Khana Korner #004 - Food From Our First Eid Open House
Friday, October 3rd, 2008 at 8:06 PM in Khana Korner
If there’s one thing I loved about celebrating Eid in Michigan with my uncles (and recently my in-laws), it was the open houses on Eid. The Canton community is much smaller and thus closely knit than our Chicagoland masajid, so the people “house hop” around after Eid salah until they eventually settle back at their own homes. While this was great for fostering a community, it also gave house hoppers the chance to sample a huge variety of “finger foods” throughout the day. A piece of lasagna and a puff pastry samosa/patty at one aunty’s house, a bit or biryani at another, a slice of cake at a friend’s etc.
In Chicagoland, at least where I grew up in IFS area, that doesn’t happen as systematically as in Canton. So with my wife being from Canton and this being her first Eid in Chicago, she decided to have open house at our place. It was nice to have friends come over, and in open house tradition, we had ourselves a wide variety of food.
First, we highlight the biryani that my mom made. In Canton tradition, it was there. Alongside it was baingan ka salan and dahi ka chutney/raitha. When asked if this biryani compared to the famous Canton biryani, a certain Canton uncle who ate it at my house once before who will remain unnamed said, “are you kidding me? This stuff is better.”
Next up was non-Desi side of things. This was all from my wife. Any surprise that the saas made the Desi stuff and the American bahu made the non-Desi items? Hey man, I ain’t complainin’!
Here we have chili. The fun here was that we picked up a slow cooker from Linens & Things using some of the gift card credit we got from our wedding, keeping this stuff nice and warm. Also while she was making it, she asked if it needed more diced tomatoes to which I said yes. I like lots of meat and beans in it and all, but there has to be “an adequate amount” of tomatoey sauce in it, too. “I don’t like saying extra because they tend to charge you for that.”
Next up, pasta salad. This was made from elbow mac, “grilled” chicken (seasoned with italian dressing, laal mirch, and black pepper), corn, black olives, and chopped carrots and mozzarella string cheese. All of which was rolling/smothered in more italian dressing and mayo. There was a lot left over, too much to attempt to finish for the next four days so my wife dropped it off at a nearby food kitchen in Lisle. To find your nearest food kitchen in IL, hit up http://www.dhs.state.il.us.
These I liked. Reminded me of Zingermann’s Deli in Ann Arbor, MI, rated one of the best Kosher delis in the nation. It was chicken salad made of fresh cole slaw veggies, mayo, and, well, chicken. This was smushed with mini slices of swiss cheese between pieces of Pepperidge Farm Jewish Rye Party Bread. Later I had some of this same salad on some sourdough bread and that hit the spot quite nicely. The cheese used was swiss, again, of course.
I think this is a Michigan/Canton thing. My mamu’s house in Northville, MI has “seven-layer dip” every Eid, and apparently so does my in-laws. It’s a good open house item. I prefer some salsa in mine, and naturally made sure my wife put it in.
And now for the desserts.
First up were some classic homemadefromscratch chocolate chip cookies. They feel different from bake and break, but in the end taste less fake, more real, and ultimately better. They finished by 8:20pm.
Next are brownies, but not any ordinary batch. These are either called “atomic brownies” or “chocolate mattress.” Why? Because they’re not made from brownie mix; instead, you use instant pudding and devil’s food cake mix. Don’t forget the chocolate chips! The result is something in between a brownie and a soft-butt-firm bed.
And finally, my wife’s tradition for Eid, turtle cheesecake. Sorry for the blurry pic. She used Hershey’s sundae syrups on top, the caramel and “double chocolate” kind. Pecans were a bit pricey at Jewel, something like $9 for just one bag. But it was worth it, this cheesecake is a win.
So our first open house went well. Why? Because we had a huge variety of food, more than was needed for the amount of guests, and there were lots of leftovers. Sounds like an open house party to me. Looking forward to next Eid inshaAllah.
Now with all this nicely captured and said, it brings two reflections.
Number one, obviously, is that we gotta be grateful for all this amazing food we have. Us “first world” Muslims really got it made. I mean, an entire variety of foods from different cultures served on different colorful platters inviting many guests with tons of left overs such that I can blog about them? We Western Muslims really need to be grateful for it, and we need to show this gratefulness by increasing in our ʻIbadah. Like the Prophet (ﺹ) prayed all night out of thankfulness for being guaranteed Paradise, we should do something extra, too. Like fast once a week or month, or give more charity. Otherwise all this luxury given to us can either be taken away, or even worse, do us in after we die.
Secondly, all this truly gives weight to the opinion that is in favor of or only allows zakāt al-fiṭr to be given in food. The whole point of this post was, “wow, I had a lot of yummy food on Eid.” While some scholars have made giving māl (money) permissible for zakāt al-fiṭr, tell me how much more amazing Eid is when you have all this lovely food to eat as a celebration. Needless to say, this was the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (ﺹ), and practice of the Sahaba, those after them, and scholars after them (with some exceptions) for many generations. Not trying to jumpstart a fiqhi debate, but just a reflection that clearly, food is a staple to true celebration, and what celebration is truer than that of Eid? (on a side note: a teacher told us that he gives both food and money, just to be safe).
Anywho, what about you? What did you eat on Eid?
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19 Comment(s)
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pinwheels, chicken alfredo, caesar salad, mini burrito wraps, cold noodles, biryani, chips & dip, strawberries & chocolate, and tandoori chicken. too much celebratin’.
Fatima | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
What did I eat? All of the above. Actually, not really. I don’t think I had any biryani or brownies on Eid.
I agree that this past Eid was proof-positive that zakaat-ul-fitr should be given in food. I’d rather have my stomach busting after a month fasting, not my wallet. Of course money can be used to purchase food or other items. But the money isn’t really given for surviving, it’s given for *celebration*.
Ayesha | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
haha, “turtle cheesecake” ftw
lollerskates
man am I salty I missed this party! that chili looked solid. mashaAllah-hardcore.
Bhaijan | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
Saqib…very nice balance post…some fun this is what we did today paragraphs…and ending with a lesson…
btw i ate chicken fettuccini (sp) alfredo… baked/fried chicken… pilow… korma… and choc chip cookies…
Haniyyah | Oct 4, 2008 | Reply
We do these open houses for every Eid in Mtown
They’re quite fun alhamdulillah, but always result in ridiculous amounts of over eating 
Mehreen | Oct 5, 2008 | Reply
Nicely put.
btw, i didn’t see the tamaatar ki chutney! tis a regret tis.
Faiez | Oct 5, 2008 | Reply
I appreciate you putting my line about “extra” vs. “adequate” in there.
Osman | Oct 6, 2008 | Reply
@Bhaijan - InshaAllah next time!
@Hunno - Gotta make sure to write for all people in mind!
@ Mehreen - Must be nice to have a small and closely knit community. May Allah increase the Memphis Muslims.
@Faiez - Truth be told, Bangaloris do not, and thus, cannot make tamatr ki chutney. We have a tomatr kahtta but that simply does not do a fraction of justice to TKC. My wife knows how to make some so iA next time she can hook it up!
@Osman - You do know the drive-thru mic was on while you said that to us, right?
SaqibSaab | Oct 6, 2008 | Reply
1. “modern scholars” - Since when was Abu Yusuf, the chief student of Abu Hanifah, considered a modern scholar?
2. The preferred view of Abu Yusuf was that flour is preferable to wheat, while dirhams are better than flour… because dirhams meet needs more effectively and swiftly.(al-Hidayah, page 301, translation of Nyazee; Amal Press, England)
3. If you give food, then the hadith from Abu Dawud is: “Pay for each free person and slave, minor or major, one half sa’ of wheat or one sa’ of dates or one sa’ of barley.” So “yummy food” is not within the parameters of the hadith. So giving yummy food entails a burden on the giver, but more importantly, strays from the text of the hadith… which ironically is the argument–that one is straying from the hadith–championed by those who say you MUST give food as zakat al-fitr.
4. With money, people can buy yummy food immediately.
5. By giving raw food products, one then may burden the recipient who then has to do things like:
a. cook it - may then need firewood, oil, etc.
b. season it - may then need other ingredients
c. store the excess - which may create problems
6. The days of Eid are marked by meat. Fitr only provides grains/fruits (as per the hadith) to the poor and therefore if one is strictly following the hadith, the poor person does not get any meat from the Fitr.
7. Money allows this poor person to buy “yummy” meat. And tomatoes. And other foods to have a complete meal.
8. Money can be sent much quicker to areas where there may be extremely poor people as compared to raw food products which entail transportation cost/responsibility, potential spoilage, etc.
The point of all this is to understand the spirit of the Fitr. It is so that the poor person has something to break his fasting with as well, and something that will give him joy upon eating and enjoying with his family. If in an area, food products (as per the hadith) bring about more benefit, then that should be given. If, however, money brings about more benefit, then that can be given and should not be considered as deviant, inferior, or unequal to giving wheat, barley, or dates.
Fiqh Debate Guy | Oct 7, 2008 | Reply
oh, and “scholars for many generations”:
Abu Hanifah was a tab’i, thereby making Abu Yusuf a tab’ tab’i… entailing 2 generations, which I don’t think qualifies as “many”.
Fiqh Debate Guy | Oct 7, 2008 | Reply
Fiqh Debate Guy,
You lack wisdom and don’t see the greater picture. The Ummah is in a very low state right now and today’s world requires easier Fiqh rulings. Pick the lesser of two evils and change your paradigm.
Muslims in the west are awesome.
Egyptian Usooli Person | Oct 8, 2008 | Reply
Hmmm, isnt the greater picture what I am advocating. Read, then read again: “It is so that the poor person has something to break his fasting with as well, and something that will give him joy upon eating and enjoying with his family. If in an area, food products (as per the hadith) bring about more benefit, then that should be given. If, however, money brings about more benefit, then that can be given and should not be considered as deviant, inferior, or unequal to giving wheat, barley, or dates.”
The above statement may also be termed as “maslahah”, which you should know all about, esp if you are an “usooli”.
My point was to defend the opinion that money may also be given, not to bash those who wish to give food. Not sure how you missed that.
Fiqh Debate Guy | Oct 8, 2008 | Reply
Why not do what Saqib’s teacher does and cover both bases– pay the money AND give the food.
Ayesha | Oct 8, 2008 | Reply
No Fiqh Debate Guy. Your wrong. Face the facts. Come on now! Think about it, I don’t even need evidence to prove you wrong. I just have to state Usool.
Egyptian Usooli Person | Oct 8, 2008 | Reply
My mouth got watery. Every thing seems delicious I must say.
Can I have some Briyani??
Sophi | Oct 9, 2008 | Reply
@Fiqh Debate Guy
Lovin’ your user name, haha. And jazakAllah khair for jumpstarting what I didn’t want anyone to: a fiqh debate!
You provided a lot of solid proof and mashaAllah excellent supporting evidences. However, it seems you’ve read in a bit. I wasn’t advocating following the Hadith strictly, nor was I against giving money. This is for two reasons. Reason #1 the same teacher who I mentioned earlier, hafiẓuhuAllah, said that giving cooked food, such as the meats and tomatoes you mentioned, where permissible, and may be better in certain scenarios (taking specific conditions into play, I bet you like that Egyptian Usooli Person!). He even joked around about not giving biryani, as it may oppress the poor person from all the spices! (He’s Arab and always jokes around with the Indo-Pak brothers in class).
Reason #2, I gave Fitr in money this year! So I’m not trying to advocate only one opinion here. Unfortunately, things are read in when they needn’t be, and I believe the point was missed, and maybe it was my own fault in the way I wrote, and I apologize for that.
In any case, the point of relating my Eid open house menu to the opinion that is for giving food over money is a reflection, and nothing more than that. It was not a proof for the opinion, nor was it some sort of argument against giving money. It was simply an, “oh, I get it, now I can see some wisdom behind preferring food over money,” because of the joy I had of a feast on Eid, the likes of which don’t come any other time of the year. Hopefully that’s clear now, inshaAllah.
Also, jazakAllah khair for the tidbit on Abu Yusuf. When I said “modern” scholars have allowed, I meant more to say that in recent times many more scholars now advocate the giving of money because of the way our world works today. I didn’t mean to paint a picture that no scholar ever made it permissible until now. Nice fact to know, though! (I’ve edited my post based on what you said, thanks again).
@Egyptian Usooli Person
You fuqahā and uṣūliyūn need to get along more! Hehe. By the way, I state for a second time that our teacher said to give both food and money. Maybe that’s the best way to have your two sides settle things here!
SaqibSaab | Oct 9, 2008 | Reply
I want some more dip.
Ayesha | Oct 9, 2008 | Reply
slow cookers are overrated
sadaf | Oct 9, 2008 | Reply
wow this is an amazing post. the pics are beautiful. i couldn’t stop drooling!
teacozy | Oct 18, 2008 | Reply