Plov Comes to DC

I had the good fortune to attend the Global Uzbek Council's Uzbek Festival at American University last night. Yes, there was plov and somsa. There was Uzbek dancing by Dilafruz Jabbarova and singing by Munojat Yulchieva. The American Silk Road Dance company strutted their stuff, and had the audience clapping and smiling--including some very serious Uzbek diplomats. In addition, there was a solemn lecture on Uzbekistan's history, impassioned speeches from Uzbek-Americans about their ancestral homeland, and because it is Washington, the presence of US State Department, Radio Free Europe, and some NGO and government types. But mostly, there were a lot of young and dynamic Uzbeks creating a new landsmanschaft society, in the best tradition of American immigrants--celebrating their cultural heritage on their way to entering the mainstream of American life. The event was nicely non-political, advertised on the website of the opposition Sunshine Coalition, while the famous plov was donated by the embassy of Uzbekistan. Finally, there were nice crafts and rugs on sale from East Site:Silk Road Plus and a Turkish-Uzbek restaurant owner, from Georgetown's Bistro Med, who said they will cook plov to order, and are thinking about adding an Uzbek night once in a while.

Yaxshi!