FOOD
Festive Foods
F
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIKAYLIE SOSNOWSKI
all in Minnesota can be associated with many things: the changing colors of the trees, carving pumpkins, apple picking, visiting family or even (heaven forbid) drinking a hot pumpkin spice latte. There are also many exciting holidays to look forward to, but not just the ones we see most commonly advertised three months in advance (did someone say Halloween and Thanksgiving?). Diwali is an Indian festival celebrating the triumph of light over darkness that was celebrated this year on October 27th. It is typically observed over the course of four to five days. Celebrants - including many students here - took part in many wonderful traditions and activities during Diwali, such as spending time with loved ones, setting off fireworks and making vibrant, detailed designs out of colorful powder. The special decoration is called rangoli, and it helps welcome the gods into the homes of those who pray to them. “It’s kind of like a coarse powdery colored substance which you use to deco-
After rolling the dough out, cut it into diamond shapes. DESIGN BY MIKAYLIE SOSNOWSKI
On low heat, fry until golden brown.
rate,” said senior Stuti Thakkar. “You can draw any design with it and some talented people draw the god’s faces in them. It’s very impressive!” Most wonderful of all is the food. Many hours of preparation go into making the various dishes, which are eaten in the company of family and close friends. “After we pray, we go to our dinner course which can vary, but usually people make a lot of food,” said Thakkar. “What my family will usually do is we’ll have puri, a fried snack, curry, lentils and the god’s prasad in our plate.” Sweets are also customary during Diwali as what better way to celebrate the victory of good over evil than with a delicious, sugary treat? “My favorite food that we make at home is shankar pada,” said Thakkar. “I love it because it’s so rare in our house. It only
Remove from fryer and place aside. Let cool for a while before eating.
Enjoy your shankar pada!