Nepali Radio in New York

Nurturing Nepaliness

No matter where you go, you are always a Nepali. Delicacies of New York restaurants can hardly kill your lingering
taste for momos—Nepali version of dumplings. You may still long for a strong cup of tea and yearn for gundruk
—fermented vegetable leaves. Eight thousand miles away from your homeland, here in this city too, there is no
dearth of Nepali restaurants to serve you.
Things were different when Kamal Pathak, a medical doctor, came to the US in the 1970s to further his study on
Ear, Nose and Throat. He had left home with his wife Jyoti just a week after they tied the knot. America was a
promised land for the couple to start their life anew.
He joined the George Washington University for a five year long training. "It was totally a different place with no
acquaintance around," says Jyoti, who now lives in Ithaca, New York. "We were homesick," she adds. But relishing
dal, bhat and tarkari—at least once a day—gave them the feeling of being at home.
The first day she decided to cook at her apartment, Jyoti
remembers, she visited a grocery in the neighborhood.
She filled up shopping carts with chicken, potatoes,
onions, tomatoes, vegetables and fruits. She was
however not a good cook. The Pathaks had to gratify
themselves with chicken soup and rice only. Months
passed by. Though they met a few Nepali families, they
could not find a Nepali cook book.
Jyoti knew almost nothing about Nepali cuisine four
decades ago. But to an utter surprise of her relatives and
friends in Nepal “Taste of Nepal”—a book on Nepali
cuisine—hit the bookstores six months ago. It is an
attempt to fill the dearth of information on Nepali food.
The book published by Hippocrene Books hashes out 350
Nepali recipes. It won the 2008 "Best Foreign Cuisine
Book" of Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. "People are
surprised at the diverse culinary heritage of a small
country like ours," says a jolly Jyoti.
Earlier, Mike Frame, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal, had written "Cooking in Nepal and Then Some".
Mike, who owned Mike's Breakfast at Naxal in the Nepali capital, passed away three months ago. Born to a
peasant's family in Minnesota in the US, he knew Nepali life in Dhankuta, developed liking to local cuisine and
came up with the cook book.
Jyoti followed Mike's footsteps. She would ask what condiments and ingredients were used in the food served in
several Nepali social gatherings in the US. She would jot down the details. The note-taking culminated in the book
about Nepali cuisine. It took her seven years to complete the book. So far, three thousand copies of the book have
been sold, mainly in the US. She is elated by the positive feedbacks she is from the readers.
But she is bemused by the commonly held belief about Nepali food in the
West. The belief is based on the narration from tourists visiting Nepal.
"They complain of it as ‘dull dal-bhat' but Nepali food is more than that,"
she says. She wants to prove that Nepali food can satiate people with
catholic taste also. In her opinion it is a balanced diet. “Taste of Nepal”
showcases the diversity in Nepali food. "A foodie would very much relish
our food," she says.
Nepali restaurants have cropped up in American cities, though some
identify themselves as Indians to make the clients understand.
It was a pleasant surprise for Jyoti to find a couple of Nepali restaurants in
Baltimore, Maryland when she was there to attend an annual convention of
the Association of Nepalese in America. "Nepali cuisine is well-liked by
Europeans and Americans who love to travel far and wide," says Jyoti.
Despite the fact that Dal-bhat-tarkari is the daily staple for most Nepalis in
the US, many people in Nepal hold the belief that only burger and pizza are
available in Western countries. "Almost everything people eat in Nepal is
available here," says she, "The only difference is that vegetables are kept
frozen here whereas you can buy fresh ones in Nepal". The condiments and
ingredients for Nepali cuisine are available in Indian groceries.

Afghan army trains women for special forces

KABUL, FEB 15 - The Afghan army is training female special forces to take part in night raids against insurgents, breaking new ground in an ultraconservative society and filling a vacuum left by departing international forces.

"If men can carry out this duty why not women?" asks Lena Abdali, a 23-year-old Afghan soldier who was one of the first women to join one of the special units in 2011.

Night raids have long been a divisive issue between Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who doesn't want foreign troops entering Afghan homes, and the U.S.-led coalition that says the raids are essential to capturing Taliban commanders.

Many Afghans, however, have complained that the house raids are culturally offensive. Having male troops search Afghan females is taboo. So is touching a family's Quran, the Muslim holy book, or entering a home without being invited. Another focus of anger has been the disregard for privacy and Afghan culture because women and children are usually home during the raids.

The raids now are conducted jointly by U.S. and Afghan forces, but the female Afghan special forces soldiers play an important role. Their job: Round up women and children and get them to safety while guarding against the potential dangers of female suicide bombers or militants disguised in women's clothes.

The missions have taken on increasing importance and the Afghan government and the U.S.-led coalition have stepped up training of the Afghan special forces as international troops prepare to end their combat mission in 23 months.
President Barack Obama announced earlier this week that he will withdraw about half of the 66,000 U.S. troops now in Afghanistan within a year. He did not spell out what U.S. military presence would remain after 2014.

Afghan women have been part of their nation's security forces for years, but they didn't start being recruited for the special forces until 2011. Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said more than 1,000 women were in the army — a small fraction of the total force of 195,000.

The role of female soldiers also has come under debate in the United States after the Pentagon decided last month to open up front-line combat jobs to women.

Col. Jalaluddin Yaftaly, the commander of the joint Special Unit of the Afghan National Army, said villagers don't like foreign forces to carry out operations in their homes, but they have welcomed the Afghan special forces units and cooperated with them in many operations.

"We were faced with so many problems when we didn't have female special forces in our units," Yaftaly said. "Female special forces are quite useful."
On a recent frigid winter morning, an Afghan special forces unit, comprising 30 men and women soldiers, drilled at a training center in Kabul.
As part of the exercise, the unit was told that an insurgent leader was hiding in a house and women and children were inside with him.
The men on the team prepared to raid the house and arrest or kill the target. Abdali and two other female colleagues were tasked with making sure no women or children were harmed during the operation.
The most dangerous part of their assignment was the possibility that the main target was hiding among the women — perhaps in disguise — so Abdali and her colleagues had to stay alert to make sure they themselves were not attacked while getting innocent women and children out of harm's way.

The military advantages to having Afghan female special forces soldiers, however, have not yet offset the social issues women like Abdali face in doing their jobs.

A woman conducting night raids with male soldiers in a conservative country like Afghanistan is still not socially acceptable. Before she starts to fight the enemy in military operations she has to struggle with her family, relatives and others who might disapprove.
Abdali said that while she hides her occupation from many family members because of security concerns, she is proud to fulfill a duty she feels is important to her homeland.
"If I will not come and put my life in danger for the women and culture in Afghanistan, then who will do this?" she asked.
Abdali wears a traditional Afghan headscarf under her helmet, but otherwise she is clad in an army uniform and heavy flak jacket just like the men. Her weapon and equipment is heavy, but she runs with it along the peaks of snow-covered mountains, unpaved roads under the hot summer sun and on rugged paths in remote areas of the country.
"Women must show their bravery and power by carrying out this duty as men do," Abdali said as she loaded her weapon to take part in the drill.
"Move to your vehicles!" the unit commander shouted.
The unit ran from their formations to six armored vehicles and started toward the target. Along the way, the commander repeated a description of the house where the Taliban leader was believed to be hiding and instructed the unit on how to surround it and arrest the suspect.
The special forces soldiers crawled on the snow-covered ground up to the house.
"You have no place to hide. Please surrender yourself," one soldier shouted.
When the target didn't respond, he repeated his command. Again, the target did not respond.
"Attack," the commander shouted.
After a gun battle, four or five special forces soldiers entered the house and secured the area. The female soldiers then went in and escorted the women and children outside.
Abdali questioned two ladies and three small boys after they were shepherded to safety. She was trying to collect information to help her team while keeping them busy and distracting them from the violence.
The men in her unit see the benefits of having the female special forces at their side.
Agha Sharin Noori, an Afghan special forces soldier who has served in the unit for two and half years, said, "In a military operation, we need our sisters as much as we need our brothers."