Thursday, September 24, 2015

The Great Immigration Debate

A child cries as his family wait in line in order to get into a reception center for refugees in Opatovac, Croatia
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugee-crisis-european-leaders-warned-that-greatest-tide-of-migrants-is-yet-to-come-10515085.html

Immigration, migration and the movement of people across the globe is a topic that is very much in the news right now with hundreds of thousands of immigrants coming out of war-torn Syria, parts of India and Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Lybia to name a few.


Surfing the internet recently I saw a heading that said" the US will take Rohingya Boat People" and another one referencing the same subject headed "Nope, nope, nope Tony Abbott says Australia will take no Rohingya Refugees". These headings and articles made me think about this subject of migration across the globe and how it is used and viewed by people and governments.

I am an immigrant twice over. In 1967, I moved from Bangladesh to England with my family and grew up, was educated and lived there till I moved to America with my British husband in 1987. I am now a dual British citizen and US citizen. I feel extremely lucky to have these two passports because I can travel between the two countries with no problem. Recently I moved back briefly to the UK and almost everyday immigration was being discussed on the news. 

I want to examine the way migration is viewed in the USA, Germany and the UK in particular and how it is also viewed around the world, particularly in Eastern Europe. While listening to a discussion about immigration on Public Radio in Arizona and I heard some very interesting arguments about the subject and it made me think of some of the anti-immigration arguments.  


In the United Kingdom and around Europe now there are  thousands of immigrants coming every day from war-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Libya. The migrants want a safe haven to call home and are "attracted by Europe's relative peace and prosperity". There is a great article in the Guardian called "10 truths about Europe"s migrant crisis". The United Kingdom says they will take 20,000 over 4 years with Germany and some of the other Western European countries willing to take more Syrian migrants in a shorter space of time. 

Other countries, particularly in Eastern Europe such as Hungary, Poland, Serbia and Croatia have been less welcoming.  In an article in the US News and Word Report called "Tension Between Eastern and Western Europe is complicating the response to an influx of migrants." I see this reaction from Eastern Europe as massive hypocrisy when I know thousands of Eastern Europeans  have emigrated to countries like the UK to better their own lives economically. When these countries joined the European Union they pledged to support "European values" such as xenophobia, open markets, open borders, transparent press and media, cultural diversity, open-mindedness, protection of minorities. 

In reality, these Eastern European governments have done nothing of the sort and their societies are full of corruption, oligarchs, cronyism, no freedom of the press. Many people such as in Poland don't think they can share anything with the migrants. They also do not accept racial and ethnic diversity. A September 12th New York Times article by Rick Lyman says "Unlike countries in Western Europe, which have a long history of accepting immigrants  from diverse cultures, former communist states tend to be highly homogeneous, Poland for example, is 98% white and 94% catholic.  

Germany has welcomed the migrants and pledged to take around 800,000 of them, pledging to send $6.7 billion on dealing with them. Austria and Sweden, Denmark have also been welcoming. Rallies in Denmark and Germany have shown support for accepting migrants in large numbers. Why is it that there is such a divide in the attitude of the Eastern and western Europeans?

They conclude that "Eastern Europeans think they are the ones to be helped that was a promise of the unification( of the European Union). Being poorer than western Europe they point out, how can anyone expect solidarity from us?"  The Eastern Europeans feel threatened by the Arab migrants and see them as an Islamic threat to Christian Europe. "There is a general anxiety over the unfamiliar." While Germany sees migrants as a possible boon to their future economic power countries like Hungary see them a massive Islamic threat.

“The countries that have very little diversity are the most virulent against refugees." said Andrew Strohlein, European media director forHuman Rights Watch.
Since the fall of communism, these Eastern European countries have not seen great changes in their economic prosperity. Also unlike the Western Europeans these countries have no colonial past and do not feel any obligation to migrants coming from Muslim countries. 


Today the Pope addressed the issue of immigrants. The Wall Street Journal sums it up "The Pope addressed immigration in a less confrontational way than he has done in Europe, where he has denounced indifference to the fate of migrants who have drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean. He instead appealed to the foreign heritage of most of his listeners, identifying himself as the “son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants.”

“On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life,” he said. “Is this not what we want for our own children?”
I am not an expert in this field and wrote this article to provoke some discussion and thoughts on the ever poignant subject which is in the news. We just need to examine how we would feel if we were in the shoes of those in the migrants themselves.




Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Various ways with chili.

Chili is a dish that can be cooked many different ways.  It can be made with a wide variety of meats, beans and vegetables. Gone are the days of plain old "chili con carne".
There are still the traditional ones with beef and beans but there are also versions now with chicken, white beans, barbecue sauce and soupier versions.
Here are 4 of my favorites.

Traditional meat chili

1 lb of lean ground beef
I large onion chopped
4large cloves of garlic minced
1 large can of kidney beans drained
I large can chopped tomatoes
8oz of water
2tsp chili powder
1 tsp chili flakes
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander powder
1 green bell pepper chopped.
2 large serrano or jalapeño peppers.
2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.
2oz chopped fresh cilantro

Method

Fry the onions and garlic, making sure they don't brown. Add the beef to the mixture and sauté for a few minutes till the meat is seared and add the spices, stirring constantly.
Add the drained beans and tomatoes after about 5 minutes and then the water. Turn up the heat and let it come to a boil but stir occasionally to make sure the mixture is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
Cook on high to bring to a boil band then reduce heat to simmer for about and hour. Add the serrano or jalapeño for added heat and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Add chopped cilantro just before serving in individual bowls and freshly grated cheddar and serve with sour cream and rice if desired.

Smokey White bean chicken Chili

In this recipe you add some smokey barbecue flavor to the chicken by adding barbecue sauce. 
2 large chicken breasts chopped into medium cubes 
1 medium sized onion chopped 
4 large cloves of garlic minced
1 large can of white haricot or navy beans drained
I large can chopped tomatoes
8oz of chicken stock
8 oz water
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander powder
1 red bell pepper chopped.
2 large serrano or jalapeño peppers.
2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
2oz of barbecue sauce
Salt and pepper to taste.
2 oz chopped fresh cilantro.
8 oz grated cheese.

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions and garlic and diced red peppers.
Turn the heat down so the onions and garlic don't brown. Add the chicken and sauté and add the spices and stir constantly. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
Add the drained beans and tomatoes to the pan after about 5 minutes and then the chicken stock, barbecue sauce & water. Turn up the heat and let it come to a boil. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
Cook on high to bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about and hour until the liquid is about half of what it was originally. Make sure to stir periodically and don't let it burn. Add the serrano or jalapeño for added heat and add the chicken back in the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Add chopped cilantro just before serving in individual bowls and freshly grated cheddar and serve with rice if desired.
White chicken chili

Vegetarian Chili

1 medium sized onion chopped 
4 large cloves of garlic minced
I cup chopped mushrooms
1 large can each of pinto beans and black beans drained and a white bean like navy beans if desired.
I cup of corn
I large can chopped tomatoes
8oz of chicken or vegetable stock
8 oz water
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander powder
1 Large green & large red bell pepper chopped.
2 large serrano or jalapeño peppers.
3 tablespoons of cooking oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.
2 oz chopped fresh cilantro.
8 oz grated cheese.

Method

 Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic, mushrooms and diced peppers. Turn the heat down so the onions and garlic don't brown. Add both cans of beans and sauté, add the spices and stir constantly.
Add the tomatoes after about 5 minutes and then the water and stock. Turn up the heat and let it come to a boil. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
Cook on high to bring to a boil, stir and then reduce heat to simmer for about and hour till the mixture is thick but chunky. Add the serrano or jalapeño for added heat and cook for a further 15 minutes. Stir part way through to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add chopped cilantro just before serving in individual bowls and freshly grated cheddar and serve with corn bread, corn chips or rice if desired.
Vegetarian chili

Chili and Corn Soup

1 medium sized onion chopped 
4 large cloves of garlic minced
1 large can each of pinto and white beans drained
2 cups of corn
I large can chopped tomatoes
12 oz of chicken or vegetable stock
8 oz water
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander powder
1 green, red & orange  bell pepper chopped.
1 large serrano and jalapeño peppers.
3 tablespoons of cooking oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.
2 oz chopped fresh cilantro.
8 oz grated cheese.

Method 

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic, corn & diced peppers. Turn the heat down so the onions and garlic don't brown. Add both cans of beans and sauté, add the spices and stir constantly.
Add the tomatoes after about 5 minutes and then the water and stock. Turn up the heat and let it come to a boil. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
Cook on high to bring to a boil band then reduce heat to simmer for about and hour till the mixture is thick. Add extra chicken stock if desired to make it runnier.
Add the serrano or jalapeño for added heat, stir and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Add chopped cilantro just before serving in individual bowls and fresh;y grated cheddar and serve with  corn chips or rice if desired.

All of these recipes are adaptable and you can vary the spices according to your taste and add the accompaniments like rice, tacos, chips, chopped cilantro and green or red chills if you desire.