Ahmed Ali Akbar

I finally read my first Sally Rooney book and her characters kept saying “normal people” whoa is that foreshadowing

the worst internet group is the “leftover rice will kill you” truthers. they’d die if they see what billions of frugal antiwaste parents do

I’m gonna block every PR person emailing me about wine and beer

@allbreadedup.bsky.social hey

Hot Chicago condiments to buy over and over again: Sauces that are regulars in our food reporter’s fridge In Chicago, small-batch makers are producing some of my favorite sauces right now — I bring them out when I host and I frequently end up sending guests home with a spare bottle and the sauce’s stor…

"In Chicago, small-batch makers are producing some of my favorite sauces right now — I bring them out when I host and I frequently end up sending guests home with a spare bottle and the sauce’s story"

My colleague @radbrowndads.bsky.social on Chicago's hot sauces

EID MUBARAK EVERYONE

do you think the other yodas all speak normally and they think yoda is playing into stereotypes about yodas

nathan fielder (narrating): to understand what it’s like to be in a plane crash, i needed to experience one myself. but i would have to defeat the god of death to return to the world of the living. so in a studio warehouse, i recreated the shadow realm of duat and the twelve gates of the underworld,

Gaza’s youngest influencer aged 11 among children killed by Israeli strikes Yaqeen Hammad offered tips for surviving life under bombardment and is just one of dozens of minors who have died

"She was also Gaza’s youngest influencer, offering practical survival tips for daily life under bombardment, such as advice on how to cook with improvised methods when there was no gas.

'I try to bring a bit of joy to the other children so that they can forget the war. '”

Where once I turned to Hideo Kojima, I now turn to Nathan Fielder to make sense of this cursed world. Thank you for the pain

Marvel could pay for my healthcare for the rest of my life for a fraction of 1% of profit from Spider-Man Noir, a character whose original comics I edited. For Peter David to die in medical debt, co-creator of Spider-Man 2099 and writer of countless seminal Hulk and X-Factor comics—that's a disgrace

I gotta finally do it

this place is okay but i wish it had more annoying people and more evil people

PANEL 1: MATTIE sitting on the floor in front of a bucket. MATTIE: Man, I put all these crabs in this bucket to watch them fight to the top for my amusement… PANEL 2: MATTIE peering in close to the bucket. One claw is raised, holding a little piece of paper folded over. MATTIE: …But it looks like they all just started trading ZINES in there! MATTIE: Kind of annoying. PANEL 3: MATTIE grabs the zine. MATTIE: Hm? PANEL 4: Close up of the zine in MATTIE's hands. The title is STEVEN, THE CRAB DIRECTLY BELOW ME, IS A PIECE OF SHIT! MATTIE: Haha okay this is pretty good

crabs in a bucket | patreon.com/lubchansky

Peter David… man, what a writer. What a loss

HELLL YEAH

@radbrowndads.bsky.social I shared mangoes with a friend last year; this year she spotted a pallet in a Morrisville market selling Kesar, Alphonse, Banganpali, and Rajapuri mangoes and sent me a pic saying "these will still be here tomrrow." my family has now been feasting like kings for two weeks

‘Deli Boys’ on Devon Avenue: How Ali’s Nihari became a favorite spot for actors on the Hulu show While Hulu’s “Deli Boys” was filming in Chicago, some stars of the show became regulars at Ali’s Nihari on Devon Avenue.

Then @radbrowndads.bsky.social takes us to Devon Avenue with the stars of Hulu's "Deli Boys." They talk about the food, the show, and depictions of their communities in American comedy.

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/26/d...

‘Deli Boys’ on Devon Avenue: How Ali’s Nihari became a favorite spot for actors on the Hulu show While Hulu’s “Deli Boys” was filming in Chicago, some stars of the show became regulars at Ali’s Nihari on Devon Avenue.

Love this piece from @radbrowndads.bsky.social about the cast and creator of Deli Boys hanging out eating nihari in Chicago
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/26/d...

nope! to me, it's a cousin of south asian halwa and red bean paste sweets

The hunt for the bean pie street sellers of legend, and how this dessert is a symbol of liberation for many Black Muslims For many, bean pie is a symbol of Black pride and healthy eating. The dessert has strong roots in Chicago.

I *think* this a gift link 😭.

I had the chance to talk with my dear friend & James Beard award winning food journalist @radbrowndads.bsky.social about the history, cultural legacy, & taste(!) of the bean pie. Here is his amazing piece in the Chicago Tribune. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/08/b...

The hunt for the bean pie street sellers of legend, and how this dessert is a symbol of liberation for many Black Muslims For many, bean pie is a symbol of Black pride and healthy eating. The dessert has strong roots in Chicago.

Here's the link to the piece as a gift for those who don't subscribe to the Chicago Tribune!

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/08/b...

cc @tinymuslimah.bsky.social

I feel there's much more Chicago local history to the bean pie to dig into than I could fit in one piece. I'm grateful to everyone who shared their story. Lastly, I'll leave you with this photo: James 40X delivering pies to my father and I over the holiday.

As someone who formerly had ambitions to be a scholar of religion, this story welcomed me to a place I'd never imagine: being invited to Friday & Sunday services at Mosque Maryam, the Nation of Islam's headquarters. I had fascinating discussions about religion. For another time!

In terms of current businesses, here's what I found:

Supreme Bean Pie & Shawn Michelle's collaborating on a bean pie ice cream

Imani's Originals selling pies & other health foods with Inner-City Muslim Action Network

Paradise Desserts opened up again this month after a hiatus

So a lot of that didn't end up in the piece — instead, what I found was a still growing and changing bean pie industry here in Chicago. The very last source I found was a classic bean pie man, James 40X. It took months. Every single time I met him, he was in a suit and bowtie, selling papers & pies.

Much of that history was difficult to verify. There were many now-closed food establishments under the name Shabazz and Salaam that were Muslim businesses looking to provide healthy & fresh foods to black communities. They often had bean pie. I spoke to at least one manager from that time.

Of particular interest to me was the 1970s period after Muhammad died. The community went through many shfits; Chicago — as the home base of Muhammad, his son Wallace ,and Minister Louis Farrakhan — saw many changes to its food environment, including bean pie bakeries.