Roar writer Dania Quadri reviews a Walthamstow restaurant, Etles Uyghur Restaurant.
A few months ago, while poring over articles about the Uyghur genocide, I realised I knew very little about Uyghur culture. If the aim of genocide is to wipe away a peoples’ culture and identity, then internalising and documenting a cultural experience would be my very small way of doing something to preserve Uyghur culture.
I decided that this first cultural experience would be related to food, and I used Instagram to connect with the Uyghur community in London. My search lead me to Zulfukar Ablikim on Instagram. Serendipitously, he told me his family owned a restaurant that served Uyghur cuisine: Etles Uyghur Restaurant. He invited me to meet at his family-owned restaurant, and of course, I accepted. My friend came along, too.