KindSoup + Conversation

KindWorks, a nonprofit that I help lead, has been organizing soup making sessions every week during the pandemic. We cook a huge pot of soup in our own kitchens and connect by Zoom with people around the country/world, and donate the soup to food banks, shelters, neighbors, and those affected by Covid. It’s been an incredible way to do some good and connect as a community; we’ve donated thousands and thousands of quarts of soup. This month I organized the ‘Ramadan edition of KindSoup’ with Muslim chefs, iftar soups, and discussions around the ‘30 Days’ book. On April 17th, I shared my mom’s daal recipe as we discussed the themes of the ‘30 Days’ book. The following weekend, Bibi Jaan taught as a delicious Afghan green lentil and barley soup full of spinach, cilantro and dill, and we talked about Ramadan food traditions, This past Saturday the inspiring Raghad Bushnaq, who I profile in the book, lead us in cooking a lentil and vegetable soup, which we donated to refugee families. On Saturday May 8th, Kazi Mannan of Sakina Halal Grill in DC, whom I also write about in the book for his amazing generosity in feeding any homeless person who comes to his restaurant, will be leading KindSoup and we’ll be cooking chicken hot and sour soup. If you’d like to join this or any KindSoup session, details are on our website: www.dokindworks.org.

A local synagogue, Adat Shalom, also invited me during the Jewish Federation’s Good Deeds Week to cook my mom’s daal while talking about the ‘30 Days’ project and good deeds and service in our respective faith traditions. It was wonderful to learn about the concept of loving kindness in the Jewish tradition. In Islam, when someone asked Prophet Muhammad (pubs) what is the best way to workshop God, he didn’t say to do more prayers; he said feed the poor and hungry, and take care of the widows and orphans. We made so much daal together to feed the poor and hungry, and honor our faith.