Beloved Community Church

Last Sunday I attended a Sunday service at Beloved Community Church. My history with religion is basically none. As I said in my first blog post, Uruguayans are very private about their religious beliefs. Most of them are atheists, and those who are religious are probably Catholic. My mother's family is Catholic, but they never really discussed it. I never attended any services with them. I had very little understanding of what religion or God even were. It seemed strange and mystical and something I shouldn't bring up in conversation. 


The first mass I recall attending was a wedding.I was in awe of everything around me and too afraid to move a muscle. Finally they began to offer the eucharist and people lined up to receive it. I knew I was witnessing a powerful ritual, and suddenly wanted to be a part of it. I leapt out of my seat to join the growing line. My grandmother, giggling beside me, pulled me back and told me to sit down. I later learned that I could not take part in the ceremony, but only watch, because I was not baptized.


From then on, religion and church seemed like something out of reach. I accepted my grandmother's reason very readily. Since I had so little understanding of what baptism even was, I assumed that it was simply not for me. After all, if it had been for me, surely I would've been baptized. I respect and agree with my parent's decision to raise me the way they did in regards to religion. What they couldn't have anticipated, however, is that upon moving to the bible belt, I was going to be an extreme oddity.


Since then I have attended many different kinds of religious services with friends. I always viewed everything before me with respect and reverence, but always through the eyes of an outsider. I doubt that I ever returned to the same place of worship twice. What I experienced at Beloved Community Church was altogether different.


For starters, there was none of the usual gilded ceilings or marble columns of my previous experiences. No depictions of a dying Christ that I always found unsettling. Beloved Community is a simple brick building with two stories. The lower level has the feeling of a good friend's living room, inviting, welcoming, downright cozy. The sanctuary upstairs is elegant and sports a stained-glass window that reads "Beloved." I felt the usual quiet that came over me at the start of any service and sat down to observe.


How could I have expected to end up participating for the first time in my life? All the members welcomed me with open arms, offered to pray for me, were genuinely interested in me as a person. The music was celebratory, joyous, and spirited. The band plays jazz, r&b, even contemporary pop songs. With all my fear of singing in public, I may even have joined in quietly. The sermon was challenging and beautifully delivered by Reverend Angie Wright. 


When she offered the eucharist, this time I knew what to do. People lined up and one by one were told that they were loved. I continued to sit, as if my grandmother was beside me guiding. The members began to notice that I was not standing up, that I wasn't going to join them. They beckoned me to come and share bread with them. I sheepishly admitted that I could not because I was not baptized. Rapidly they made me realize that it didn't matter, that I was welcome anyway. I joined in timidly and dipped my bread into the cup of wine and was told that I was loved. And I believed it. It was simply moving.


Later I had the chance to interview Reverend Wright and ask her some of the questions that had come to me during the service.

Me: What makes Beloved Community Church different from other Christian churches?

Rev. Wright: Beloved Community is a church that "celebrates all people as precious children of God" -- not only welcomes and celebrates but also ordains, includes in leadership -- poor, not poor, housed, homeless, mentally stable and ill, physically able and disabled, gay and straight -- part of a denomination (United Church of Christ) that ordained women in the 1800's, gay person the in 1970's, were the core group who freed the Amistad slaves. In other words, it has a strong social justice history.

It is non-dogmatic and non-creedal -- you don't have to endorse a set of beliefs to be considered a Christian, you just have to be seeking a deeper relationship with God and trying to "walk in the ways of Jesus." 

We don't "believe in the Bible,"  that's idol worship, but rather the Bible is authoritative for us, we see it as one way that God is revealed to us and that in the person of Jesus God is best seen and made known to us.

Me: What is your favorite ritual or ceremony that is performed at Beloved? Why?

Rev. Wright: Regular sunday worship is my favorite because that's when the community comes together to share journey, joys, sorrows, become more deeply bonded in what we believe we are called to do and be as a church; we sing, pray, laugh, cry, eat, tell stories; it's one hour that is as full of every aspect of life imaginable.

I also love baptism because it's a time when the church as a community makes a solemn vow to be the spiritual family for the person being baptized, forever, no matter what -- no matter what that person does or doesn't do, no matter what happens, the community binds itself to that person -- baptism is often understood as just being about the child/person and family, maybe  godparents, but for us, it's about the church community too, and  its a very happy occasion. I also love weddings.

Me: Do you find it difficult or challenging to be inclusive of every belief system in your sermons?

Rev. Wright: I don't try to be inclusive of every belief system because many belief systems are hateful, etc.  I don't try to include every religious tradition in my sermons, if that's what you mean, because we are a Christian church.  However, I don't believe that Christianity is the only way, I'm always respectful of other religions and I often say that God is large enough to receive all of us.  I do try to honor all people created by God, and believe we all are created by the same God, and that all religions are created by humans, so no religion has full knowledge, every religion has flaws, every religion has history of both liberation and oppression, and I have no problem at all owning up to that.  

 

Me: Have you encountered any animosity toward your church because of its liberal teachings? (Having a female minister, type of music played, multi-cultural members)

Rev. Wright: There has been occasional animosity because I am female, divorced, in a biracial relationship, not a "born-again" Christian, have gay members, don't read the Bible fundamentalistly (probably not a word) as if "every word is the inerrant word of God."  There are times that we have been taken advantage of because our members are generous beyond measure.  Also some people are afraid because we are in the inner-city, and have people who are "different" like homeless or mentally ill -- but that is the joy of it all.

I left the service feeling very happy to have experienced this sense of community and love. It seemed this group of people really embodied everything that I admire about the Christian faith. I highly recommend this church to anyone interested as you will be welcomed and embraced as part of a beloved community.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

This year I had the pleasure of participating in my first Mardi Gras celebration. One of my best friends, Andrew, is originally from Mobile so he was kind enough to act as tour guide for me and my husband. His parents even belonged to a Mardi Gras organization and his family rode in floats every year.  His inside perspective was very helpful.

I was surprised at what a beautiful city Mobile is! How is it possible that I have lived in Alabama for 12 years and never been? It was nothing like I expected. Thinking back on it now, it makes perfect sense that Mobile would have such a unique culture and history.

The first thing we explored was the Mobile Carnival Museum. It was a wonderful place to begin because we learned a lot of the history of Mardi Gras in Mobile. 

Outside the museum.

The museum is located in the historic Bernstein-Bush house. The house itself is breathtakingly beautiful.

One of the most surprising things to me was the rigorous selection of the king and queen of Mardi Gras. The queens must be from ages 21-26, unmarried, and from an old Mobile family. They are evaluated on their poise and communication skills. The queens’ dresses are Vera Wang wedding gowns that are then embellished to match their extravagant trains. 

Every queen designs her own train and outfit according to her taste. They are all handmade by only seven artisans in the Mobile area with real furs, luxurious fabrics, and swarovski crystals. They usually range from 20-30,000 dollars and can take up to a year to construct!

They are so elaborate that they can be difficult to carry. The heaviest in the museum was 85 pounds and worn by a very petite queen. This train was fitted with casters on the bottom so that she was able to walk.

The heaviest train the museum.

The following was my favorite train. The picture really does not do it justice. One of the museum guides showed us a small silk frog on one corner of the train and told us that this queen’s mother had always told her that if she kissed enough frogs eventually she would find her prince. That queen did end up marrying a Mardi Gras king!

My favorite.

My husband's favorite.

This one was designed to resemble a waterfall and the pool below it.

A float used in past parades, inside the Carnival Museum

Detail of a float.

If we were royalty....

Now for my favorite topic, food. Mobile really struck me as a foodie town. All the restaurants where we dined, even ones we just passed by, had unique and diverse menus. Being on the coast, seafood is prevalent. Even though I grew up on the beach, I was too picky to ever take advantage of the fresh seafood around me. Of course, I have become an adventurous eater but seafood was still an area where I felt uncomfortable.

My husband positively lusts after oysters so I decided that I would give them a try for the first time. We went to the Original Oyster House. We ordered oysters four different ways: steamed, baked, fried, and raw on the half-shell. The fried oysters were my favorite! They were so delicious. I still can’t believe I had such a favorable response. I even ate a raw one on a cracker with some lemon juice. It wasn’t bad. The taste is really amazing, you just have to get past the texture. I definitely plan on trying them again since they are definitely more of an acquired taste. I also had scallops and crab claws for the first time. I believe I have now developed a severe scallop addiction. The crab claws were also delicious. All in all, I loved everything I tried and I can’t believe that I have wasted so much of my life being scared of seafood!

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay for Mardi Gras and one of the days we were there was so rainy that the parades were cancelled. But we were able to see the parade on Joe Cain Day, a celebration completely unique to Mobile, that celebrates the man who brought Mardi Gras back to Mobile after World War II. The parade was a lot of fun. The floats were beautifully decorated and we had a great time catching beads, moon pies, and stuffed animals.

Celebrating Joe Cain Day.

Andrew, Daniel, and I.

French culture seemed to be all around us, in wrought-iron balconies, extravagant fountains, delicious food, and this wonderful celebratory tradition. We also visited the recently renovated and stunningly beautiful Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. This is truly a place worth visiting if only to stare slack-jawed at all of the incredible detail.

Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Mobile is truly a city where one can appreciate the rich history of this country. A history that sometimes gets lost in the suburbs I’ve inhabited. This country is so large and has been influenced by so many groups of peoples that traveling around it is sometimes like traveling the world. 

Super Oriental Market

Visiting a market is an excellent way to get to know another culture. Super Oriental Market in Homewood is a perfect example. They carry just about every kind of product I could have imagined. Their seafood department has many tanks of live fish, eels, and shellfish. They have produce that I haven't seen anywhere else, particularly the infamous durian.

Durian fruit at Super Oriental Market

 Of course, my husband, an avid lover of stinky cheeses, wanted to bring one home. Maybe next time! And not only did they carry durian fruit, they also had durian jam in stock.

Exploring the isles of this market was so interesting! We could have spent hours picking up completely unrecognizable items and trying to decipher their purpose. We quickly began to fill up our basket. One thing we did recognize were products relating to Hot Pot, particularly Hot Pot sauces. Chinese Hot Pot is basically a kind of Asian fondue. Raw meats, vegetables, and dipping sauces are served around a pot of boiling oil or broth. Diners then cook their morsels in it and eat family style.

Hot Pot Sauces

They had a large selection of frozen dumplings and buns. We had never tried steamed buns before so we decided to buy some. They had so many varieties that we couldn't decide! We ended up with pork, spinach, and red bean paste buns and will soon be going back for more!

So delicious, beautifully crafted, and affordable!

The market has a huge variety of noodles, rice, and instant ramen noodle meals. This fact was not surprising as noodles and rice are staples in the Asian diet and ramen noodles are wildly popular, especially among poor college students like me.

Various noodle varieties

Rice!

My husband, Daniel, shopping in the ramen isle. 

They had an area in the back of the market with all the non-food items. It's no wonder that with all those rice varieties they also had so many varieties of rice cookers.

If you don't have one, this is the place to buy a rice cooker!

Another aspect of Asian culture that I love and admire is tea. I was not disappointed with their selection. They had beautiful loose leaf teas. One of my friends travelled to China once and sent me a package of rose tea. I was very happy to find a similar variety here. It was interesting to see that teas are also consumed for their medicinal values. That is something that my culture shares in. We drink a lot of tea in Uruguay. My family usually had a five o'clock tea ritual during which we drank black tea. Any other variety of tea had another purpose, such as to aid in digestion, or relaxation. At this market I found out the extent to which tea is used medically.

Tea to help with hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes!

When I was strolling through the housewares section I came across something that surprised me, although I'm not sure why.

Asian Sunsilk Shampoo

I remember in Uruguay we had American or English brands that were packaged for Latin America. They would have nutritional or content information written in Spanish and the images would be targeted towards hispanics. Seeing these bottles of Sunsilk shampoo that were marketed for sale to Asians made the world seem so small. I later realized that the steamed buns we had brought home had a big stamp at the bottom saying "Product of U.S.A." It seems miraculous to live in an age when we are so connected to the whole world. I was suddenly so grateful at how easy it has become to be connected to other cultures.
When we first arrived in Alabama in 1996, Birmingham was a much different city. The differences at the supermarket were exciting and foreign to me. Forget the ubiquitous ethnic food isles now prevalent in even Winn-Dixie and Wal-Mart, and the Spanish markets that are popping up all over the city like Starbucks. I yearned for a jar of Dulce de Leche, or my favorite brand of cookies. All these items are so readily available now. It has been wonderful to witness such a positive change in this city, how it has come to embrace its foreign population and cherish cultural heritages.

We then realized our basket was quite full and our stomachs were rumbling loudly. We went home with many new foods to try and some old favorites. We bought canned lychees and mangosteens, an aloe vera dessert, many spices, noodles, rice paper for spring rolls, steamed buns, and a lot of sauces! The most surprising item I've had so far is the most common: soy sauce. We bought a premium dark soy sauce and were so surprised by the taste! My husband exclaimed, "I didn't even know soy sauce could be like this!" It was much thicker and smokier than the kind you'd find at a typical take-out restaurant. I am addicted! It was wonderful on our steamed pork buns that we enjoyed for dinner.

Our haul.

I will definitely be coming back to Super Oriental Market very soon!

Me, in front of the bulletin board outside the market.

Meskerem

The topic of food is my favorite thing to write about. Cuisine is an excellent window into a culture and I have given a lot of thought to this particular assignment. I have tried all of the ethnic foods available in the Birmingham area, so I decided to take a trip to Atlanta so I could finally try some African cuisine.

 I haven’t always had such a loving relationship with food. I was such a picky eater as a child that I wouldn’t go to camp for fear of strange food. Going to my friends’ houses for dinner panicked me. Let me put it this way, I didn’t start eating cheese until well into my teens.

When I met my husband in high school, he already had an unrivaled love of food. Raw oysters, sushi, nothing was too big a challenge for him. He began to attend a culinary school and use me as his guinea pig. Aside from gaining weight, I also gained a passion that will follow me for the rest of my life. I realized that the paralyzing fear I had felt as a child was a fear of the unknown. From then on, I have lived by a simple rule: just try it. If it’s not for me, that’s okay. However, what I’ve discovered that I pretty much love it all! And once I break down that barrier of the first bite, I can’t wait to take another one.

I have many favorite dishes and kinds of cuisine. The food of my home will always be closest to my heart. Our cuisine is mainly derived from the European tradition. Spanish and Italian foods are prevalent due to the large number of immigrants from these areas. However, in a past life I must have been middle-eastern! I feel such a connection to the religions, colors, spices and traditions of this area. Cumin, cardamom, turmeric, curry, coriander, and saffron make my knees go weak. I have tried all the food I could get my hands on from this part of the world and never once been disappointed.

That brings me to my most current culinary adventure, Ethiopian food! I have heard such spectacular things about this food and never had the chance to try it before. I was lucky enough to have my friend Sofia visiting from New Jersey. She was staying in Atlanta, which gave me an excellent excuse to seek out new food. Our first night there we searched for Ethiopian restaurants and decided on Meskerem, an intimate and authentic spot with extremely knowledgeable staff. (I don’t believe they have a website so I will include the address in case any of you want to go. 2781 Clairmont Rd. Atlanta.)

“Meskerem” is the first month of the Ethiopian calendar, by the way.

We started with appetizers. I got Lentil Sambusas with a spicy jalapeno sauce. Sambusas are very similar to the Indian Samosas, which I also love. (In fact, I wonder if they’re not the same thing given their similar names.) They are triangle-shaped, deep-fried dough shells stuffed with a blend of lentils and spices. They were extremely delicious.

Lentil Sambusa with Jalapeno sauce

This is me enjoying my hot sambusa!

Both of my dinner mates, Andrew and Sofia, tried the lamb soup to start. It had a delicate broth with vegetables, potatoes, and large succulent chunks of lamb. Of course, I tried some. I’m a sucker for lamb in any shape or form.

For drinks we had to try the Ethiopian beer, Harar. It was very good. I’m not in the least a beer expert, but I believe it is classified as a pilsner, which is also common in Uruguay. It was reminiscent of a dark, German beer and complimented the food nicely.

Delicious Ethiopian Beer

That’s when things started to get interesting! For those of you who don’t know, Ethiopian food is eaten without utensils and is served family-style. In the words of my friend Sofia, “You really have to love who you’re eating with!” And that’s really the point:

“Dining in Ethiopia is characterized by the ritual of breaking injera (traditional Ethiopian bread) and eating from the same plate, signifying the bonds of loyalty and friendship. The quintessence of those bonds are often demonstrated in the form of gursha- that is, the placing of food on the mouth of another diner from one’s own hand.” (Source)

The injera is unlike anything I’ve eaten before. I’ve seen it described as crepe-like but the texture is quite different. It is very spongy and stretchy, which makes it perfect for picking up food and sopping up sauce. The taste is minimal, so that the dish itself shines.



Close up of Injera's interesting texture



The food is served on a large round platter and a layer of injera lines the bottom. The dishes are then poured into piles around the platter. Sofia, who had eaten Ethiopian before, told us that the best part of the meal is eating the sauce-soaked injera at the bottom of the platter.

I didn't take this picture, just found it online. It is a better-lit example of the way the food is served.

Since I had never eaten Ethiopian before, I asked the waitress to recommend dishes to us. We ordered one meat combo, which came with three different dishes (chicken, lamb, and beef), and two other popular dishes. I thought mistakenly, that I would be able to take a menu with me or find it online, so I don’t have all the details on the names of what we ate but I have been able to remember some.

The Zilzil Tibs seemed to be a very popular dish. It’s tender strips of beef sautéed in purified butter, seasoned with onions, and green pepper. It was the most recognizable of the dishes, as it was extremely reminiscent of the beef fajita. It was very good but probably my least favorite, as it was not very spicy and didn’t have any sauce.

We also ordered the Meskerem Tibs, which is chopped lamb in a spicy sauce, and I believe Doro Alicha, a sweet chicken stew served on the bone which proved an interesting challenge for eating with your hands. The meat combo also came with a side and we got lentils (can you tell I love lentils?). They were amazing. It made me wish we had gotten more vegetarian dishes or sides. Next time!

Our huge and glorious meal!

A basket with rolls of injera was served too. You break off a piece of bread, pick some food up with it, and insert into mouth. Repeat.

This is another online picture, which shows the rolled up injera that you use to pick up the food.

It’s pretty messy going until you get the hang of it, but extremely fun. The injera feels light as air, but has a tendency to fill you up quickly. We had to leave behind more food than I feel comfortable with.

A lot of people think that I love spicy food because I’m South American. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Although in many latin cuisines, chili peppers are prominently featured, Uruguay didn’t get the spicy food memo. I have a lot of fun watching Uruguayans try spicy food. A mild chicken wing would be enough to get any of the toughest men crying. I have had to acquire a taste for it, and quickly, as my husband adores spicy food. The spicier the better. We have about 30 different kinds of hot sauces in our pantry, no joke.

Some of these dishes were extremely hot! The jalapeno sauce that was fresh made for our table definitely knocked the wind out of us. It was so delicious though that I couldn’t eat it in moderation! That’s when we started thinking that some of the spicier cuisines have built in mechanisms for dealing with the heat. That’s why hot wings come with celery, and why I must have a mango lassi with my Indian meals. We asked the waitress if there was any Ethiopian heat remedy. I’m pretty sure she thought we were saying the food was too hot for us, but she quickly recommended a sweet liquor often used as medicine, called Ouzo.

Of course, I had to try it! She said one shot is often served in hot tea to treat common colds, but you can also shoot it, much like tequila. I took a little sip to get the flavor. It tasted like concentrated anise-seed, or licorice. I later found out it is actually anise flavored. I drank the shot and my mouth went numb for about five minutes. This stuff was rocket fuel! She was right though, it definitely took care of the spiciness.

I had a great experience at this restaurant. I feel like I got a good look into Ethiopian culture. It was particularly interesting to experience the way cooking styles travel around the world. While this food was unique, I could see and taste hints of other places and cultures. One of my favorite things about it was eating with my hands. Food needs to be experienced in the right context, with the correct utensils. Eating with my hands added to the sensory enjoyment tremendously. Picking meat off the bones with my fingers, getting my hands covered in sauce, the strong spicy smells, it made me feel connected to all other people who have eaten this way, without fear of germs or of sharing, just letting yourself be carried away by enjoyment.

Andrew and Sofia, who shared this wonderful experience with me.