Here in Michigan, it’s been one week since I’ve been living under Shawarma Law. On election night, Abdul El-Sayed won the U.S. Senate seat for the mitten state, and will become the first Muslim senator. So as pundits hyped on caffeine repeatedly screamed about the Blue Tsunami and Texans flocked to Whataburger to catch newly elected Senator James Talarico and newly elected Governor Gina Hinojosa toasting to their victories, in the mitten state, Michiganders across the peninsula have been flocking to shawarma shops to fulfill their new duty as citizens of enjoying their choice of marinated, spiced meat on a rotating spit.
During the run-up to the midterm elections, El-Sayed faced attacks from TV ads that claimed he would enact Sharia Law. In response, he stated those statements were false, but what he did believe in was Shawarma Law. And under these rules, if a shawarma wrap has lettuce, then it was simply a sandwich, not a shawarma. “Do not be fooled,” he warned. (BTW, his favorite place to get a shawarma is at Amo Samis, which has several locations across metro Detroit).
Food and political campaigns always seem intertwined. Especially when it comes to talking about economics or inflation, food is a great way to explain how these national issues affect voters in their day-to-day lives. During the 2025 NYC mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani coined “halal-flation” to describe the increased prices of food from halal food trucks due to rising costs of ingredients and supplies, and the slow permit system. These food analogies are a way to make a bland topic like inflation go viral and garner mass support. Whether you’re rich or poor, everybody eats and everybody wants good food. And in El-Sayed’s case, food is an easy way to disarm blatant Islamophobia and transform the hate into something joyful and likable.
To show allegiance to our new empire, our neighbors invited us over for a Shawarma Law tailgate before the great University of Michigan (U-M) vs. Michigan State rivalry game. It was fitting that the biggest game in the state was the first opportunity that many Michiganders could observe the feast of Shawarma. It was the first chilly fall day. I wore my U-M regalia, a white sweatshirt sporting the maize and blue emblem and roomy black pants. Our hosts heated up the shawarma party platter from Al-Reem in Ypsilanti that they ordered earlier that day. Sliced shawarma wraps, half chicken and half beef, surrounded the rim of the round platter with a mountain of fries in the center — a worthy centerpiece of our group of ten. To complete the buffet, friends brought a locally-made baba ghanoush and creamy homemade hummus with pickles and crackers for dipping. Truly, I’d eat this hummus like soup.
Holding the warmed shawarma wrap was like cupping a coffee with cozy gloves — it’s already innately soothing. When you bring the wrap to your mouth, the combo of the garlic sauce, salty tangy chicken, and tahini, you know it’s a sign of a great night. Can confirm there was no lettuce here. With my plate in one hand and a pineapple Long Drink in another, sitting on the sectional watching four games on the multi-view in my comfy fit, I now understood the draw of tailgating even though you aren’t attending the actual game. With beers and hard seltzers flowing, the night ended with karaoke, singing hits from the 2000s like “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers and “Down” by Jay Shawn. Half the group headed towards the Big House stadium, and I walked home feeling full.
I wish I could say the rest of the night was hunky-dory, but U-M played terribly. We lost. We didn’t hold hands with Michigan State fans and eat shawarma together. We’re not there yet. The only thing that doesn’t make me feel guilty about the heartburn I experienced the next morning was that at least we had a good excuse to gather, enjoy good food, and celebrate the end of this election cycle. Until next time.
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🐦⬛ Bird Droppings
- Journalist Joshua David Stein posted an Instagram video talking about the well-known but often unspoken secret in the food media industry: Restaurant criticism doesn’t pay a living wage. Often, media companies don’t provide a robust enough budget to cover the cost of eating at a restaurant multiple times, conducting research tastings, and travel. (BTW, if you’d like to help contribute to the Ravenous dining budget, please consider donating to our tip jar.)
- So when do the TV pundits on election night have time to actually eat? Turns out, they kinda don’t. Steve Kornacki, NBC’s chief data analyst, seems to be literally running on Dunkin’ — XL to be exact — and various sad office snacks.
- The LA Times reported that there’s a surge of Indian food at California truck stops all due to the immigration crackdown. The large population of Punjabi Sikh truck drivers has recently lost their trucking licenses because of their immigration status. So instead, they shifted to opening their own food stalls, serving hot rice, rotis, and curry.
- This tale of a Bay Area chef who faces a federal bank robbery charge has a ton of twists and turns. This is at least Valentino Luchin's third bank robbery charge, and yet restaurants keep hiring him. The SF Chronicle asks, “Should he get another chance?”
