Page 34 - Magazine Final Project_Neat

LIFESTYLE

was a little girl from her mother cook and she was saying what to with thalipeeth, a holey, savory immigrants.
and grandmother. make, how to make [it],” Avetian flatbread. She also has a deep love “Our current political climate
“Dough was the first thing I said. of puffed rice and crisp lentil salad. is about demonizing and
learned,” she said. “I remember When her father got home for “[It is] usually made during spring dehumanizing immigrants in an
myself being with flour all dinner he would pretend not to festival to balance spicy or sweet atrocious way,” Gross said. “I really
over because in Georgia my know his daughter had cooked and dishes,” she said. “I love it. It’s very wanted to say look, we shouldn’t
grandmother used to make always explained in delight at how healthy and always refreshing.” just be tolerating immigrants.
khinkali, it’s a giant dumpling.” unusually good the food tasted. Gross said learning about North We are so lucky to have all these
She said she remembers making “My dad was coming from work, Karnatakan food from Sandagi immigrants in our culture. They
toys and dolls out of the dough pretending he didn’t know who has been fascinating. make our country and our lives so
but what she enjoyed most about cooked it and he was eating and “I knew nothing of North much richer.”
cooking was the way it made her said ‘Oh my God! It’s so yummy! Karnatakan cuisine and it’s been She said the main purpose of
and other people feel. What special thing did you put just so eye-opening to learn from the League of Kitchens is to
“I liked when people liked what inside like never before?’ and I was her about these other ingredients create opportunities for people to
I was doing,” she said. “I would so proud,” she said. and ways of doing things like ‘dry’ learn from each other and create
watch my mom set beautiful tables “Because maybe food plays curries and sprouted beans,” she emotional connections.
of food and everyone told her it a bigger role in our culture, said. “I always hope that for our students
looked to beautiful and [it] was so and it involves family, friends, The League of Kitchens offers some part of the world no longer
tasty and I decided I wanted to feel holidays, maybe [it] matches my more than just cooking classes. feels strange and foreign but feels
that way too.” personality,” she said. “This is the personal and meaningful,” Gross
She remembered how when she way how I can, you know, express Sandagi and Avetian also said. “How amazing would that
lead guided tours in Artesia
was in second or third grade, she myself.” and Glendale of their favorite be? If everybody felt like everybody
would help her mother by cooking Although not as effervescent neighborhood shops, teaching else is just a friend or relative that
dinner , and when she needed as Avetian, Sindagi’s passion students about how to buy they haven’t met yet. That [they]
help with the measurements or and knowledge of food are also ingredients and enjoy ethnic felt like a real person with a story
ingredients, she would call her evident. With an understated yet pockets of Los Angeles. and a family and somebody to care
mother for help. elegant demeanor, she expertly about and not an abstract cypher

“I was calling my mom because I mixes spices from a set of round Gross said the workshops and or number or statistic or unknown
tours help students recognize and foreign alien.”
didn’t know how much of what to metal tins and is just as comfortable celebrate the contributions of
with dough for chapati as she is

Remnants of Elmira Avetian's feast.