Introduction to a Cooking, Dancing, Pakistani Violinist
Hi, I am Sana.
I am a psychology major, and I hope to attend medical school. My parents emigrated from Pakistan before I was born.
(Pakistan Transportation, Web Source: Wikimedia)
I love to play the violin, dance, sing, and cook. I currently am on a Bollywood dance team and am in the Civic Orchestra at OU. I've been playing the violin for 10 years now, and I still don't know how to play it.
I love to cook food from all across the world. My favorite cuisines to cook are Thai and Pakistani food. I am currently working on a new project where I make the national dish from every country once a week. It will take me a couple years to do it. I also love to make all kinds of desserts. I love making brownies, cakes, and pies from scratch. My favorite food is ice cream.
I have two male tabby cats. They look exactly the same, so most people think that I only have one cat. They have completely different personalities. One is sweet, and the other is the devil.
I do not dislike any food really. I eat everything. One time my mom made a savory meat dish and accidentally put sugar instead of salt. That was not my favorite food, but I still ate it.
Another goal in life I have is to be an extra on a TV show/movie or attend a live TV talkshow.
If I had an extra day for fun, and we were not under these circumstances, I would probably invite some friends over, dress up, and make some fun food. We could even go to Dallas for a quick Pakistani food trip.
I am very interested in my family lineage. I have a family tree from the 1700's, but it is just names. I decided to make a scrapbook-like family lineage where I am putting pictures and memories of relatives. That is another long term project I am working on.
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Oh, your projects sound so cool, Sana, and all that creative energy with the music and dancing and cooking and scrapbook could turn into stories for this class too. The idea of a national dish from every country sounds kind of like a Storybook for this class where you could find a folktale to pair up with the food dish since there are so many great folktales from so many different countries that have a food element. Your incident of the sugar and the salt reminds me of a favorite folktale about the importance of salt in cooking: "love as much as meat loves salt" ... and I just looked it up at a folktale site that has a version from Pakistan! wow! Love Like Salt link, and here's the Pakistani version: The King and His Daughters. And that folktale is from a book online full of stories from northern India (now Pakistan): Indian Nights' Entertainment; or, Folk-Tales from the Upper Indus - link. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy the class and find ways to explore your interests through stories here. It looks like there will be so many possible connections!
ReplyDeleteHi Sana, it's really nice to meet you! I think it's really cool that you've been playing the violin for so long, even if you say you're not too good at it. Either way, that's super cool, and you definitely have more dedication than me; I used to play the alto saxophone when I was in middle school, but stopped because memorizing music sheets just wasn't it. Also, even though one of your cats is the devil, I hope they're both having a good day and being good boys.
ReplyDeleteHi Sana it is so awesome to see your passion for so many artistic thing and you really seem like a citizen of the world which I think is so amazing. I think it is so awesome to make a new dish every week. I like food but I have really been trying to expand my palette since getting into college and I am finding that a lot of the food that I thought that I wouldn't or didn't like is actually really good and I have been missing out. I think that it would be awesome to be an extra in a tv show or movie as well as being in attendance at a Live TV talkshow.
ReplyDeleteHi Sana, I hope you are doing so well!
ReplyDeleteI played violin and high school and am so impressed by y'all in the Civic Orchestra, but totally relate to you still not knowing how to play it. I love your food idea, and really hope that you find some good staple dishes from each country! I do not think I have ever had any Pakistani foods so if you have some dish recommendations or restaurants please let me know!
ReplyDeleteHi Sana!
I was a competitive dancer my whole life growing up, but a Bollywood dance team performance is something I have never seen and definitely want to! I love your goal of cooking a dish from a country, what a fun and interesting way to try new foods! I'm definitely not adventurous when it comes to food, i'm super picky. I also have a devil cat, we call her the "she-devil" because she doesn't like humans and honestly only cares about her food bowl. It was nice to read your intro and meet you, have a good semester!
Hi, Sana!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of cooking a national dish from each country every week. I might just steal it from you. One of my long term goals while I am here at OU is to learn how to really cook and bake well. I have just started teaching myself how to bake from scratch and learned how to make challah bread over the summer break. Maybe you could give me a few tips.
You said you'd go to Dallas for a Pakistani food trip. Is that where home is or are there some really good places to get Pakistani food in Dallas? I'm from Dallas, but I've never had any Pakistani dishes, and I didn't know there was a significant Pakistani population in Dallas if there is.
Hi Sana!
ReplyDeleteI think it's very cool that you're involved with various art and creative activities. I love your idea of cooking a dish from each country. Have you made a dish from Cambodia yet? I like Thai food, but I've never had Pakistani food, so that is something I definitely want to try now. Desserts are so fun to make...and even better to eat! I also have a tabby named Oliver, who is a combo of both sweet and devilish. I would love to see pictures of your kitties! I enjoyed your post and you seem like a fun person!
Soriyana
Hi Sana! I'm impressed you know your family tree - that stuck out to me in particular, as I really only know my close extended family. And I wish I did not dislike foods! I'm a relatively picky eater, which only makes life harder for me hahah. I love baking, but I have not quite gotten into cooking yet. Best of luck with everything this year!
ReplyDeleteHey, Sana!
ReplyDeleteYour international food project sounds so awesome! You'll have to share some of your favorite recipes :) I also love your hobbies; both Bollywood dancing and orchestra sound like a great use of time. I'm sorry that you can't really go on any trips to Dallas right now, but hopefully, that'll change before our senior year is over! Best of luck to you this year.
Hey Sana!
ReplyDeleteYour life seems really interesting. I too love to bake and cook but I am far less adventurous when experimenting with food from cultures other than my own. I cook mostly American, Spanish, and A LOT of Italian food, comes with the territory of being Spanish/Italian. Maybe I could learn some tips or recipes from you. I also am fascinated with lineage in general, being a microbio major who loves genetics. One of my distant relatives wrote a book detailing my paternal families lineage and the possibility of one of my great great grandparents having 2 families. I cant wait to learn more about you!
Hey Sana!
ReplyDeleteI'm pre-med too and hoping to attend medical school next fall! Best of luck to you! Wow it seems like you really know how to cook. I wish I had that skill! I think that its awesome you're interested in your family lineage, I'm sure its all very interesting. Good luck with this semester and everything in the future!
Nice to meet you Sana,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're working on some cool projects. I hope you keep us updated on your food journey. The national dish from each country sounds super time consuming, but it'll be cool to experiment! Today I made my own balsamic vinaigrette dressing and I felt like a top chef lol. I hope some of your interests make it into your stories (maybe even a cat or two!).
Hi Sana!
ReplyDeleteI think your long term projects are really cool!
Also, I loved your comment about playing violin for ten years but still not knowing how to play, I totally get that sentiment!
I think it's kind of fun that you have those two very similar looking cats, I'm sure that must confuse some people who don't know!
Hey Sana! Wow you're working on some great stuff! Making a scrapbook like that sounds amazing and passing it down to future generations is such a great idea. Dallas has some great Pakistani food! I really like Al Markaz and BBQ Tonite they are really good. I wonder how far you've gotten with your cooking a dish from every country project.
ReplyDeleteHey, Sana
ReplyDeleteI am also from Pakistan, and I also hope to attend medical school! I love finding others that are similar to me, especially with the immigration stories our parents have. I also love how you go to Pakistani food trips, as I do the same often with my friends and it is really enjoyable having all my friends try out our cuisines and watching their expressions as they add something new to their favorite foods list! I hope you continue to work hard to achieve your dream of med school. You can do it! Nice to meet you.
Hi Sana!
ReplyDeleteI love all of your hobbies, but especially the one of making foods from all the different countries! That sounds like the kind of thing I would tell myself I would do, and then never actually do it, so I'm very impressed that you have so much drive! I also love cooking and baking, but I sometimes feel like I never have enough time to bake when I'm in school, and then over the breaks I spend so much time sleeping or trying to see my friends that I don't end up doing too much baking. I would say the only exception is Thanksgiving - I am the baker in my family, so I always end up making at least two pies and at least one other dessert. I hope your semester is going well, and good luck with your dreams to attend medical school! That's really inspiring, and I'm sending good vibes your way with it!
Hi Sana!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I love the picture you included with this introduction. It's so pretty. It's also so awesome that you are dedicated enough to make a new dish every week because that sounds tough, even when it's something that you enjoy. I hope that you can continue to make national dishes since that sounds so cool! Have a great day!
Hi Sana!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a little bit about yourself! I also used to play violin and i loved it but had to stop when I came to college. It sounds like you love food like me! Sadly in Oklahoma there's not a lot of places to find good food from other regions and cultures so I have a lot of things still on my bucket list. Pakistani food will definitely be on my list when I start getting around to that. I'm definitely a dessert girl over here as well. I enjoyed reading your intro and hope you have a great semester!
Hi Sana!
ReplyDeleteI am a pre-PA student so it's similar to the pre-med route you're doing. My parents are immigrants from Vietnam too. I love learning my culture from Vietnam even though I was born here. I love that you also embrace your Pakistani culture. It's very cool that you're learning to cook Pakistani dishes. I don't know how to cook many Vietnamese dishes. I also love that you have two cats that look identical. It's funny how one is sweet and the other is a devil.
ReplyDeleteHello, I think it is so cool that that you are on a Bollywood dance team here at OU. I think it’s so cool that you’ve played the violin for 10 years. I don’t know how to play any instruments, but I wish I could. I also love to cook but I mostly cook southern homestyle dishes but would love to expand my dishes.
Hi Sana,
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool that you're on the Bollywood dance team AND have been playing the violin for so long! When I was smaller in middle to high school, I loved playing the violin but I think I fell out of love for it later on in my life, which is sad. However, it's a breath of fresh air to see that someone is very committed to it. Thai is also one of my favorite cuisines. If you stay in Norman, I recommend going to Thai Delight or Thai Thai! I look forward to reading more from you in the future!
Hi Sana,
ReplyDeleteHow cool that you are on a Bollywood dance team! You say you've been playing violin for ten years but still don't know how to play it! This made me laugh! You must know something if you are in an orchestra at OU! I also thought it was funny that your kitties are complete opposite personalities even though they look the same. My cat is both sweet and the devil all wrapped in one so I understand what its like to have both! lol. I really loved reading your intro and look forward to reading some of your stories!
Hi Sana! So nice to meet you. I loved getting to read your introduction post and getting to know you a bit better. Always nice to learn more about my classmates and their interests. I think it is so cool you are on a Bollywood dance team. How neat and what a fun group to be apart of during your college experience. Your kittens seem like they are so cute! It is so fun getting to learn more about you. It is also cool that you play the Violin. I do not play an instrument but I am always impressed by people who do. Great job! I loved reading your post.
ReplyDeleteHey Sana, it is very nice to meet you! I hope everything is going good for you so far this semester. That is really neat that you are from Pakistan. It is also really neat that you play the violin. I play the piano, so I know that it is always fun to play an instrument as a hobby. Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteHi Sana!
ReplyDeletePleasure to meet you! I think it's cool to know that you are in Bollywood dance team. You must have a very good talent, maybe one day you will be a superstar and we will see you on TV. I also like that you play violin. I enjoy listening to music instrumentals but i don't know how to play any of them, keep up with the good work.
Hi Sana, it's so nice to meet you! I love that you play violin but don't think you know how to play it. I would love to learn the violin, I only know the clarinet and piano but I haven't played in years. I've always been a picky eater so I admire that you can be so go with the flow with food including eating something like a sugary covered savory dish.
ReplyDeleteHey Sana, I loved reading about your heritage! I hate to say I've never tried Pakistani food. But you had me at Thai! I enjoy cooking as well, it seems like quarantine is a good time to get into it. My mom is also really into family lineage and that sort of stuff. She sends me links to the family trees she puts together all the time. It's really cool to see where your ancestors come from! Good luck on exams!
ReplyDelete