Javaria Akbar
Rest in Peace, Canapé King
Welcome back to Stranger Than Flicktion, our Flickr-inspired column. We provide writers with five random food-related Flickr images and ask them to construct a fictional short story in under five days. In this edition, we mourn a man with an uncanny...
How I Learned That Cancer Can Be Heartbreakingly Funny
My dad forgot how to dress when my mom had lymphoma, and would turn up to things dressed in XL T-shirts with Al Pacino and guns all over them.
Internet Commenters: This Is Why Other Muslims and I Won't Apologize for the 'Charlie Hebdo' Attacks
Apologizing for the actions of extremist gunmen makes little sense to me when I have absolutely nothing in common with them and zero understanding of their grotesque interpretation of Islam.
Why I'm Raising My British-Born Child to Speak Urdu
Nigel Farage has strong ideas about immigrants speaking perfect English, but, as part of a Pakistani immigrant family, I'm living proof of how having English as a first language doesn't count for everything.
A Muslim's Guide to Anal Hygiene
Allow me to clear a few things up about the use of the lota, the pot filled with water that Muslims traditionally use to keep themselves clean.
I Had an Arranged Marriage — But I'm Still a Feminist
It's hard for people to reconcile that a woman like me can still call herself a feminist. But I am, unequivocally. I have a vagina and I refuse to let that make me any less powerful, ambitious, or successful than someone without one. It's that simple.
What I Learned About Sandwiches From Working at an English Chain Bakery
As a Greggs bakery alumnus I know that spreading honey mustard on a grainy roll for six months comes with all manner of hidden pressures.
Professional Bakers Are Lopsided and Burnt to Shit
If you think working in a bakery is a quaint life of powdered sugar and gleaming mixers, think again. The reality is lop-sided muscle growth, subcutaneous burns, turd-like footwear, and alien skin calluses.
Asian Families Are Masters of Food Economics
When most kids are being taught how to ride a bicycle by their parents, my Pakistani parents were set upon teaching me the fine art of bulk-buying at the grocery store.
The Kitchen Divides Pakistan's Rich and Poor
When visiting my extended family in Pakistan, I am hyper-aware of the differences between the rich and the poor. Even at home, the classes are separated as young, impoverished men cook meals in sweltering heat for their employers.
Hunger During Ramadhan Does Funny Things to a Person
As a Muslim, telling myself I won’t fast for Ramadhan is like saying Kim Kardashian isn’t going to post another selfie tomorrow. Shit ain't happening. That doesn't mean it's not hard, though.