When Tahir Aziz and Rubina Mirza boarded a March 25 flight with three of their five children for a family wedding to their home country of Pakistan, they fully intended to return after the event to their restaurant, Bina’s Cafe on Partition Street in Saugerties. But it wasn’t easy. Restrictions on commercial flights leaving the country due to the outbreak of the pandemic extended their stay for nearly two months.
“It was a little hectic,” said Aziz. “We were fine, but we were worried about the business. That was the main thing, too.”
Although the pair was aware of the growing threat from the Covid 19 virus, they said that their departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport was relatively uneventful. While Aziz’s sister, Masira, was able to host her wedding in the family’s home town of Lahore as scheduled, hundreds of members of Aziz’s extended family members had to change their travel plans. Huge adjustments were required.
“The reception was planned for 500 people,” explained Aziz. “It was cancelled. The reception was the same day they announced the lockdown …. We organized a small [event] , but that time they didn’t close the restaurants. They were open that time, so we had a buffet for 150 people.”
To facilitate the travel of Aziz’s extended family, his cousin Saiqua had scheduled her own multi-day wedding ceremony shortly afterward, on April 10. That ceremony was cancelled indefinitely.
“That’s how we plan weddings, so everybody can get there. But it didn’t happen,” said Aziz.
Aziz remarked on the differences between the “new reality” in his home town of Lahore and his experience back in New York.
“Yes, it was severe [in Lahore],” he said. “The people were scared in the beginning, and they stayed at home. Here, I can see people who are like ‘whatever’ — some people are not taking it seriously,” said Aziz. “People were scared there. We had cops and everything else. If you get out of your house without any good reason, you can get arrested for that. That was the reason.” The police gave warnings the first couple of days. Then they started arresting people. “In New York, they didn’t take it seriously, and the death toll is way high. [Pakistan] took it seriously.”
Aziz said that he, Rubina and their children, witnessed “so many people” being detained. A total of 32,674 Pakistanis have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, and 724 have died; in New York, 337,000 individuals have tested positive and 21,640 have succumbed to the virus.
In many ways the additional time in Aziz’s hometown, he said, was a blessing in disguise. The couple and their children were able to spend additional time at Aziz’s family home. Unable to cook an egg five years ago, Aziz learned to master the preparation of a wide range of culinarily creative dishes from Rubina. Having honed his cooking skills at their restaurant, he was able to show his family his new mastery.
“I think I cooked once or twice, they liked it,” said Aziz humbly. “We didn’t have to cook for two months. That was the best part.”
Preparing to board a return repatriation flight for U.S. citizens on April 25, the family arrived at the Islamabad International Airport three hours in advance. Their temperatures were taken prior to boarding the flight, scheduled for 5:45 a.m. There was an additional delay of two hours.
The process of returning to the United States took over 22 hours. The repatriated U.S. citizens landed not in New York City but at the Washington Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C, From there, the family drove back to New York, arriving at approximately 3 a.m.
They had been missed. A message on the restaurant’s Facebook page announcing their return to the States was met with over 80 responses.
“Saugerties [people have] always been nice.”
The couple’s eatery, Bina’s Cafe, has become a local mainstay for authentic Pakistani cuisine. They also serve American comfort foods like burgers and grilled cheeses, plus additions from other cultures like Greek gyros. There’s a discount for regulars, and late hours on Friday and Saturday that rival the other restaurants in town.
“Punjabi people are really good eaters. In Pakistan, if you see someone eating a lot, people say that they must be Punjabi,” said Aziz in a previous interview. “Lahore in my city. You can go out at four o’clock in the morning and you can get anything to eat from there. That’s what we are trying to bring in here. That’s why we’re not keeping the same menu each week, and then we’d be limited to just a couple of dishes.“
The couple completed their 15-day quarantine period on May 11, and are now reunited with their 16-, 14- and eleven-year-olds. They are preparing to adjust their business model once again.
“It’s going to be very difficult,” said Aziz. “Takeout, it’s not going to be difficult. But the delivery part is going to be a little difficult because it’s just me and [Rubina.] She has to cook, I have to deliver …. We’re going to use gloves and masks, ring the bell, put it on the door, or ask people to leave the money on the door, or take the credit-card number on the phone. “ There’ll be specialties like gyro falafel, chicken tikka sandwich. “For dinner, we used to have five different kinds of chicken. We’re going to limit that.”
Bina’s Cafe Facebook page will be their primary tool for communicating changing menu options to customers. They scheduled their opening for takeout and delivery this past Monday, May 18.
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