MNMN Business Beat: Anodyne Coffeehouse

By Adam Majewski

On the south side of Minneapolis sits one of the most unique coffeehouse's on the lower southwest side. known for their Espresso and locally sourced foods. A family place which started only with coffee, expanding to tasty treats. After some time with creating great coffee baked items, they have expanded to food such as their now signature Eggspresso. Now providing a wide variety of foods and baked items.

They also pride themselves on carrying locally roasted coffee by Fair Trade Peace Coffee and most of their foods sourced from local farmers.

Business: Anodyne Coffeehouse.
Address: 4301 Nicollet Ave, S. Minneapolis, MN 55409
Phone Number: 612-824-4300

Muslim Foodie: Somali Tea home style

By Adam Majewski

There are many ways to prepare tea across the globe from Moroccan mint tea, to English earl gray, Japanese green and oolang tea and to East African black tea. One of the most well known in Muslim culture here in Minnesota is Somali Tea, which is black tea steeped with cardamom and served with sugar and steamed milk.

It can how ever be difficult to emulate Somali Tea made at some of the Twin Cities Somali mall's. Fallowing this very simple recipe though you can come darn close if not making it better.



Somali Tea Recipe:

For a six 6 OZ pot of tea.

3 tea bags of your favorite black tea.
4 full tablespoons of sugar
1 and a half tablespoons of ground cardamom
3/4 cup of warmed up heavy cream.

1. first you will want to put enough water on to boil for 6 cups of tea.

2. as the water is heating up, in the tea pot you will want to put your three tea bags, sugar and cardamom. when the water comes to a boil turn off the heat and let sit, counting to 5 then pour in to the tea pot with your tea set up.

3. While you are waiting for the tea to steep put your heavy whipping cream in a shallow sauce pan on high. keep an eye on it cause one you start seeing shallow bubbles on the side of the pan you will want to turn the heat down to medium heat and take a egg beater and whip the cream on medium speed for 30 to 60 seconds. once you hit that time mark you will add the heavy whipping cream to your tea mixing it slightly.

4. now your teat is ready to serve, enjoy!.

Thanksgiving As A Muslim!

By Adam Majewski

Bismillah,

Minneapolis, MN- Another year passes and it is thanksgiving again here in the west. A holiday seen as weird to many Muslims, because we should be giving thanks everyday.

Now  to first Imam Ahmad and other hadith collectors have reported a hadtih that the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) said, "Whoever imitates some people, he is considered as one of them." In another narration the prophet (S.A.W.) said, "A person is not one of us (Muslims), if he imitates others (non-Muslims)."

What everyone needs to keep in mind, many of whom will argue, the hadith refers to the moral values of other cultures not the cultural values of them. It is the Moral Values which should not be imitated.

With that said and thanksgiving next week, many American Muslims will be celebrating Thanksgiving, and be called Imitators of non-Muslims. These fellow Brothers and Sister's in Islam are only celebrating their cultural heritage as American Muslims, not imitating the moral values of another culture. These brothers and sister's are Muslims and Americans. As Muslims we are commanded to give thanks to Allah Subhana Wa'Tala everyday. 

On thanksgiving started 400 plus years ago, we as Americans were given the opportunity, to live in a society which does not oppress us for our beliefs or who we are as individuals. The command to give thanks, like during Ramadan to Allah should be strained more on this day, for the opportunities we are given in this country. All Muslims and Non-Muslims should bare in mind that Ramadan and thanksgiving should not normally be compared in this way yet most who would be quick to judge normally need a comparison of this type in order to understand the meaning of such thinking.

The importunates of this holiday does not have to be celebrated by all Muslims but those who celebrate it can't be shunned because of the decision to. It is difficult being a Muslim in America, it is even harder being an American Muslim here.

Now as the year continues to pass with this approaching holiday many will be giving thanks for, the life Allah Subhana Wa'Tala has given us. Even More then they do any other day. Many will be sharing food's they have never had before, some with be eating foods which are their favorites and don't eat often. No matter it is about spending a wonderful meal with loved ones while keeping in remembrance that which Allah Subhana Wa'Tala has giving use the past years, day's and hours.

Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakathu.

When Tea For Two Is Not Enough-Part One

By Adam Majewski

Bismillah

Minneapolis, MN-There is an old american song which goes 'Two For Tea Or Tea For Two' which has made me think of tea's history. When I think of tea, I think of my mother. She didn't drink tea all the time, but enough to imprint the memory of her sitting in a chair contemplating her life trying to relax from the stress of her day. Tea was her saving grace when my sister and I where children.

Culturally tea is everywhere. The traditions around the world from place to place are incredibly different, yet sometimes similar. For the most part many people when they think tea, the first place's which come to mind are England and Japan. Reason being they have the most publicized traditions of tea drinking around the world.

The origin of tea is simple, the act of drinking tea started as a medicinal tonic in china. The legend associated with it says it was discovered by the emperor in 2737 BC. Since then it has spread to be the most widely consumed beverage around the world.

One of the highest per capita consumer cultures is, Islam. It has become the Islamic social and cultural drink like wine and beer in the west. It is not just the study drink for students in most Muslim nations around the world, there are a staggering amount of customs and "rituals" ranging from the traditional aspects of serving tea to your guests, to all day tea drinking ceremonies.

This subject of tea in Islamic culture is such a large topic. To try and fill in to one article would overwhelm any reader. This series will be covering hospitality, afternoon tea to the similar tea customs from other culture's then just Islam. this beginning is just to give you a focus point of what is to come.

So grab a cup of tea and enjoy with this series of articles as they come.

Food Through Faith Part 2: Introduction To Halal Dietary Laws

By Adam Majewski

Chapter: 5 , Verse: 4

they ask you as to what is allowed to them. say: the good things are allowed to you, and what you have taught the beasts and birds of prey, training them to hunt-- you teach them of what allah has taught you-- so eat of that which they catch for you and mention the name of allah over it; and be careful of (your duty to) allah; surely allah is swift in reckoning- The Holy Quran

Through the progression and evolution of the human understanding of food, and what we as muslims have construed as Halal. Many people feel classifying such ingredients as acetone in the processing of our foods to be halal even though it is just as Haram as an ingredient as Alcohol. A much as anyone should support affordable food for everyone, cheap synthetic ingredients as a whole are not Halal, based on the long term effects they have on the human body and our society such as alcohol does at any level.

A small list to start everyone off on a general rule of thumb for Halal foods:

-Look at all the ingredients at anything which is required to have a list of ingredients(If it is a synthetically made ingredient it’s not Halal).

-If you don’t know what the ingredient is then don’t consume until you learn what it is.

-Any naturally occurring ingredient which does not have to be Synthetically produced in order to be produced is Halal.

-If it is not a food it’s Haram, not Halal. Such as products used to produce foods on a large scale, and classified as an ingredient. Many of these products are

-All meats produced in accordance to Halal or Kosher slaughtering processes are both Halal.

-Foods which are brought to market with little to no processing, are Halal. Foods which are processed to the point in which it is structurally not the same food or item any more, is not food at all and is not Halal.

Chapter: 5 , Verse: 87

o you who believe! do not forbid (yourselves) the good things which allah has made lawful for you and do not exceed the limits; surely allah does not love those who exceed the limits

Chapter: 5 , Verse: 88

and eat of the lawful and good (things) that allah has given you, and be careful of (your duty to) allah, in whom you believe

In essence we as muslims not only need to learn the meaning of the Quran and learn about what we believe, we also need to learn the context of our beliefs when Muhammad was alive(peace and blessings be upon him) the food landscape was a lot different the id is today.

This statement is not meant as we need to change any of our beliefs or evolve as a faith, what we need to do is take into consideration to the foods which were accessible to us at the time of the prophet(PBUH) and what we as Muslims are now considering to be food and are consuming even though most of what we are consuming is not meant to be food for us in any way.

What is meant by this is that the context we use our beliefs in, or interpret our beliefs to relate to need to be in context to what Allah(SWT) has put in front of us as life’s tests not to the tests which were put to our brothers and sisters during Mohammad’s time (PBUH).

Many fellow Brothers and Sisters are stuck in the past, interpreting our beliefs in relation to the past, not rationally putting into perspective that one needs to put our beliefs in todays context.

We don’t live fourteen hundred years ago, we live in a time with more complexity, more uncertainty, more confusion. In Muhammad's time(PBUH) life was simple.

A person grew their own food, or produced something to gain the food they needed, they fulfilled the duties in society and they did everything in honor and remembrance of Allah(SWT).

Now how ever most people can’t approach life this way due to it not being a current viable way in economic constructs to do so. As well most of the food produce, or so called “food” is not really food today. It is treated nothing more than chemical compounds which can be arranged and rearranged in any one form or another.

As this series progresses as food through faith these first two pieces are a base line on beliefs as well small amounts of cultural opinions. As the Allah’s creation(SWT) continues to change and grow in on to itself, our understanding of what he has given us will have to continue to change or grow.

Not that we have to innovate, but it will have to be looked at it relation to what is also going on around us in today’s world to be able to be applied to our daily lives as believing practicing muslims.

Food Through Faith Part 1: Introduction To Dietary Laws

By Adam Majewski

Halal, The Islamic word for that which is lawful or permitted. Dietary practices are a large part of the faith due to the obvious, food is needed to survive in this life time.

In Islam there is not much public information and public forums provided to those who are non-muslim. Especially in the west to inform any who are interested about the religious practice of Halal eating and drinking.

These resources are not very common else where out side the Muslim communities which only, for the most part at least provide them to those who are practicing muslims. Never the less this here is insight to those interested and wanting to read, some what of an introduction to Halal Food Laws.

These five starting points are just a beginning point and more will be provided as this two part article as it progresses. These are five of what I would say are some of the five most Haram items to eat and drink:

Consumption of blood: From a religious view, is believed that most of a persons soul is carried with in the blood and is in essences a person spiritually. A persons very being, including animals and so to consume blood is to consume the animals soul.

Eat an animal which has died before a person finds them. This animal has not been slaughtered in the Islamic way, in the name of Allah for our consumption to feed our physical state of being. This is Haram and she not be practiced at any time!

Zabihah, the Halal why to slaughter Animal for human consumption and the third section on the list that if not done is Haram. The importance of this way of slaughter, spiritually, is that we as Muslims are commanded to remember Allah(swt) in everything we do, this includes how we harvest meat for consumption.

When slaughtering by halal dietary law the person harvesting the animal must say Bismallahi Ramnir Rahim. The animal must also be laying down, by doing this it helps put the animal in a state of peace with Allah and their demise.

To rap up part one here, I am speaking on pork and alcohol both in the same section. In Islam why the command to not eat pork was made for the most part. At least the part we as people can understand was. According to what we believe at one point Jesus(may Peace and Blessings be upon him) was arguing with a few Jinn and after some time of arguing they finally asked him if they may go in to pigs as their punishment and he had granted this.

As for alcohol, all in all is an intoxicant, and has negative effects to a person on a spiritual and social level. Alcohol for the most part makes most people lose sight of the important things in their lives, such as learning, taking care of one's family, working and most of all Allah. Even though most people do have self control and don't drink a lot, by drinking even just one beer a night it says to other people who don't have control over their lives to drink, even if that is not what you are trying to say by drinking one beer.