14
EMORY LIFE
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Chef, Dentist Fuses Indian & Southern Cuisine Continued from Page 13 Asian food in that way,” Momin said. Nihari is a traditional North IndianPakistani stew. During his junior year at Emory, Momin had accidentally overcooked the classic stew and, not wanting to waste food, had the idea to make it into a slider form. When he proposed the addition of the nihari sandwich to the menu of his father’s restaurant, Tava Indian Bistro, it became a bestseller. Chora chaat, a black-eyed pea salad with tamarind, cilantro, and aromatic vegetables, offered an element of crunch and freshness. The peas were perfectly crispy and were sprinkled with vibrant spices. Momin mentioned that in his junior year at Emory, he was both applying to dental school and working to fill necessary roles and tasks at his dad’s restaurant. Though he initially struggled to balance the two, he eventually persevered and developed valuable time management skills. “I realized that everyone … has their journey,” Momin said. “I was lucky enough to get into grad school my first year, but it also involved a lot of sacrifice.” Momin said he finished his first semester at Oxford with a 2.8 GPA. He figured his dreams of medical school and his envisioned career were over. Clearly, that was hardly the end for him, and he expressed regret that he had let his GPA influence him and his perceived capabilities Momin admitted that getting to know his professors on a more personal level led him to realize that he could overcome academic hardships and achieve success. “Things work out and things happen for a reason,” Momin said. “You’ve got to roll with the punches a little bit, take what comes your way and be resilient through it, because that’s what
really defines who you are.” Audience member Aditi Vellore (21Ox) noted her appreciation for Momin’s openness. “I liked … how he tried to connect with us,” Vellore said. “He talked about how he lived in [the Jolley Residential Center (JRC)] and cooked in Murdy [Hall], and I related to it because I live in JRC right now ... so it tells us we don’t need to follow just one path in life, there are a lot of paths we can accomplish simultaneously.” Audience member Kharen BamacaForkel (21Ox) also appreciated Momin’s candidness and reassurance that grades do not define a person’s worth.
“Things work out and things happen for a reason ... You’ve got to roll with the punches a little bit, take what comes your way and be resilient through it, because that’s what really defines who you are. ” — Farhan Momin (13OX, 15C), “Master Chef” Contestant
“I really did enjoy his presentation and how he talked and tried to make it more conversational, rather than a lecture,” Bamaca-Forkel said. “I found him very relatable and his stories were very amusing. From what he was saying about how a number doesn’t define you was very inspiring, because I feel like a lot of students pressure themselves here and that’s something [that] is good to remember.” Throughout the informal and conversational event, students and faculty asked questions about Momin’s time at Emory and his success in his career. One audience member asked, “What was it like on the set of “MasterChef,”
Sweeten Your Day With Hearts and Kisses Continued from Page 13 Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day Peeps pale in comparison to their traditional counterparts when it comes to coating. The noticeable absence of sugar on the Peeps means they lack the crucial contrast between the crunch of the sugar and pillowy softness of the marshmallow. Despite the relative lack of sugar coating, the Valentine’s Day Peeps are just as sweet as the original, owed in part to the already sickening marshmallow. I did appreciate that these Peeps weren’t the usual, unappetizing neon colors. At $1.39 for a pack of 3-ounce Peeps, the marshmallows are definitely budget friendly, but probably not the right choice. Starburst Heart-Shaped Jellybeans (3/5) Starburst has strayed completely from their typical chewy candy with heart-shaped jelly beans.These cute candies come in an 11-ounce pink bag for just $2.99. The jelly beans come in two different flavors — bright pink strawberry and deep red cherry. The concept of these jelly beans rings in the holiday beautifully with the heart shape and Valentine’s Daythemed colors.
However, each jellybean is a bit large and takes a while to chew due to the tough consistency. The strawberry flavor is quite syrupy, while the cherry has a tart, sour flavor. I found myself wishing that the package offered a greater variety of flavors, like watermelon or raspberry, which would still keep with the pink and red theme. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a gummy Valentine’s Day candy, this might satisfy your fix. Personally, I’ll be sticking to chocolate. Conclusion A plethora of Valentine’s Daythemed candy options line the shelves, but not all of them will leave you saying, “Be mine.” Hershey’s Lava Cake Kisses are the way to go this Valentine’s Day if you are wanting to woo your significant other with its tough exterior and creamy interior. Save the Peeps Marshmallow Hearts for Easter, for they are sure to end your relationship. If there is no lover in your present, treat yourself to some delicacies and live through the relationships in Netflix shows. — Contact Maya Deogun at mdeogun@emory.edu
and what was that whole experience like for you?” “I wanted to feel what it felt like to get yelled at by Gordan Ramsey,” Momin joked. “But it was a really neat experience, being there with the high pressure. … It was real. Definitely … an experience that I wouldn’t change.” However, he also noted that filming also posed a stressful and mentally challenging experience for the contestants, who were completely isolated from the outside world and had limited communication with their loved ones. He noted that it was his determination toward showcasing the mixture of different cultures and cuisines in a single dish that kept him going. “I was expecting to learn more about cooking, but it was really cool to hear his experiences with Oxford and his career journey,” Sierra Talbert (21Ox) said. Noor Aldayeh (21Ox) mentioned that she enjoyed how laid-back and relevant the event was. “He really related a lot of things to stuff that’s happening now, whether that be small things like dorm life, or bigger things like how you’re going to use your education in the long run,” Aldayeh said. “I think it was really enjoyable … and the food is absolutely wonderful.” As the event wrapped up, audience members murmured with excitement for the opportunity to sample the dishes as they were laid out, while Momin shared some final, reflective words about his interpretation of cooking. “Indian food [in other countries] is mostly just Indian flavors that they took and made it their own. … That’s how food progresses, that’s how food evolves,” Momin said. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to showcase here tonight. … This is hopefully the next generation of Indian food.”
— Contact Madeline Bryce at mbryce2@emory.edu
The Emory Wheel
Dance Showcases Utilizes Unorthodox Props Continued from Page 13 which typically feature mock combat as a part of a ritual dance. “This dance was meant to [represent] ... a phase where we were exploring, curious and don’t really understand the consequences of our actions…[this] piece was meant to be who we are as our younger selves,” Nagpal said. “Behind the glass,” performed by Collins, displayed deep personal emotions between two dancers. She graduated from the Immerse Atlanta artist program which often provides a gateway for Atlanta dancers aiming to pursue a professional career in contemporary dance. Throughout the entire performance, the dancers’ movements were dynamic and vigorous. As the dancers rolled and leaped on the stage, their breathing and the sounds of their bodies against the floor soon replaced the actual music. Collins stated that she often journals as part of the evolution process of her work and encourages her dancers to participate in personal writing to express their unique individuality. “Writing for me is a personal outlet [and] is a practice that is used very often,” Collins said. “I feel like it’s a way for me to connect not only to movement but to … another medium.” A dancer and choreographer who performs movement research on embodying and magnifying the queer and transgender experiences, Briggs choreographed “Violet Adagio,” a lesbian, feminist and polyamorous interpretation of the “Rose Adagio” from Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty.”
In the original story, Sleeping Beauty dances with four suitors and is tasked with selecting only one. Instead of using the original version’s roses gifted to Sleeping Beauty by the suitors, Briggs decided to use vibrators. “Vibrators are cooler than roses,” Briggs said. “So I made this version.” During the middle of the performance, all four dancers carried their own vibrators and used the vibrating sounds from the gadgets as the background music. The appearance of the many vibrators in addition to the funny movements served as comic relief. As an immediate attention grabber, the vibrators exemplified the meaning and creativity of the dance. Audience members also viewed “Terra Firma” (2015), a short dance film choreographed collectively by Dishman and other performers. Stevenson, who graduated with a bachelor’s in political science and Arabic, choreographed the dance “Person(a).” Messina choreographed excerpts from the dance “thruline.” She said the dance demonstrates how “we all experience moments in history differently in the same world.” The performances revealed the unique emotional and personal struggles and achievements of all the dancers, choreographers and production staff who had carefully considered every last detail surrounding the event: music, clothing, props, story and choreographies. The night ended with a round of applause for Emory’s artists, who showcased diverse, personal and incredible performances. — Contact Emily An at ean6@emory.edu
Majority Woman-Run Company Monetizes Waste Continued from Page 13
mission. something more … something that’s 700 gallons of water to produce one A female entrepreneur in a male- trying to better society.” t-shirt. dominated industry, Benedetto With a 4-year-old son and another Queen of Raw’s website allows doesn’t take the responsibility on her child on the way, Benedetto is perfactories and mills to sell unused shoulders lightly, and she notes that sonally motivated to improve the textiles to independent designers. Queen of Raw is a majority woman- future of the planet. Buyers, who range from fashion stu- run company. “[Our children] need clean water dents to small-scale designers, can She claims that she thrived in the to drink, a planet to live on, [nonpurchase anything from organic cot- industry by being herself and ignor- toxic] clothes to wear,” Benedetto ton to faux leather or fur. said. In addition to this “manShe said that her time at aged, open marketplace,” Emory Law was instrumenlarger retail brands can tal to her success, giving her join a private interface to the ability to negotiate consell excess inventory to one tracts and speak publicly with another. confidence. Benedetto said she always “It was an unbelievwanted to “build a busiable honor to [be one of the ness that would change the recipients of Emory’s 2019 world.” Entrepreneur Awards],” She believes that her Benedetto said. “To have that model, which aims to “idenkind of feedback, support and tify the waste, monetize the community is so important as Courtesy of Stephanie Benedetto waste and minimize the Stephanie Benedetto (06L) founded Queen of Raw an entrepreneur.” waste,” translates into busi- in 2014 to sell unused textiles to designers. To students aspiring to nesses like aviation, autobecome entrepreneurs, motive manufacturing and computer ing limitations. Benedetto stressed that there are electronics. These industries, like “While there are challenges for multiple paths to success, but boldtextile production, could all benefit women, there are also a lot of oppor- ness is key. from blockchain technology to track tunities for women,” she said. “A “Do not be afraid to get your idea and sell waste. lot of women-focused venture funds, out there,” she said. “Start building In 2018, Queen of Raw received women-focused competitions and something to innovate in a space an opportunity to convince potential awards. There are opportunities where no one has innovated before partners to turn pollution into prof- there, of course, because there is still or innovate in a crowded space and itable goods. inequality there.” learn from the people around you. Benedetto’s 60-second pitch Benedetto’s best friend and Be the last player in the market to to Ashton Kutcher at the WeWork classmate at Emory Law, Stefanie really dominate.” Creator Awards won her the grand Munsky Toren (06L), said that even prize of $360,000, a “game-chang- in law school she recognized that — Contact Paige Safchik at ing validation” of her sustainable Benedetto “always wanted to do psafchi@emory.eduw