neurotic Iraqi wife
December 22, 2008
The SuShi Stomach...
One of the very first questions HUBBY asked me before we even got married was “Do you know how to cook Neurotica?” Sure I do was my answer. And I wasn’t lying either. He didn’t specify what he meant by “cooking” nor did I, Lol.
This past Eid had a different flavour to it. It coincided with my birthday and so HUBBY decided to fly from Iraq and spend it with me. Every morning he wakes up and says “so what you cooking for me today?” I just go all frantic and say “Umm we are actually going to my parents” hehe. For I later discovered that frying an egg, or slapping a few frozen burgers on the grill or even boiling pasta does NOT count as “cooking” from his perspective. To cook for him is to do everything from scratch. Yup, EVERYTHING. Unfortunately the parents trick didnt last for long :(
I used to be a vegetarian for over 7 years, and the only thing I cooked while I lived in London, was this vegetarian lasagna dish which I learnt from one of the many cook books I had bought. But umm vegetarian and HUBBY do not go along. HUBBY wants REAL cooking. Real Iraqi food. Food that his mom used to prepare for him.
My own mom was a fussy cook (Still is), she never allowed us in the kitchen (Sounds too familiar, eh) hence we never were able to learn anything from her. Come today, and if HUBBY craves for anything, I just get it over the net, or ask my mom for it. Now mind you, even though Iraqi food is all the same, every house hold differs in the way they cook things. And theres a huge difference between Shia cooking and Sunni cooking (depending on the area). Yup, some have their broths in red sauce, others have it mostly in a whitish sauce. Some look brown, others look green. And that’s where my dilemma starts. Im a Shia and HUBBY is a Sunni…
So pleasing HUBBY’s palate has become a major challenge and the source of our daily conversations. “Neurotica, that’s not the way my mom used to do it” He would say after I have attempted following my OWN mother’s way. “HUBBY, sweety, Im NOT your mom, besides that’s how MY mom does it and that’s the taste Im used to since I was a kid” And the war of the Sunni Shia debates begins, lol.
I have to admit, its like a learning curve for me and HUBBY is my little guinea pig. I have discovered amazing recipe websites, mimicooks.com. The website really helped especially its video part. So now, whenever HUBBY asks me for a specific dish, I tell him “Hold on, lemme check it on Mimi’s” So far I have succeeded in 2 dishes., thanks Mimi!!! Another website that I absolutely love is this Desert Candy It taught me how to prepare a typical wintery neutral (not Shiaa, not Sunni ie SuShi in my own terms) Iraqi dish (Shalgham) And wow, for the first time, HUBBY’s belly was extremely pleased. Pleased with me and the Sunni/Shia debate was forgotten. Yaaaaaaaaaaay.
So yeah, as you can see I have been extremely busy. Juggling between work and learning to cook. Three successful dishes is not bad for someone who has been married for almost 5 years and still feels like a new bride ;) I guess this is all preparation for whats yet to come, IF HUBBY ever decides to leave Iraq and live with me that is. In the meantime, Im gonna try and learn more “SuShi” recipes, hoping, maybe just maybe he will have a change of heart. Its true what they say, the way to a Man’s Heart is through his stomach. And in this instance its through HUBBY’s stomach. The SuShi Stomach…
This past Eid had a different flavour to it. It coincided with my birthday and so HUBBY decided to fly from Iraq and spend it with me. Every morning he wakes up and says “so what you cooking for me today?” I just go all frantic and say “Umm we are actually going to my parents” hehe. For I later discovered that frying an egg, or slapping a few frozen burgers on the grill or even boiling pasta does NOT count as “cooking” from his perspective. To cook for him is to do everything from scratch. Yup, EVERYTHING. Unfortunately the parents trick didnt last for long :(
I used to be a vegetarian for over 7 years, and the only thing I cooked while I lived in London, was this vegetarian lasagna dish which I learnt from one of the many cook books I had bought. But umm vegetarian and HUBBY do not go along. HUBBY wants REAL cooking. Real Iraqi food. Food that his mom used to prepare for him.
My own mom was a fussy cook (Still is), she never allowed us in the kitchen (Sounds too familiar, eh) hence we never were able to learn anything from her. Come today, and if HUBBY craves for anything, I just get it over the net, or ask my mom for it. Now mind you, even though Iraqi food is all the same, every house hold differs in the way they cook things. And theres a huge difference between Shia cooking and Sunni cooking (depending on the area). Yup, some have their broths in red sauce, others have it mostly in a whitish sauce. Some look brown, others look green. And that’s where my dilemma starts. Im a Shia and HUBBY is a Sunni…
So pleasing HUBBY’s palate has become a major challenge and the source of our daily conversations. “Neurotica, that’s not the way my mom used to do it” He would say after I have attempted following my OWN mother’s way. “HUBBY, sweety, Im NOT your mom, besides that’s how MY mom does it and that’s the taste Im used to since I was a kid” And the war of the Sunni Shia debates begins, lol.
I have to admit, its like a learning curve for me and HUBBY is my little guinea pig. I have discovered amazing recipe websites, mimicooks.com. The website really helped especially its video part. So now, whenever HUBBY asks me for a specific dish, I tell him “Hold on, lemme check it on Mimi’s” So far I have succeeded in 2 dishes., thanks Mimi!!! Another website that I absolutely love is this Desert Candy It taught me how to prepare a typical wintery neutral (not Shiaa, not Sunni ie SuShi in my own terms) Iraqi dish (Shalgham) And wow, for the first time, HUBBY’s belly was extremely pleased. Pleased with me and the Sunni/Shia debate was forgotten. Yaaaaaaaaaaay.
So yeah, as you can see I have been extremely busy. Juggling between work and learning to cook. Three successful dishes is not bad for someone who has been married for almost 5 years and still feels like a new bride ;) I guess this is all preparation for whats yet to come, IF HUBBY ever decides to leave Iraq and live with me that is. In the meantime, Im gonna try and learn more “SuShi” recipes, hoping, maybe just maybe he will have a change of heart. Its true what they say, the way to a Man’s Heart is through his stomach. And in this instance its through HUBBY’s stomach. The SuShi Stomach…
26 Comments:
lol...My wife is spoiled, I grew up without a Mother, so learned how to cook and bake. I even make homemade Jam, Apple pies, you name it. My wife makes maybe 2 meals a year, and doesn't have to put up with 'my mom never made it like that' from me.
We use the 'nuker' to warm liquids up and make popcorn, that's it.... W.H.
LOL!
I remember my first year of marriage. My mother died when I was nineteen years old, so I would frantically call my sister from London to the U.S in urgeny.."What? What do I make? How do I do it? Help!" She would do her best to explain over the phone and I would write down as fast as she could talk. "GOT it!" I said. Then I would proceed to make what she described as "Hamburger Soup." (I forgot RICE expands when you cook it..oops.) Maybye my hubby won't notice. Apparently I screwed up a few other ingredients as the next Christmas my sister sent me a wall plaque after he shared his experience with her, with MY version of the recipe which HE fondly named, "DEATH SOUP".
NAW aka Firefly
Ahhhh....One of the first dates with my lovely COL. I invited him to my home and while he took down my Christmas tree, I made him my authentic enchiladas. My stomach was so full of butterflies with just having him in my home. There was just something about him that just made me feel like a teenager in love....and honestly it had nothing to do with his rank....to me he was just a man....a very simple man. I tried to cook, nervously but spent most of my time looking up at him and watched him very carefully take every ornament off my tree and then pack all nine feet of it away in my basement, without one complaint. I thought, (Wow!! Can I keep him?) While talking with him, I shredded cheddar cheese and more cheese and soon I realized I just added nearly two pounds of CHEESE to my enchilada dish. ( Maybe he won't notice??? It will melt. Ah who cares....he is so Handsome...ahhhh)
We sat down for dinner and he pulls out this little white pill. (I'm thinking....birth control? What does he think he's going to get lucky just because he helped with my Christmas tree???? I was confused.) So I asked..."What's that pill?" He politely said, "I'm allergic to CHEESE."
Firefly
Lol WH, Im not sure if I envy your wife or not. Give me a few days and I can tell you :)
Looooooooooooool, NAW. I loved the pill story, cracked me up big time. Thats really funny. So how'd u react afterwards?
Clever title...for a minute I thought you were going to rant/talk about real sushi (which I am not a fan of) but towards the end it became all too clear.
Well done...just make him qimah everyday and he should enjoy it. Not quite sure if that is strictly a Iraqi dish but I am sure he has had it before. Probably one of the most simple dishes to make. Or play it safe and just never cook Iraqi food and have him adjust :-p.
Your Husband needs you to capture as many Christians as you can and return them to Jerusalem in chains. Then we can cleanse the Earth of Sin. One, Two Punch.
They already did that 'Edit_Mommies' and crucified him, Merry Christmas.
I am wondering if the "Sushi" you are talking about is the Japanese style food? My wife loves it. I don't.
Neurotica, you just may have found what you were looking for, when you started blogging.
Well that, and the crushed ice in the door.
Winning combination.
Thanks Ahmed!You know, you just gave me a great idea. Qeema!!!I havent done it in ages. And HUBBY loves it. So guess whats gonna be for lunch today? Lol. Its easy to prepare. Thanks!!!
Hi EM, long time!I kinda missed your "unique" comments
Lol Wayne, No, SuShi in my post is basically both Sunni and Shia dishes. Not Sushi the Japanese food. I myself dont like Sushi but prefer Sashimi, its the same thing but without the rice. YUM
Madtom!!!!How are you?You think so?You think I finally found the solution?It may take some time I think. The ice making fridge is excellent still works :) The food though, hmmm, I dunno. Its taking time...
Hi NIW,
I love to try new foods especially from different cultures. What is Qeema?
Qeema, or Keema is a typical Iraqi dish. Some parts in Iraq, especially Najaf, they actually make it different, they mash it big time by stirring it in large pots for hours. I dont like the mashed Qeema, I like it the other way.
Its basically frying chopped onions and crushed garlic then adding minced lamb or beef to the mixture. Add some canned chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, some water, and also I add allspice, together with abit of cinamon and cumin. Then you add canned chickpeas and some like it with green peas as well. We add whole dry noomi basra (dried lime). My mom also likes to present it with some fried aubergines(egg plant)on top. And you serve it with rice. Its really yummy. Kinda like the bolognese sauce of the spaghetti but with additions. Very easy to prepare.
I do apologize for not giving you the exact measures, it all depends on the person cooking.
Hope this helps :)
Neurotic wife, I was wondering why so many hits came from your blog to mine...for some reason i thought our blogs have no relation whatsoever, although everyone likes to eat, but not many like to cook! but then one readers visit linked to this post and i found the link!!!
I love real Sushi, but thanks for the info about the sunni and shia kitchen, red sauce vs. white, really new to me and very interesting info!
THANK YOU! thank you for your visits and your confidant that "i can cook" ...thank you for making my recipes, even the one or two of them...i really appreciate it and appreciate linking to me on this post, in a way, you made my day/night!! ;)
i am not a frequent visitor to your blog, but when i visit, i enjoy reading it, its funny, real and personal, i like that. i just wish your husband would be back to live with you forever and ever, and i do wish you to have kids too, a little forward but this is how i am :)
have a great day and wish you many more successful cooking attempts!
by the way, i take special requests for any recipe you have in mind even if i do not know how to cook it, at least i will try and make a video out of it!
Thank You!
I'm lucky, that My Lovely is a chef, baker and pastry chef. hahaha, I'm so lucky:D
Me I'm fine, except I woke up today with a sore throat, it's going around.
Well lets see, we got:
Lovely wife
Home cooked meals
Cold drinks
What else could a guy ask for!
I'm curious, have you or your M.E'stern friends discovered the joys for "crushed Ice", or is it still just a novelty for the Americanized Hubby types?
How do you deal with the sunni/shia issue in your household?
Was it hard accepting hubby's proposal in the beg. because he was sh'ii??
Im sunni, and a guy who's interested in me is sh'ii, and although I want to accept his proposal and be with him, I know its gonna be tough in terms of the family etc. Im not really sure how to deal with this situation. Do you have any advice you can give me?
Oh, of course, I was speechless and horrified. My dish was layer upon layer of corn tortillas, beef, and CHEESE....There was no scraping it off......I kept trying to take the plate away and kept apologizing....The stubborn male he was nicely insisted I sit down and join him and that with his pill he would be just fine. He even had seconds!!! (Yep he's a keeper..) NAW (Ah and some beautiful flowers arrived for me today at work.....I guess that is better than just an email that says, "Hey I'm okay."
Allah Shaldham!!!! yummy, I love it and do know how to cook it...
How are you Neuorotica?
I meant " Shalgam" my bad I type too fast ans forget to re-read...
Hi NIW!
I finally graduated nursing school and made the trip from New Mexico to Florida without freezing my buns driving across the midwest. Minus 6 degrees in Amarillo, Texas. NO THANKS! (we took the high road to visit friends along the way) Had some awesome Ethiopian food in North Carolina. Hubby and I are finally reunited after being apart since April (another reason we took the long way to florida ;) ). We figured it out and out of 7 years of marriage, we've spent 3 and a half of them separated due to military assignments or school. Just glad to be with my hubby and children again! He is the chef, and I am the baker. I'm shocked we don't weigh 300 pounds each!
Anyway, the hunt is on for a job. Looks good so far!
Always,
Melanie
When purpose becomes a true intelligence, composed of neglect? Any attempt to troubleshoot the "compromise" details malicious purpose, "Missing Analysis". My comments are reactive and analogous with discomforting component detail. The complacency of my "Wits End" parallels available security. The capitalist venture intensifies under threat and pain. The subject is always equal truth. Truth has a unique component relinquished with actual, "Capital". Intelligent neglect isn't just out of ear shot of missiles and rockets and such. Dismissing numerical human equivalents as operable biology frees up a lot of personnel. There are necessary pursuits that are not all gummed up with complexity. There is always some stupid pattern of fulfillment our drunkest leaders gravitate towards. I don't even argue. Yes, Earth is flat. Complete rotation of our celestial home world is impossible. I agree everyone should kill me. I am completely out of control. Would you like some more houses and children?
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lolz .............
a good post and i love the SU-SHI thing ............. i think i read it in some of ur older posts as well.......... by the way in my place there is no difference b/w cooking of SU and SHI . I myself am a SHI but havnt seen any difference in SU cooking.
i may share something with u in the near future ,just like SU-SHI .........
anyhow good luck with ur SU-SHI cooking .....
Neurotica,
Video Jug has some bvery good Middle Eastern recipes and preparation videos.
http://www.videojug.com/tag/middle-eastern-recipes
Sam
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Great post, I appreciate you and I would like to read your next post. Thanks for sharing this useful information.
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