Buenas Noches readers,
I hope your day’s been swell!
The Tongue Team is getting down to the nitty gritty topic we’ve all been waiting for……….FOOD!
Since the focus of our whole digitized project is cuisine in Kashgar, we thought it appropriate to present and serve a meal during our presentation, and to focus our Prezi points on a photograph of a meal we create. We’ve long been discussing the logistics of building a tandoor oven, and through fire permits, changing locations, and fluctuating prices, Billie and Zach finally got it built today! The original plan was to donate it to the Guilford Farm, but the oven would need to be under a structure to prevent rain decay, which would violate fire codes. Therefore Zach now has it stationed in his backyard.

(I’ve provided a very low-quality view of the inside. Video credits to Billie)
Saturday Zach and I, perhaps Chris and Billie, are venturing to Costco to purchase the ingredients for the meal. Here’s the very rough shopping list we formulated (that is by no means complete):
-Kabobs

• Lamb or chicken
• Cumin
• Chili Flakes
• Fennel Seeds

-Naan

• Dry active yeast
• Salt
• Sugar
• Flour
• Sesame Seeds
• Poppy Seeds

-Pilaf

• Chicken
• Jasmine Rice
• Carrots
• Onions
• Garlic

-Tea

• Black tea

I’ll be providing the wok for the pilaf, Zach the tandoor oven and the hand tools, and we’re all hunting for a porcelain teapot and dishware (or at least good replicas). Billie has searched Goodwill, but we’re continuing to search HomeGoods and thrift stores.
To append to Billie and Chris’s Honor’s project over the J-term trip, we’re filming every aspect of the process: building the tandoor, purchasing the ingredients, practicing the food preparation, cooking the meal, and serving it. We thought cuisine too three-dimensional a topic to simply be read about, and it certainly lends itself to being interactive. We’re going to incorporate it as a series of videos on our map and site page.
 Fortunately, tonight’s reading coincided with a main focal point in our project: the Uyghurs!
One of the first sources stated that “Uighur” is not a romanization of “Uyghur” (or vice versa) but a completely different ethnic group! I was immediately concerned, because I wasn’t sure that all of us delineated between the two in our findings due to the fact that we thought them identical. However I could find no articles supporting this statement, though I did find many stating that the people themselves prefer the “Uyghur” spelling because it is more in accordance with phonetics of their native language (“Uighur” violates vowel harmony). Other sources went in depth to the rise of Islam in Xinjiang, evidencing why Kashgar has such a religious focus. The Karakhanids established their capital in Kashgar, and sometime later Yusuf Khass Hajib wrote “Wisdom of Royal Glory”, which referenced the Quran and hadiths, providing stark evidence of Islam. Kashgar became a Muslim religious center but was eventually taken over by the Manchus, though Yakub Beg later established an independent khanate to return Muslims to power.
I realize that was a fairly brief update on the multi-faceted beast of this course, but I hope it suffices! Many more insights to come.
Have a wonderful night!
Regards,
-Delaney