1st Place, Alternative Story Form
2022-23, Division 2, News Writing
By Elizabeth Perberdy & Vincent Maffesoli
The Tower
Grosse Pointe South HS
Pouma
Traditionally known as “poha”
Adelina Parikh said she is grateful that her family’s Indian cuisine is infused into her meals at least three times a week at the dinner table.
“Experiencing a lot of flavors is great when you’re introduced to new foods,” Parikh said. “For me though, its just a way to bond with family.”
Ingredients:
mustard seeds cashews
1⁄2 can of corn poha (3 cups +) turmeric
lemon juice chili
sugar
salt
Directions:
Cook poha according to packaging, combine other ingredients to taste until desired flavor is reached.
Burek
A staple street food in the Balkans, Burek dates back to the early days of the Ottoman empire. Arbor Shaolli ’24 said he enjoys these thin crispy layers of dough filled with savory mixes at home with his family.
“My mom learned from her mom how to make it when they still lived in Albania and I grew up eating it often,” Shaolli said. “It’s one of my favorite foods and it’s really comforting.”
Ingredients:
2 lbs chopped tomatoes
4 medium olives, halved
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mint
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper
2 1⁄2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup warm water
Directions:
Fry chopped onions in oil until soft.
Season with salt, pepper and mint.
Add chopped tomatoes and bring to low simmer until thickened (15-20 minutes). Combine flour, oil, salt and water. Knead and press the mixture by hand until smooth. Make phyllo sheets with rolling pin.
Place 6-7 phyllo layers from the dough and brush with oil.
Pour filling and layer the remaining sheets on the top. Tuck in edges of sheets and bake at 400 Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.
Directions:
Fry chopped onions in oil until soft.
Season with salt, pepper and mint.
Add chopped tomatoes and bring to low simmer until thickened (15-20 minutes). Combine flour, oil, salt and water. Knead and press the mixture by hand until smooth. Make phyllo sheets with rolling pin.
Place 6-7 phyllo layers from the dough and brush with oil.
Pour filling and layer the remaining sheets on the top. Tuck in edges of sheets and bake at 400 Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.
Anise cookies
Math teacher Alexa McConaghy said she celebrates her German heritage each holiday season by making traditional Anise cookies with her family. The McConaghy family is brought together each year by this tradition and is sure to leave no one out.
“My sister did not comehome for Christmas during COVID-19, so we mailed her the cookies because it is not Christmas without the cookies.”
Ingredients:
Recipe for 200 cookies:
1 lb shortening
31b flour (12 c)
11b conf. sugar
8 eggs
4 tsp baking powder
Anise oil to flavor (1-1 1⁄2 tsp)
Directions:
Blend shortening and sugar.
Add eggs and blend until smooth.
Use hands to knead the dough.
Roll out dough with a rolling pin and bake at 350 for 15 minutes on greased cookie sheet.
Toast Skagen
Toast Skagen comes from Sweden, and is primarily served at dinner parties as a starter.
It was created by Swede Tore Wretman in the 1950’s and still claims its spot as one of the most popular dishes, loved especially by the Duffy family.
“My mom was born in Sweden, and we kind of grew up with it,” Liam Duffy ’24 said.
“The big thing with Swedish food is there isn’t a whole lot of spice, but there’s a lot of pickled stuff and a lot of seafood.”
Ingredients:
500g cooked and hand-peeled shrimp
1/2 bunch dill
2 tbsp grated horseradish
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp butter
salt & pepper
8 brioche or white bread slices
Optional: Nordic caviar
Directions:
Chop the peeled shrimp and dry on kitchen paper.
Mix mayonnaise, grated horseradish, dill (save some for garnish), salt and pepper.
Add the chopped shrimp to the creamy mixture and fry the bread in butter.
Serve the shrimp mixture on top of the fried bread and top with caviar for a true, elegant Nordic taste.
Garnish with dill and lemon.
NW-18. Alternative Story Form
An ASF consists of a whole story told in an alternative way. It can consist of anything that is not a traditional story form. Key features include: visual destinations, strong use of typography, easy to scan, well organized, can provide quick facts and deep context. It should not include traditional narrative. Examples include (but are not limited to) fast-fact boxes, lists, glossaries, quizzes, polls, charts. An ASF submitted in this category should not be connected to a story or be part of a story package. It should stand alone. Note: A story submitted in this category may NOT also be submitted in ND-06: Story Package. Submit a PDF of the print page(s) on which the ASF was published or the URL to the ASF on an online news site.
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Should be a story told in a unique, alternative way
- This is not a traditional story as in inverted pyramid, news, anecdotal, analysis or feature narrative
- Story is told with quick facts—it’s a quick read that provides readers with a unique approach to a story
- While the read is quick, ASF should provide the reader with complete information. Readers should not be left asking questions
- Organization is such that story is easy to follow and logical, even though it’s in an alternative way
- ASF is visually engrossing, bringing readers in through strong use of typography and other types of visuals
- Should not be packaged with another story or part of another story.
- Stands totally alone as a storytelling device
- Submission only considered if submitted with entire page on which it was featured