Karim Shamsi-Basha

1 week ago | nj.com | Karim Shamsi-Basha

Continuing my quest for prepared meals at New Jersey grocery stores, this week’s adventure resulted in one of the most interesting finds in my three-year history in the Garden State!I found something that connects my homeland, Syria, with my new home, New Jersey! What are the chances? I chose Lidl grocery store since I’ve already compared Whole Foods to Trader Joe’s and ShopRite to Stop & Shop. I’m not going to tell you who won in each of those two heated contests.

1 week ago | nj.com | Karim Shamsi-Basha

To celebrate Father’s Day this past Sunday, I wrote a column celebrating what dads learn from that honor: Things like patience, priorities, emotional intelligence, kindness, friendship, and the ultimate: Love. We must look at the world through love-prism glasses. We must frame our actions with love. We must make love the driver of all intentions. Today, we will take a lighter look at fatherhood, specifically dad jokes. Don’t deny it.

1 week ago | nj.com | Karim Shamsi-Basha

It was midnight, and my son, Zade, now 33, was three months old in his crib, wailing. I would rock him to sleep while singing: “Hush Little Baby, You Are My Sunshine, Amazing Grace” and while begging the gods of this universe to quiet him down. Around two in the morning, he fell asleep, and I passed out on top of the covers. I woke up a couple of hours later to Zade crying again. This time, he was kicking his feet as if trying to get them through the footsies of his pajamas.

2 weeks ago | nj.com | Karim Shamsi-Basha

You read that headline correctly! A rice bowl with meat for ($10). What a deal!But wait. It gets better. This ramen house has five New Jersey locations in Cranford, Montclair, Jersey City, Maplewood and Summit. Any idea what this place is called? If you don’t know, you should. Welcome to Ani Ramen House, where the food is beyond affordable, and it’s quite tasty, too. I’ve had a lot of ramen in the past, but here at Ani Ramen, I found the combinations and seasonings on point.

2 weeks ago | nj.com | Karim Shamsi-Basha

If you have internet, you’ve seen Ed the zebra being rescued by a helicopter. Ed escaped shortly after relocating to its new owner’s 115-acre farm in Tennessee. The fugitive zebra was on the loose for eight days before it was captured Sunday. Taylor Ford bought the zebra as a pet for his family. He explained his purchase in this article in The Tennessean, “It’s really just the wow factor,” Ford said. “When my kids have friends come over, and we go back ...