Gold! (Or maybe, purple!)

We couldn't meet with Wurood and Tareq Almashhadani the other day; he was at English class and Wurood apologized profusely, shouting through their door. Then there was an emergency and another delay, but we're definitely on for tomorrow. Adrian Harris from Southern Lights Bistro shared some of his ideas such as a polenta and purple sweet potato mix, topped with Wurood's condiment. Or maybe Iraqi burger and sweet potato chips, as they had discussed at our Earth Fare meeting.

I met Narayan Khadka, refugee outreach coordinator at Senior Resources of Guilford to discuss our needs for a 4th cooking team. We'd talked on the phone, but as in all matters about refugees, it's best to talk face to face. He's excited about the chance for Nepali people to share something about their lives with an American audience and we discuss who he'd already contacted and other names. He'll do some follow up and get back to me.

After running a chore Betsy and I stopped at our coffee shop for a break. We were in the middle of an intense conversation about our decisions to apply our art experience and skills to social and refugee issues, debating our achievements and obstacles, when suddenly a small tumble of people entered the courtyard and smiled at us. Diane Nussbaum, volunteer sponsor for Church World Services, and her friend Susan Wilson, who works with the organization Children of Vietnam, were bringing Diane's Nepali "family" and some of their neighbors for coffee and tea. As our conversation developed, we realized we'd found our final team.

These folks had only arrived in the US two months ago. One woman spoke English very well -- she had completed high school where English is taught as a second language. Her father-in-law, also in the group, had made the news recently by wandering off for a smoke and getting lost for a day or so. When he got up everyone laughed. He was going for a smoke. His daughter-in-law said she'd be watching.

I happened to have a purple sweet potato in my car. As I explained the project, I snapped it open and the brilliant color elicited oohs. Yes, they had a sweet potato in Nepal, but it had a white interior. And they knew the orange North Carolina sweet potato. But purple? Immediate interest!

Their favorite dish?

Dal.

I got the recipe.