Knitting Event

In celebration of our Knitting Club’s one year anniversary one of the girls organized a special event. This Sunday we’re going to have a mini exposition of all the things we’ve knitted this past year and just hang out and knit. If anyone wants to learn how to knit or crochet we’ll have extra needles and yarn ready to teach them with. Should be fun!

Sad News

In the past week I’ve learned that two kids that I grew quite fond of at the hospital passed away. One boy was only two. He would come to the hospital every two weeks or so and I would take a few toys to his room so he could play with them. He seemed quite healthy and happy, so I was surprised by the news. The other boy was ten. He had basically lived at the hospital for the past eight months, so I got to know him and his mom quite well. Both were very intelligent and incredibly sweet boys. I miss them both so much. Please pray for the families of these boys. 

Traditional Tunisian Music

I went to the municipal theater for the first time last Saturday and watched one of the most famous traditional Tunisian singers, Lotfi Bouchnak. Almost everyone who likes traditional Tunisian music is a big fan. The two band members that joined him played an Oud and a Qanun, my first time ever seeing someone play those instruments.

Even though I didn’t understand very much of what was being sung I still had a great time. Two other singers performed as well, but unlike Bouchnak’s songs, hardly anyone could sing along with them.

 

What’s for breakfast?

I can’t recall when I started liking Bsisi but at some point I went from thinking it tasted like sand to actually craving it. What is it exactly? Well, to be honest I’m not completely sure. I think it’s made of flour from toasted lentils and grains like wheat, barely and sorghum. Most Tunisians make their own mix of toasted grains and then take it to a local flour mill. Then they add sugar and olive oil to the flour-like mixture and prepare it for a few days or a few weeks at a time. Most people usually just eat a few spoonfuls of it in the morning, as it only takes a small amount to make you feel full for a long time.

I just started buying mine at the local spice shop; most of my friends don’t know you can buy Bsisa in a bag. I’ve been experimenting with different kinds as well, trying to come up with a mix my friends might even approve of.

Two different kinds: a type of wheat mix and sorghum with nuts. (I also used a mixture made from lentils).

Three different kinds of Bsisa powder, sugar and olive oil.

The final result looks a bit like cookie dough! However, this dough doesn’t need to get baked in the oven and it is much better for you than cookie dough.

 

I wrote this post just before going to work but I didn’t have time to publish it. Today of all days, a student approached me after class and asked me if I would listen to his business idea. He asked me what I thought about trying to market Bsisa in the U.S. He explained that it is full of protein and would be great in a country where there are lots of vegetarians. He’s going to bring me some different samples of Bsisa together with their nutritional value. (I didn’t tell him I used to think it tasted like sand or that Americans might be turned off by the amount of olive oil required to make it. Who knows, it might be a real success in the states).