Michelangelos coffee and wine bar

Where in Norman can you go to have pizza made from scratch, bottomless coffee and a wine margarita? Only at Michelangelos gourmet coffee shop and wine bar at 407 E. Main St. Michelangelos was opened just last year by Michael Palermo. He says on his website that it has been his dream since he was a child to open a restaurant that serves coffee and wine.

            Before he could open his restaurant, Palermo had to find his dream. He was introduced to entrepreneurial business by his father, Pete Palermo. Pete's parents emigrated from Sicily in the early 1900s to Galveston, Texas. Here Pete opened a barbershop, drugstore, grocery store, liquor store and restaurant. Entrepreneurial business runs in the Palermo family and in March 2005 he opened his first business in Denver, Colo.  This was the first incarnation of Michelangelos Coffee and Wine Bar.

            Palermo prides himself on having an ever-changing menu and decor. The walls of Michelangelos in Norman is covered in the art of locals. There are paintings from local artists covering floor to ceiling. The decor is eclectic and comfortable. There are tables and chairs everywhere for people to sit and converse. There is a buzz in the air of friendly conversation as people catch up on the days happenings with their companions.  

            All around the walls there are stands of handcrafted goods, everything from bags to jewelry. There are deep leather couches that look inviting and leather chairs situated in the corner so customers can read without being disturbed. There is also a wide array of coffee beans and ground coffee that customers can buy to take home with them.

            Michelangelos menu is varied and diverse, there is wine, food, coffee and chocolate. The original owner of the building that Michelangelos is in was a chocolatier. Michelangelos still buys their chocolates from them. Michelangelos has dozens of different wines to choose from and many types of coffee.

            Their food is made fresh by the baristas when you order it. There are fresh salads, paninis and pizza. All of the ingredients are fresh, the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese are cut when you order them. If the restaurant happens to be out of any of their ingredients that day, they will make sure that they can substitute something that is just as good.

            Michelangelos also has a diverse range of customers.

Barista Fire Cat says," We have regular customers who are retired, who come here as a place to socialize."

             There are older couples who meet there for a glass of wine and a cheese plate. And the tables are always full of college students studying with their friends and sharing a laugh over a cup of coffee. Michelangelos is a hub for students to study, or for teachers to grade papers.             

            Teaching Assistant Scott Martin says, " I come here to study and grade papers. I am a TA. I like the ambiance, I like the food, I like the coffee and the atmosphere."

            On weekends Michelangelos takes advantage of the white piano they have placed at one end of the restaurant. On Friday and Saturday nights the restaurant hosts local musicians.  Michelangelos also hosts private parties for events like birthdays, anniversaries, game nights and tea parties.

            Barista Robert Nealis says, "We have all kinds of bands so I think that is really interesting for the community."

            Michelangelos is a community place. Is it a place where family and friends can go to eat, have a cup of coffee and just talk about their lives.

Academic Ame re-do

Academic Ame

 

Ame Aziere is a junior transfer student at the University of Oklahoma. She is an online journalism major. 

Muslims in Oklahoma Project Updated

   

Suhayb Anwar is a Muslim living in Oklahoma. He is a normal student at the University of Oklahoma. He has classes, midterms and bad professors, just like we all do. But he is also a practicing Muslim. This is a foreign religion to most people in Oklahoma and there are many misconceptions and judgments made because of what we have seen in the media and defined as our stereotypes.

            Suhayb Anwar was born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma. He grew up eating the same food that most Americans eat but also the traditional foods of his parents home country, Pakistan.  "The food that we eat is different than the American food that we eat over here, like rice and tandoori chicken, it's really good.  It's different, like the spices are different as well, " said Anwar.

            Anwar is a senior microbiology and pre-med major at OU. He is also the treasurer of the Muslim Student Association or MSA. Anwar refers to the MSA as a way for students to get information about Islam. He talks about how many people have misconceptions about his religion or just do not understand. For this reason, the MSA sets up a  Dawah table in the Oklahoma Memorial Union every Wednesday. The Dawah table is designed for anyone to come and ask questions of the association.

            The MSA also helps to organize events on campus raising awareness about Muslims and their beliefs. One of their most recent campus events was called The Think Fast Challenge: Abstain to Sustain. This was a challenge for people to participate in a day of fasting and then come to a dinner help in celebration of the end of Ramadan. They asked that the money that people normally would have spent on food that day be donated to charity. Their charity of choice for 2010 was the Oklahoma Food Bank.

            There are also many people who will judge Muslims or people of Arab descent, just by their looks. Anwar comments that his sisters get looked at strangely when they wear their scarves. He also laughs as he tells about when his family travels. He says that they always seem to be targeted by random searches and are always pulled aside when they go through customs to be asked extra questions by the officials.

            Anwar seems to have no hard feeling about these instances, but does say, "don't accept what the media tells you, everything, like they could be lying, you don't know that."  If they have questions or do not understand Islam, then they should go out and find the answers. In today’s day and age it is so easy to find answers on the Internet. Or hopefully people will just begin visiting the table in the Dawah table in the OMU and ask questions.

            Anwar finished the interview by saying that he loves his country and his state. Suhayb Anwar is a Muslim American, he is an Oklahoman; he does not just live here. 

Text by: Page Grossman

Photo by: Ame Aziere

Oklahoma Muslim Project Updated

Orhan Osman wants the same things all parents do for their children; a safe environment and a good education. Part of this education involves ensuring his children have a grasp of Turkish, his own native language.

"I can give you an example from my brother's life... They made a big mistake in Germany. They live in Germany, but his kids cannot speak Turkish... So they know nothing about Turkey and Turkish culture."

Orhan Osman was born in Turkey and lived there for the first 20 years of his life. He came to America to further his education, first in Texas, but eventually settling in Oklahoma in 2001. He came to seek expanded career opportunities. Osman serves as director of the Raindrop Turkish House in Oklahoma City and executive director of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog.

To Osman, the greatest challenge facing the global community are the prejudices held in almost every community. "If you go to Turkey and ask about the American family life... you are not going to hear good things... If you ask Oklahomans 'What do you know about Muslims?' they will not say good things if they never have met with the Muslims. "

Osman’s plans hadn’t been to live in Oklahoma, or even America, from the start. "If you asked me what I was going to be at the age of 35... I never thought that I was going to be in Oklahoma or the United States...I never planned to stay that long, but I fell in love with the hospitality and generosity of the people of Oklahoma." He feels this is becoming a much more common experience as the world transitions into a "global village." In his view, we can no longer afford to ignore each other on the basis of culture, ethnicity race or religion.

The Raindrop Turkish Cultural Center has a drive to teach the Turkish language to first-generation American children of immigrants from Turkey in hopes that they will become "Turkish Americans in Oklahoma" with a firm grasp of both their parents culture and that of the surrounding community. 

The Raindrop Turkish house is meant to serve as a bridge between the greater Oklahoma community and the Turkish community within it. Annual trips to Turkey, symposia and public dinners attempt to open a dialogue within the Oklahoma City community and combat the isolation some ethnic communities are prone to experience. Osman believes the two communities are ready to greet each other with open arms if someone will just make the first move. "As soon as I step forward, they run to me... We have to get rid of our prejudices. This is what I have noticed throughout my living here for 10 years in Oklahoma."

Orhan Osman remains adamant that the two communities are not as disparate as they might seem at first glance. "I love Oklahoma, and Oklahomans-- and I believe they love Turkey and Turkish people, too. This is the way we can [bring] this world peace and harmony, I believe"

Muslims In Oklahoma

Orhan Osman wants the same things any parent does for their children; a safe environment and a good education. Part of this education involves assuring his children have a grasp of Turkish, his own native language. "I can give you an example from my brother's life... They made a big mistake in Germany. They live in Germany, but his kids cannot speak Turkish... So they know nothing about Turkey and Turkish culture."

Orhan Osman was born in Turkey, and lived there for the first 20 years of his life. He came to America to further his education, first in Texas, eventually settling in Oklahoma in 2001 in hopes of expanded career opportunities.  Mr. Osman serves as the Director of the Raindrop Turkish House and the Executive Director of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog. To Osman, the greatest challenge facing the global community are the prejudices held in almost every community. "If you go to Turkey and ask about the American family life... you are not going to hear good things... If you ask Oklahomans 'What do you know about Muslims?' they will not say good things if they never have met with the Muslims. "

Mr. Osman’s plans hadn’t been to live in Oklahoma, or even America, from the start. "If you asked me what I was going to be at the age of 35... I never thought that I was going to be in Oklahoma or the United States...I never planned to stay that long, but I fell in love with the hospitality and generosity of the people of Oklahoma." He feels that this is becoming a much more common experience as our world transitions into a 'global village.' In his view, we can no longer afford to ignore each other on the basis of culture, ethnicity race or religion.

The Raindrop Turkish Cultural Center in Oklahoma City Oklahoma has a driving initiative to teach the Turkish language to first-generation American children of immigrants from Turkey in hopes that they become 'Turkish Americans in Oklahoma' with a firm grasp of both their parent's culture, and that of the surrounding Oklahoman community. 

The Raindrop Turkish house is meant to serve as a bridge between the greater Oklahoma community and the Turkish community within it. Annual trips to Turkey, symposia and public dinners attempt to open a dialogue within the Oklahoma City community and combat the isolation some ethnic communities are prone to suffer from.  Mr. Osman believes that the two communities are ready to greet each other with open arms as soon as one party steps forward. "As soon as I step forward they run to me... We have to get rid of out prejudices. This is what I have noticed throughout my living here for ten years in Oklahoma."

Orhan Osman remains adamant that the two communities are not as disparate as they might seem at first glance. "I love Oklahoma, and Oklahomans-- and I believe they love Turkey and Turkish people, too. This is the way we can [bring] this world peace and harmony, I believe"

Lisa Schaefer - Dancer