I love eggs benedict because of hollandaise. If it's on the menu, I almost always order it (although without Canadian bacon). There's a chain here called First Watch which has a bunch of variations…all with hollandaise. http://www.firstwatch.com/menu/breakfastbrunch/first-watch-eggs-clusives My other favorite used to be giant waffles or French toast, but now that I know how much gluten bothers me, I avoid them. My best friend and I used to go to Denny's and get Moons Over My Hammy. I'd order it w/egg beaters and no ham. If we went to IHOP, it had to be chocolate chip pancakes.

Ooh, that looks good. For a book regarding Arab/Muslims, you can try http://www.amazon.com/The-House-Wisdom-Transformed-Civilization/dp/1608190587/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=042F63VCMVAZRD8VQXQ0 or http://www.amazon.com/The-House-Wisdom-Knowledge-Renaissance/dp/0143120565/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0ACQPP7BC99Y9JEREC3S

How very scary. Praying for you and all affected.

How do Orthodox in general view Conservative or Reformed Jews? The reason I ask is back when I was studying, I seem to remember that a "reformed" conversion wouldn't count in Israel, but I think Conservative might have. Definitely Orthodox counted.

I used to attend an Assemblies of God church. Have to say the music was the best. I kept on assuming that speaking in tongues would mean that God would finally fix my horrible French pronunciation or grant me the ability to speak Icelandic. Sadly, I was mistaken. We did have a few members who would speak in tongues…. but there always had to be somebody who also felt moved to "translate" for it be viewed as authentic. It was strange to me, but it wasn't a weekly thing…so it didn't bother me.

There is no music or singing in Muslim services. I can't sing to save my life, but back when I was a Christian, i favored churches with contemporary music. Usually the drums and guitars would drown out my bad singing. :)

Costco is in many areas, but surprisingly not everywhere. Honestly, I've had just as good with the store brands from Sam's Club and BJs. (BJs also seems to be regional…mainly East coast.) I also buy store brands on regular products. Here in FL, Publix is a big chain…and honestly, their store brands are great on pretty much everything. Same for Target's Up and Up brand or Simply Natural or whatever they call it these days. :) I think Publix has a deal that they'll refund the store brand purchase price if you don't like it…or at least they used to.

Are your services in Russian or Greek, or is English the language of worship? Also…weird question…but do you stand the entire time for your service? I remember going to a Russian Orthodox wedding, and I think we stood the entire time (it's been many years, though.)

I can tell you guys that I've been to a few different UU churches, wearing hijab, and nobody batted an eye. I did get invited to a Goddess Belly dancing class, though, that met on Mondays. Not sure if it was the hijab (hey…maybe she's Arabic and likes to belly dance, my child birthing' hips, or just the hey, you're a woman you might enjoy this. LOL (Think that's what it was called. :))

Consumer's Reports ranked Kirkland (Costco) laundry detergent on par with Tide. I find it works as well. I find that Suave shampoos work great for me. Store brand baby shampoo seems to work as well as Johnson and Johnson's. For dish soap, we buy the Sam's Club brand. For diapers, Sam's Club, Target, or Costco are all good. BJs is great as they give $5.00 coupons and then Luvs are a great deal. For most cleaning we buy a half gallon (or maybe it's a gallon) of Simple Green at Sam's Club. It comes with a spray bottle…and that will last many months (you dilute it). Vinegar/water for mirrors/glass. Paper towels we buy Sam's Club or Costco brand. Same for toilet paper.

I was really happy to see that the Pope chose an Orthodox guy to be one of his personal secretaries, although I think he's Coptic, rather than Eastern Orthodox. So…here's a question…in Egypt, divorce is allowed for Muslims (although socially frowned upon), but not allowed for those in the Coptic Church. (Personal law is determined by one's religion.) It actually can be a reason why women convert to Islam, so they can divorce. Does that hold true in EO too? Are divorces allowed? (Although I get that they would be very much discouraged.)

LOL. I wish I knew more. He was German and ran a bakery. My Mom still talks about it. I'm assuming it's similar to this http://www.kitchenproject.com/german/recipes/Pork/SchinkenRoast/HamInPastry/index.htm

My grandma used to make what she called a swanky-franky…. a hot dog stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon. :)

My grandma was born in 1904 or 1905. She was a great cook. My Mom couldn't cook to save her life. :) I remember her making wonderful sunny side up eggs fried in butter, with buttered toast, and homemade jam. She would cook hams and roasts in the oven. One year my Dad bought her a Honeybaked ham, and she washed off all the glaze and redid it her way with orange juice, brown sugar, and I think pineapple. LOL My grandfather (who died before I was born) was known for baking hams in rye bread. She made ham salad, tuna salad, and egg salad sandwiches. Always buttered the bread. Usually cut off the crust. Only Helmann's mayo. Salad was often a wedge type creation with bacon bits and dressing. She used to make a dressing that was like oil and vinegar but involved a 3 minute egg. It was yummy. She did jell-o molds too, with strawberries and bananas or fruit cocktail. She made delicious peach pie. She made German potato salad and regular potato salad. She liked a dish of vanilla ice cream with Hershey's syrup on top. She made homemade fudge using Hershey's cocoa powder, butter, sugar, and vanilla. If the fudge didn't set up, we'd put it on ice cream. She lived until 81.

I'm going to guess that there are atheists and agnostics in every country. I'm not sure how comfortable they would be about sharing that. It's probably a lot easier to go with the flow. Some countries still sentence people for leaving Islam. I don't agree with it, but it is a fact. My guess is people growing up in those countries know very well what the outcome of publicly declaring disbelief would be, and keep quiet.

They may not feel comfortable breaking to go pray at your house, and are counting on having time to sneak it in before the next scheduled prayer. :) People who are traveling and I also believe that Shi'as also combine prayers. So the noon and afternoon prayer will be combined (they still do the same number of rakats (cycles)…but all at the same time)….and the sunset and evening prayer will be combined. The five times per day prayer is a pillar of the faith. Super important. BUT, that doesn't mean that everybody prays it. Are they supposed to? Yes. Most try. Some only pray during Ramadan. Some even less than that. It really does vary. I really think that it's for us, more so than for God. It can be wonderful to take that time out of your day… do the ritual washing (wudu)…. and just try and connect with the divine. The key is realizing that it benefits you, while some people view it more as an obligation if that makes sense. There's a story about how the whole "five" number came to be. Basically, when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) went on his night journey… he journeyed up to heaven. God told the Prophet that Muslims should pray fifty times per day…so on his way back down, he ran into Moses. Moses said (paraphrasing this is all paraphrasing)…"no way, are you crazy? your people can't pray 50 times per day…go back and ask him for fewer times." So the number got decreased. But it was still too much. Moses told him to go back again…and again. Eventually, the number five was decided upon.

Kate…yes, please chime in, and share your experience. You will definitely have a different perspective. I think that's so important, too, because people often assume that all Muslims are the same, when reality is there are lots of differences, cultural norms, etc. Of course, pretty much every group I've met at least, thinks they practice Islam "the right way." :) I know a lot of Muslims who shun away from pictures--not only of themselves, but also in their homes (think art work that depicts people or animals). But I'm pretty sure that every Muslim country does use pictures on IDs, etc. It goes back to the whole graven images/idols thing. I honestly haven't noticed in my circle a difference between men and women, but as in many cultures, there can definitely be double standards regarding what is acceptable for men/women.

OMG, yes! Bless you! I will be off to the store tomorrow. :) :) :)

I would call the number on the box and ask for advice. I think to play it safe you could use a semi-permanent which wouldn't be as harsh on the hair.

I think legally you're allowed to, but I would offer her the option of stepping into a side room, etc…and it should always be with another female. I actually think this is really important because (TRIGGER WARNING) there was a horrific case in Philadelphia where a girl was taken from school by a person in niqab pretending to be her Mom and sexually assaulted. As far as I know, in Muslim countries, a woman would be dealing with another woman, often in a woman's only section, so it's not such a big deal regarding identification. In the US, I think it varies as to reasons why some women refuse….and I would not negate that there may be community support among certain sections for them to stand up for their right to wear niqab. I think that in the situation of court cases and the like, they hurt their own case. But realistically, there should be no reason why in a private setting with another woman, a niqabi would not remove her veil. I have no idea how it's handled with students. In countries with same sex classrooms, I'm assuming that the girls do not cover in the classroom. In US universities, they may have a female TA verify the identity or perhaps go based on voice, etc. Really no idea.

Yup, I'm a failed fashion hijabi too. I wear mainly the Al Amirah style…which involves no pins. It's kind of like hijab for dummies. I'm hoping that should my daughter wear hijab, she'll help her poor Mom out, at least on special occasions. I also could never style long hair. Secret…sometimes you can have a bad hair day and a bad hijab day…and then it's like…well, I'm going back to bed. :) Wrapunzel.com is awesome…I'd never heard of it. I remember seeing a Mom/daughter duo at one of the Islamic conventions who wore head wraps and I thought they were so fab. Unfortunately, I have zero talent for anything on top of my head.

My avatar is not a Muslim woman, but rather a Hindu environmentalist known as Vandana Shiva. Some call her an ecofeminist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandana_Shiva I remember seeing a quote from her and liking it, and I think I used it in a discussion on Disqus on something evil Monsanto had done and it has followed me forever. LOL :) I can't even read the thing myself, but I think it's this quote: "Corporations are fictions. They have been assigned a human and legal personality, and now they're trying to dispossess people of their democratic rights, and they're trying to dispossess nature of her rights. We are at a watershed for human evolution. We will either defend the rights of people and the earth, and for that we have to dismantle the rights that corporations have assigned to themselves, or corporations will in the next three decades destroy this planet in terms of human possibilities." I'm not familiar with "Freedom of the Veil" but there's a famous book by Fatima Mernissa called "The Veil and The Male Elite." There's also a book called "Veiled Freedom" on Amazon.

Somebody asked me in a PM about polygamy and also Aisha's age at marriage. These are common questions, even among Muslims. :) So, both of these things Muslims have issues with as well…especially the Aisha thing. :) But, regarding polygamy, in general it was allowed because of wars and there not being enough men to go around. Prophet Muhammad was married to his first wife exclusively and happily (according to both) for 25 years. She was older than him. Traditions say that she was 40 and he was 25…but know that exact dating wasn't the greatest back in the 7th century…and that in the Middle East, 40 often means a lot. (It rained for 40 days and nights…Ali Baba and the 40 thieves…etc.) SO was she exactly 40? No idea…but she was definitely older, a successful business woman, etc. After her, pretty much all of his wives were widows or divorcees. The only wife that did not fit that bill was Aisha…and to be honest…it annoys me to no end when Muslims say that allowing a guy to marry a 9 year old is "sunnah" (tradition of the Prophet), when there is far more evidence for the tradition of marrying divorcees and widows, than young girls. The Qur'an put the limit at four wives, with the stipulation that the guy had to treat each of his wives equally. Some scholars say that is pretty much impossible, thus, polygamy is not allowed. Others say, that as long as they are treated materially the same…and have the same access to marital relations…then it's fine. Some scholars say that a first wife has the right to approve of any subsequent wives or be given a divorce. Many Muslim women put that in their nikkah (marriage contract). It can definitely be abused, but the actual practice seems to vary by location. It is not common in most countries as far as I know. There is also the concept of a muta or temporary marriage, but I think that is mainly in Shi'a circles. Basically, instead of getting married until a divorce…one gets married for a set period of time…so one night…three months…seven years…etc. Some feel that it is basically licensed prostitution, others think it's a good way for younger people to experiment with s e x without being tied down forever. Unfortunately, the children that may result from these marriages can suffer. I'm not aware of these happening in the US…but I'm sure they do. (Polygamous marriages happen here too, but are, as far as I know, rare). As to Aisha, as the mother of a six year old girl, oh boy do I have issues with it. I don't care who the heck some guy says he was he would not get my daughter as a bed partner. I don't buy the cultural arguments, although yes, in general, marriage was OK once somebody hit puberty. (And that's the story with Aisha…she was engaged at some say 6…and it was consummated when she hit 9 and got her period.) I think that if Prophet Muhammad was really a pedophile, then the vast majority of his wives would have been young girls. After all, if I'm the Prophet, I can do and say what I please, right? But in looking at his numerous marriages, we have: 1) First marriage…to an older woman…25 years…both very happy by all accounts 2) Second wife…. divorcee….55 years old (about his age) 3) Third wife…Aisha… young girl…friend of the family so to speak 4) Fourth-sixth wives….war widows…in their late teens and twenties from all I've read Etc. There are some who have written about how Aisha must have been mistaken about her own age (once again not improbable) based on the dates/events she remembered, and that she was probably in her teens. Honestly, I don't know. http://www.islamicity.com/articles/articles.asp?ref=ic0811-3718 Regardless, the marriage to her is used by many to justify pedophilia which is completely wrong. Also, in Islam, a woman must consent to her own marriage…and one can argue that a 9 year old (or 12 year old for that matter) can't knowingly consent to marriage. Iran does have such a law, but still, the average age of women to marry is 22. So…honestly, I think that even if Islam "allows it", very few fathers are going to give their daughters away. Unfortunately, those who do, usually sell their daughters because of poverty. Saudis are famous for coming to Egypt in the summer time and arranging temporary marriages to young girls for the summer. It makes me want to vomit.

Hopefully, there's a niqabi on here who can answer. :) Honestly, I'm a little taken aback too. Among Muslim communities where I've lived, it has not been the norm. I knew one woman who covered and it was because she had been the victim of an attack in her home country. Her face had been burned by acid I think, and basically she felt that the stares from niqab were nowhere near what she would have experienced if she did not cover her face. :( But I have to admit that I haven't had a lot of experience with niqabis. I've been in women only situations where they keep their niqabs on, and I've been in women-only situations where they do not. In some cultures it is very common, and in others it is extremely rare. As for talking with her, start with a smile or saying "hi" or if you want to try saying "Assalamu Alaikum" (you can pronounce it like salam a-lay-kum). As a plain ol' hijab wearing Muslim, a smile goes very far with me. :)

Traditionally, girls are supposed to start covering at puberty. Some Muslim Moms encourage their girls to start when they start school, so it's normal to them. Others encourage them to start around 10, so it's not blatantly obvious when she gets her first period. The norm I tend to see in the West is to leave that decision up to the girl, but I'm not going to lie and say that there aren't families where there is a lot of pressure to wear it. Wearing it can mean more freedom for a girl because her parents will think of her as "good." Some families actually discourage their daughters from putting on the hijab too soon….either because they don't want them harassed or because they don't want the daughters to feel they were pressured. It really varies. I'll also say that in my experience (yes, only me), families with Arabic backgrounds tend to want their daughters to cover more than Asian families. There seems to be more leeway in Asian communities that I'm aware of. In Egypt, from what I can tell, it's very much a fashion thing as well as a religious thing…so definitely peer pressure (to look trendy) plays a part. There are tons of videos on youtube of teen girls teaching other girls how to pin a certain style, etc. Example….