Washington D.C., but memories from her time in Hungary have stuck with her through the years.

“As a child, I don’t think you think about it very much,” Eva said. “We had these Communist Youth Organizations that were mandatory to be a part of. There was a special necktie you had to wear, and we had to do quasi-military exercises. I had to learn how to shoot a gun.”

After World War II ended, Russia occupied much of Eastern Europe, including Hungary.

Russia attempted to force its social, political and economic views on the Hungarians, but the people rebelled in 1956, launching the country into chaos. Even though the Soviet

Army regained control, Hungary eventually became a free country, rid of communism, in 1991. Eva grew up in Hungary when it was occupied by the Soviets.

“Our parents did a good job of sheltering us from the nasty side of things,” Eva said.

“We never questioned it. It was just natural that a portrait of Lenin was hanging on the wall in my classroom, in every classroom.”

Eva may have been shielded from most of the occupation as a child, but her parents felt the full force of the regime. She never asked her parents why they decided to remain in Hungary during the regime, although she suspects they felt emotionally tied to their home.

Their lives were very different in Hungary than they would have been had they left with Eva when she was young.

“My father refused to become a member of the Communist Party, so our apartment was [raided],” Eva said. “That was just part of the Soviet regime. They were listening in on people they didn’t trust.

It was like a police state. There was quite a bit of human rights violations.”

Eva’s parents decided they wanted to stay in Hungary regardless, but Kristof’s paternal grandparents made a different decision after World War II many years earlier. In 1949, they immigrated to America separately under the Displacement Acts of 1948. Unfortunately, Eva’s parents did not have the same options when it came to escaping the Communist regime.

“Whenever [my father] left the country, the authorities took my mother’s passport so that they wouldn’t risk him staying [in another country],” Eva said.

NIGHTTIME VIEW Senior Kristof Csaky and his sister, Katrina, stand in the balcony of their family’s apartment in Budapest, where they have a clear view of Buda Castle, the historic palace of the Hungarian kings.

HUNGARY THE CSAKY FAMILY

The Csaky family’s journey to America was filled with struggles and challenges. But despite the hardships, they never let their culture die.

When she moved to D.C., the first thing Eva noticed was the sheer volume of “stuff” in every direction she looked.

“It wasn’t uncommon during communism that there was a shortage of products,” Eva said. “Going into an American store that had thousands and thousands of stuff, there was a huge contrast. The difference was overwhelming.”

After graduating from George Washington University, Eva married Kristof’s father Karl, and they moved to Dallas to start a family. In the time the Csaky family has lived in Dallas, they have found several communities that celebrate the Hungarian culture.

“Washington D.C., where we used to live, was a much larger Hungarian community and it congregated around the embassy,” Eva said. “Here, the Cistercian School’s founding monks were Hungarian refugees who escaped in 1956. That’s where the Hungarian community congregates, but it’s a lot smaller here.”

When Eva reminisces on her childhood in Hungary, she recalls many hardships her family had to endure. But for Kristof and his sister, Hungary has only been a peaceful place—a central location for gathering with family and enjoying each other’s company.

And in a Hungarian household, the best place to congregate is at the dinner table.

“Our grandmother cooks for us everyday,” Kristof said. “It’s all this great food, and then we go and walk around the streets and go to restaurants and hang out with our younger cousins and uncle and aunt. It’s a great time to go back during the summer.”

One of the most frequent meals served at the Csaky household in Hungary is, without a doubt, Chicken Paprikash. The dish is composed of small chunks of chicken layered over a base of some type of pasta. But above all, the dish is unique because of its generous use of paprika, a spice often used in Hungarian cuisine.

“It’s probably the most traditional Hungarian dish,” Eva said, “So it has that kind of cultural context. It’s the kind of dish that people will make for Sunday lunch when the family is together. It has that kind of cultural and emotional context.”

Kristof and his family try to visit their family in Hungary at least once every year, Whenever Kristof and his sister are able to visit though, they usually spend about a month at the apartment they have in Budapest. Above all, the Csaky family values their heritage and how lucky they are to be able to call two places home.

“You can think of it as having multiple homes,” Eva said. “You will always have your biological families at home: your cousins, uncles and grandparents. But obviously, we have a home here in the United States. I feel very fortunate because we have these multiple lives and multiple homes.”

STORY Ishan Gupta, Robert Pou PHOTOS Courtesy Kristof Csaky PICTURED Chicken Paprikás

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GREECE

ECONOMOU FAMILY In many Greek families­— including the Economou family — lamb is central to the dishes.

START TO FINISH Preparing traditional Greek food to remind the family of their life back in Greece, third grader Taki Economou and his father, Dimitri Economou, season a lamb dish and arrange a traditional Greek appetizer of cheese, olives, pita bread and peppers.

M

eals have been a central part of third grader Taki Economou’s family for as long as his father, Dimitri, can remember. After Dimitri’s maternal great-grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Greece through Ellis Island, they settled in Stockton, California.

“My mom’s grandparents, my great-grandparents –– there was no opportunity in Greece, so they they left for a better life,” Dimitri said.

Dimitri’s maternal great-grandfather opened a bakery and coffee shop and made his children work there. Dimitri’s maternal grandfather, Alexander Spanos, wanted a raise of $5 on his weekly salary to take care of his children and newly born daughter. Alexander’s father refused to comply, so Alexander took an $800 loan instead.

“He opened his own catering business to feed all the agricultural workers in Stockton,” Dimitri said. “That $800 turned into a huge real estate business and owning the L.A. Chargers. All off of the $800 dollar loan. It’s a pretty impressive story.”

Alexander founded the A.G. Spanos Companies and became the majority owner of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League in 1984. He passed away in 2018.

“My mom’s parents came over with zero dollars on a boat,” Dimitri said. “My grandfather had no money. He turned nothing into a lot that [my] family benefits now.”

Dimitri remembers the many values his grandfather taught him and passes on these lessons to his two sons, Taki and Aristotelis.

Dimitri embraces his heritage and frequently takes his children to the Greek Orthodox Church and Sunday school.

“My grandfather told me numerous things — ad nauseum: family first; being Greek is important; don’t forget where you came from; don’t let your friends pick you, you pick your friends; your word is your bond; and don’t worry about

28

what other people are doing, just worry about what you’re doing,” Dimitri said. “I can’t tell you how many times he told me that.”

According to Dimitri, Alexander created a life for his family through hard work and assimilated to the U.S. while preserving his cultural background. Dimitri remembers how his grandfather and father would sometimes speak Greek at home, giving him a conversational grasp of the language.

“Growing up my grandfather [and] my dad would always talk about being Greek,” Dimitri said. “I think that’s all important. We grew up being Greek but also American and being proud of both.”

Dimitri’s father immigrated to America to study at the University of Southern California.

Dimitri and his family grew up in Stockton and relished Greek food cooked by Faye Spanos, Alexander’s wife. Dimitri also enjoyed Faye’s home-cooked meals with his friends. ​“Monday through Thursday, my grandmother would cook, and everyone in the family, which probably numbers from 10 to 20, would go eat,” Dimitri said. “When I was in high school, I would take two or three friends at least twice a week to go eat dinner. We’d eat dinner [and] go to basketball practice or soccer practice afterwards. She loved it, and my friends loved it.” ​Since he was two years old, Dimitri has visited his relatives in Greece every year. His parents returned to Greece in the ’90s. During his trips, he has enjoyed sightseeing and developed an appreciation for Greek history. ​“Growing up, we’d go to Greece for three weeks, then we’d travel around Western Europe,” Dimitri said. “That’s how I grew up. We would eat with all the cousins. You start adding all of them, and then it’s 100 people before you know it — just first and second cousins.”

STORY Sai Thirunigari, Kamal Mamdani PHOTOS Kamal Mamdani

​Dimitri and Cary Economou, his wife, cook Greek food for their family on weekends when they can, using the same recipes and styles as Faye did. Eating these meals reminds Dimitri the large Greek dinners he would always with family back home.

“As both Dimitri and I work, it is a challenge, but an important one,” Cary wrote in an email.

“No matter the ethnicity, race [and] culture, family dinners and that togetherness [are] integral and very important, especially today in this fast-paced, over stimulating world. We may not cook the larger, more involved dinners every night, but we do cook as often as we can.” ​Dimitri believes it’s his obligation to regularly travel to Greece so that his children will carry on his family’s legacy.

“As far as trying to stay connected to heritage, we take our kids to Greece,” Dimitri said.

“We want them to see all these things, have a good appreciation for where it came from and learn more about the culture and some of the good things and the bad things. It’s a big endeavor, but it’s worth it in my opinion. I mean if I don’t do it, then [Taki’s] not going to do it.”

In his own words...

For a third grade project, Taki shared his grandfather’s story and its importance.

“From the story of my Papou, I have learned a lot about the ancient history and traditions of Greece. Family is important to the Greeks. My Papou had lots of brothers and sisters growing up. My Baba grew up with many cousins. I have a lot of cousins and our family holidays are especially fun with all of us.”

In Greek, Papou means grandfather and Baba means father.

SWEDEN ALFALAHI FAMILY Although the Alfalahi family has roots around Europe, their favorite meal is a Middle Eastern and Iranian feast.

S

wedish pancakes for breakfast. Burgers and fries for lunch. Middle Eastern food for dinner. For Sam, Adam, Noah, David and Sophia, all of it feels like home. They all connect with each meal in their own way.

Swedish pancakes remind them of their younger years. Burgers remind them of their new life in America. Middle Eastern food reminds them of their ancestral roots. Through favorite dishes, the Alfalahi family can reconnect with their past.

••• Before the Alfalahi family moved to Dallas in 2012, the origins trace back to various Middle Eastern and European countries.

Born in Iraq, Kasim Alfalahi, the father, was always looking for different opportunities to study and explore the world around him.

After leaving his home country at the age of 15, he moved to England, Spain and ultimately Sweden for his engineering and masters degree.

For Wasan Alfalahi, the mother, she was also born in Iraq but left for England when she was seven. Meeting and marrying Kasim in England, Wasan traveled with her spouse to Sweden, where she gave birth to freshman Sam and eighth grader Adam Alfalahi. Through Kasim’s work with Ericsson, the Alfalahis made their last move to Texas.

“We moved here on the basis that we would only live here for a year,” Wasan said, “and then one by one, the boys got into St. Mark’s, so then we decided to stay. We are still connected to Europe. We try to go back every summer.”

Returning to his first home, Adam feels a sense of pride in his cultural background.

“It’s nice how we go back every summer and be reminded of where we came from,” Adam said. “I think that is really important.”

Similar to Adam, Kasim wishes for his children’s diverse cultural experience to give them a

FRESH OUT THE OVEN The Alfalahi family prepares to dig in to the freshly cooked Timman Baghilla with rice and fava beans.

more global perspective than others.

“I think it is good for the boys to travel and live different places because it is good to help their perspective,” Kasim said. “To be able to travel and see the world is an amazing opportunity.”

Living in Iraq, England, Sweden and now America, Wasan wants her kids to take advantage of the opportunity to see and understand different cultures to understand that the world is bigger than just where they live.

“I really want to continue having this global perspective,” Wasan said. “We want them to open up their world. For me, going from England to Sweden was a complete shock, very different cultures, and now I am so grateful because I can see the advantages of both and the challenges in both. We just want them to be global and an open mind. You can have an opinion about a certain culture and then when you are there it seems so normal—they are doing the same things.”

Moving to America was not only a culture shock for the family but it was also a food shock.

For Wasan, she was surprised at how different American food was from Swedish food, which her kids had known their whole life.

“Sam and Adam grew up eating Swedish and French food, and when they came here, they were surprised to see ice cream,” Wasan said. “It is incredibly healthy in Europe, and I remember the boys seeing fries and American food. You really have to read the labels here.

We never had to worry about that in Sweden. I would just send Sam and Adam out to the market to pick up some eggs and other ingredients, and I didn’t have to worry about what was in the food.”

After cooking and learning about different foods in many countries, Wasan and Sam have found it interesting how food is portrayed and used slightly differently in every culture.

“In the Arabic culture it is a big feast,” Wasan said.

“In the Swedish culture you get your own plate with meatballs and potatoes. We like a good mix of food.

Through food, you are able to experience the culture.”

“Arabic food is a lot heavier, like a heavier meal,” Sam said. “Where the Swedish meal is a lot lighter.”

While always making different dishes to remind her kids about where they have come STORY Sam Ahmed, Sid Sinha PHOTOS Collin Katz PICTURED Baklava, Kashta, Kanafeh

IN THE FAMILY Working on a side dish, Sam and Adam help their father Kasim. They also purchased and made different Middle Eastern deserts (in circular picture below). from, Wasan wishes that the kids can learn to make one of the dishes, but she understands the difficult task that comes with that.

“They have been exposed to many different tastes, so if they wanted to learn, they definitely could,” Wasan said. “But I think that they are better at making breakfast. They have learned different skills, but some of the harder ones it is hard to make a big meal, and it is very labor intensive.

After watching his mom cook all these different dishes, Sam hopes that he can learn from his mom.

“I hope I can learn one or two dishes, so I can cook them to remind me of where I came from,” Sam said. “But it does take a lot of time.”

For Kasim, food not only provides an outlet for people to share cultures but also breaks barriers between people.

“At the end of the day you sit down and eat food with people and it’s all about enjoying something together, and trying something different,” Kasim said. “I think it is very important. I think that there would be less pre-definition of other people if people opened up and just enjoyed food together with other cultures. I travel a lot, and a lot of the time you go to a place and try their food, and it is very nice because you can talk about the culture the same time as you talk about the food.”

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ITALY HEADMASTER DAVID DINI

CITY-WIDE RENOWN Dini’s Sea Grill sat on the Freedom Trail in Boston and right down the street from city hall, becoming a popular destination for locals and politicians. When the restaurant closed, its departure was marked in many Boston publications.

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Run by Louis Dini, Dini’s Sea Grill was a Boston mainstay and a local favorite for 64 years.

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n the heart of the Boston Commons, several legislators from the state capitol are seated in Dini’s Sea Grill, a casual seafood restaurant.

A tall, big-nosed man walks around every so often, greeting his customers with a heavy Italian accent as if they were his family. This imposing, stereotypical Italian man was Headmaster David Dini’s grandfather, the man who migrated into the United States at the age of 17 on a ship across the Atlantic.

Born in Bagni di Lucca, a small fishing village near the town of Pisa, Louis Dini decided to chase the American dream and follow his older brother to Boston to join his recent business venture: a restaurant.

“My understanding was that [the restaurant] was started before my grandfather got there, and then my grandfather and his brother ended up working together on the restaurant,” David said. “And then my grandfather bought out his brother, so it became his restaurant.

That was many, many decades ago, so that was fairly early in his life. He ended up running the restaurant for most of his life, right up until he died.”

The restaurant, located on Tremont Street along the Freedom Trail, was a common dining option for politicians due to its low prices and close location to City Hall.

“A lot of legislators from the state capitol would eat lunch there, so even though it was a very casual, relaxed restaurant, politicians were known to eat there pretty routinely,” David said. “In fact, I think I’ve got

a copy of the day that the restaurant closed in 1992. It was on the front page of the Boston Globe and [the headline] was something like ‘Politics was Always on the Menu.’”

Dini’s Sea Grill was especially famous for its fresh Schrod fish, which is like baby Cod fish. “[Schrod] was what they became known for,” David said. “It was the most prominent thing that they served, but they served a lot of different things. Baked stuffed clams was really good. They would be clams that were breaded with a little bit of butter, and then it would be baked. And so, it would create a crust over the clam, so you’d put lemon juice on, and you’d eat it but, inevitably, you’d get a little bit of sand in your mouth, but they were so good. That was my favorite thing to order there.”

Even though he did not grow up in the restaurant industry, Louis was born to serve and dove into the restaurant lifestyle, according to David.

“He was very much a service-oriented person,” David said, “And if you own a restaurant, you live and work in a restaurant. He was certainly very connected to the operations in the restaurant. It was a seafood restaurant, so he had to go downtown to the fish markets and the harbor. He’d go down and buy fresh fish every day and fresh produce and all that. He was very much the face of the restaurant.”

Although he was the owner, Louis put aside his pride to make sure that he was providing the highest quality of service. This mentality is depicted in a story that David’s father, Richard, told him about a time when he visited Louis after a day of classes at Boston University. “[Richard] went in to the restaurant one afternoon looking for my grandfather,” David said. “He went in, and the restaurant’s empty, and he’s looking for him everywhere, and he can’t find him. Finally, he wanders into the bathroom — my grandfather’s down on the floor

STORY Lyle Ochs, Tianming Xie PHOTOS Kamal Mamdani, Courtesy David Dini

with a toothbr bing the tile ar the toothbrush what are you d people who co and clean the r grandfather is don’t get it cle Rather than that his grandf and day out is has been passe “I’m still a b rant business, education, I’d restaurant bus “It’s incredibly don’t really rea work in a resta ally busy resta to judge a boo surprised by in people in way unexpected, an things that I le hard because r from college.”

After Louis management o David’s aunt, w at the time wh moved away.

“When he p ran the restaur more years,” D when I contem ton after I grad graduated from dergrad, and t ’92. They got t and explored p restaurant but close the restau rant becomes s ed with one pe not there any l be the same.”

Although Din moving back t father’s work e passed down t himself, influe as a waiter in H deaux before t chain” had not “Every time

you stepped in the door until the with a toothbrush, and he’s moment you left,” David said. scrubbing the tile around the toi“They have an interesting philoslets with the toothbrush. My dad is like, ‘Dad, what are you doing? ophy in terms of how they run their restaurants in that most of You’ve got people who come with a toothbrush, andand he’swork scrubyouthe were busy thethey moment the from people hire to be a waitin here and clean you stepped in the door the bing the tile around the toilets with er or waitressuntil or bartender were restrooms,’ and my grandfather moment left,”out David said. in college the toothbrush.isMy dad is like, of college, like, ‘Yeah, but‘Dad, they don’t get it youeither “They have or anin interesting what are you doing?

You’ve got graduate philososchool or medical clean enough.’” phy in terms of how theywere run their people who comeRather in herethan and traditions, work school. They people the restaurants in that most of the to and clean the restrooms,’ andgrandfather my that were aspiring ethos that his people hire to bethings. a waiter grandfather is like, ‘Yeah, but other So showed day in they and day out is theydo or waitress or bartender don’t get it clean enough.’” there were a lot what David believes has been were either of outprofessional of college, Rather than traditions, the to ethos passed down his family. in college or in graduate that his grandfather showed day in people with as“I’m still a big fan of the or medical school. and day out is what Davidbusiness, believes and school pirations to restaurant if I They were people that has been passedweren’t down to his family. do a variety in education, I’d probwere aspiring do other “I’m still a big fanbe ofin the restauof to interesting ably the restaurant busithings.

So there were a lot rant business, and if I weren’t in things, and I met aof lot of ness,” David said. “It’s incredprofessionalfascinating people with aspirations education, I’d probably be in thePeople don’t people working ibly demanding. of interesting things, restaurant business,” David said. there.” really realize how hard itto is do to a variety and I met a lot of fascinating “It’s incredibly work demanding.

People Wildly popularpeople in in a restaurant, especially working there.” don’t really realize how hard it is to their locations, a a really busy restaurant. You popular in their work in a restaurant, especially a re-a book Wildly single Pappalearn never to judge by locations, a single Pappaally busy restaurant.

You learn never deaux restaurant its cover. You’re surprised by deaux to judge a bookinteractions by its cover.with You’re wouldwould bring in people in waysrestaurant bring in millions of dollars every surprised by interactions with millions of dollars that are completely unexpected, year, according to year, the headmaster. people in waysand thatitare completely every according to the was one of the things that Yet, to become a general Yet, manager of a unexpected, and it was one of thework hard headmaster. to become I learned to really the restaurant, you would have to things that I learned to really work general manager of the restaubecause right after I graduated first work your fromhave beingtoafirst hard because right I graduated rant,way youup would fromafter college.” waiter, waitress bartender. from college.” workoryour way up from being a After Louis fell ill, he passed “They were also waitress the kind or of bartender. busiAfter Louis fell he passed the waiter, theill, management of the restauness that they grew management management ofrant the to restaurant to “They were also the kind of David’s aunt, who lived from the company,” Dini David’s aunt, who lived in that they grew managein Boston at Boston the time while herwithinbusiness weren’t a company that at the time while her siblings had away.said. “They ment from within the company,” siblings had moved would bring somebody from some moved away.

Dini said. “They weren’t a com“When he passed away, my other tothat come in and run somea “When he passed away, aunt for pany would bring aunt ran themy restaurant a company store.

They really believe in growran the restaurant for a number of body from some other company number of more years,” David ing from within, so itinwas verya store. They more years,” David was I conto come andarun said. said.

“That“That was when community-oriented, team-oriented when I contemplated moving to Bosreally believe in growing from templated moving to Boston kind ofI environment.” ton after I graduated college.

I college. within, so it was a very commuafter I from graduated from ForinDini, nity-oriented, restaurants and food are graduated fromgraduated college at from ’88 incollege un- at ’88 team-oriented kind much more of than a necessity to live. dergrad, and the restaurantand closed environment.” undergrad, the at restaurant Alice, taught and food ’92. They got toclosed the end their lease For Dini, restaurants at of ’92.

They got to Louis the and his wife, him the importance of food to the and explored potentially moving the are much more than a necessity end of their lease and explored family community. restaurant but ultimately decided to to live.

Louis and his wife, Alice, potentially moving the restaurant “Food was like community close the restaurant.

When a restautaught him the importance of but ultimately decided to close for them, which in a lot community. of rant becomes sothe especially associatthe family restaurant. When a restaurant foodistotrue cultures and certainly very true in ed with one person, and then they’re “Food was like community becomes so especially associatItalian culture, which is still very not there any longer, it just wouldn’t for them, which is true in a lot ed with one person, and then much ofcultures our family,” Dini be the same.” they’re not there any longer, and certainly very it a partof said. “We revolve gathering true inaround Italian culture, which just wouldn’t be the same.” as a family around meals, andaitpart wasof our Although Dini did not end up is still very much true when I was growing up, and moving back toAlthough Boston, hisDini granddid not end family,” Dini said. “We revolve it’shis been truearound with Mrs. Dini and father’s work ethic, which back had been up moving to Boston, gathering as a family four kids.

We always passed down tograndfather’s his father andwork to ethic,our which around meals,had anddinner it was true every night and still do up, as and it’s himself, influenced Dini to take adown job totogether, had been passed his when I was growing much as possible.

That’s our most as a waiter in Houston’s first Pappafather and to himself, influenced been true with Mrs. Dini and our important community time is ourhad dinner deaux before the massive Dini to take“Pappas a job as a waiter in four kids. We always gathering time around meals.” chain” had not Houston’s existed yet.first Pappadeaux betogether, every night and still do “Every time fore you worked there, the massive “Pappas chain” as much as possible. That’s our had not existed yet. most important community time “Every time you worked there, is our gathering time around you were busy from the moment meals.”

AROUND HIS OFFICE Sitting in Headmaster David Dini’s office are a glass fish decoration taken from Dini’s and a bottle of marinara sauce made by his mother, Jeanne, in the traditional Italian way.

ON THE MENU Headmaster David Dini sits with a framed copy of the menu from Dini’s. Items on the menu include crab, lobster and veal, which all cost under $7.

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