A very thoughtful Syrian American living in Jacksonville, but who is no relation to me, sent me, via e-mail, a most precious collection of recipes in pdf format. The forty-page cookbook was prepared by the grandchildren of Syrian immigrant women who settled in Jacksonville in the 1920s.
This cookbook is very valuable to me, for while it is safe to assume that classic Syrian food varied from region to region in Syria depending on local tradition and the availabilty of ingredients, the recipes had to likewise be adapted once more in Jacksonville for the ingredient factor. Granted, the cookbook inspired by these Jacksonville Syrian women reflects the regions from which they were born, and they may not have been Beiruti or Damascene or Tripolitan, as were my ancestors, but they all became Jacksonvillians. In that sense, they were all family--my family.
Syrian Cooking with Sitto has become a treasured family history item.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
And the Name Is . . . Fadilallah
Once again, my book is a success. Another distant cousin has found me by finding my book online. This distant cousin descends from the Yazigi/Yeager family of Syrian origin. She provided me with interesting details that would only be passed down through family lore, but the most interesting tidbit was the name represented by the letter F.
Her father and his brothers all had the middle initial of F. I am not surprised the initial was the same, for it was customary for a boy's second name to be the same as his father's first name. Therefore, I knew if I ever figured out this middle name, I'd know the name of their father. My cousin knew it! The name is Fadilallah.
In spite of her Southern accent, she has such a beautiful pronunciation of the Arabic names in our family. Arabic vowell sounds are not quite like ours. The As in this name are pronounced somewhere in between an aahh sound and an uuhh sound. The first and fourth syllables are stressed. The I is practically silent. The sound goes from the D to the L without really hearing the I. All four syllables are pronounced as if two words--more like FU-dl UL-lah. I have not seen very many Arabic names among our family and their associates that begin with F and this is the first time I have ever seen this name. I love a mystery solved.
Her father and his brothers all had the middle initial of F. I am not surprised the initial was the same, for it was customary for a boy's second name to be the same as his father's first name. Therefore, I knew if I ever figured out this middle name, I'd know the name of their father. My cousin knew it! The name is Fadilallah.
In spite of her Southern accent, she has such a beautiful pronunciation of the Arabic names in our family. Arabic vowell sounds are not quite like ours. The As in this name are pronounced somewhere in between an aahh sound and an uuhh sound. The first and fourth syllables are stressed. The I is practically silent. The sound goes from the D to the L without really hearing the I. All four syllables are pronounced as if two words--more like FU-dl UL-lah. I have not seen very many Arabic names among our family and their associates that begin with F and this is the first time I have ever seen this name. I love a mystery solved.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Daughters of the Confederacy Need Not Apply
I've just had myself a good chuckle. In researching for another book project, I ran across information about the Union Veterans Union (UVU), which was organized in 1886 for Union veterans, who did not necessarily agree with the practices of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), also organized for Union veterans. Even though the UVU was also open to sons of the veterans, membership eventually fizzled out. In honor of Union veteran ancestors, the UVU has been re-formed.
Check out these membership requirements: "We do not seek your affiliation if you belong to any organization which has been recognized as racist, white supremacist, or divisive in their practices or teachings. This includes, but is not limited to, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), the League of the South, the Southern Party, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), Confederate Reenactors Assoc., KKK, National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP), or other Southern "Heritage" group which may support the principles of any racist organization or those principles of any other such organization as may have been identified by the Southern Poverty LawCenter and listed in their current annual 'Intelligence Report.' "
Whew! This means if I become a member of the UDC, I will not be welcomed in the UVU. While membership in the SCV and UDC requires a direct or colateral kinship to a Confederate veteran, everyone can belong to the UVU as long as they are not racist. This is interesting because the original UVU did not even include all veterans; only combat veterans were welcomed. Membership requirements in the Confederate groups do not include a list of organizations I can not belong to. The UVU's objection to the SUVCW, what should be their sister group, is that they supported South Carolina's right to fly the Confederate flag on the State House. This is what started the war in the first place, the issue over states' rights. It sounds like the UVU is practicing their own version of discrimination.
Has anyone told the UVU that the war is over? We're just all trying to get along now as fellow Americans. Besides, like myself, many of us are descendants of both Yankees and Rebels.
See "History of the UVU," http://www.uvuinc.4t.com/about.html
and "History of the Union Veterans Union," http://www.unionveteransunion.org/4_1UVU_HISTORY.html
Check out these membership requirements: "We do not seek your affiliation if you belong to any organization which has been recognized as racist, white supremacist, or divisive in their practices or teachings. This includes, but is not limited to, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), the League of the South, the Southern Party, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), Confederate Reenactors Assoc., KKK, National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP), or other Southern "Heritage" group which may support the principles of any racist organization or those principles of any other such organization as may have been identified by the Southern Poverty LawCenter and listed in their current annual 'Intelligence Report.' "
Whew! This means if I become a member of the UDC, I will not be welcomed in the UVU. While membership in the SCV and UDC requires a direct or colateral kinship to a Confederate veteran, everyone can belong to the UVU as long as they are not racist. This is interesting because the original UVU did not even include all veterans; only combat veterans were welcomed. Membership requirements in the Confederate groups do not include a list of organizations I can not belong to. The UVU's objection to the SUVCW, what should be their sister group, is that they supported South Carolina's right to fly the Confederate flag on the State House. This is what started the war in the first place, the issue over states' rights. It sounds like the UVU is practicing their own version of discrimination.
Has anyone told the UVU that the war is over? We're just all trying to get along now as fellow Americans. Besides, like myself, many of us are descendants of both Yankees and Rebels.
See "History of the UVU," http://www.uvuinc.4t.com/about.html
and "History of the Union Veterans Union," http://www.unionveteransunion.org/4_1UVU_HISTORY.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)