The Cultural Significance of Dessert Making and Paralegal Work

Melding both Western and Eastern cultures, dessert making and paralegal work do share something in common – cultural significance. In fact, in some ways, it is correct to say that they share much more. Customers, clients, even the typical person in society – they all experience something deep when enjoying a beautifully constructed dessert or finalizing a contract. That something is an appreciation of culture. When the average person thinks about desserts, they might think about the forbidden fruit lingering on their dining room table. They could think about the recent pastry shop they visited in downtown Davie, FL. Or perhaps the time they went raspberry picking in the European countryside as a teen. Each of these experiences is important in its own right, as they demonstrate just how ubiquitous desserts and sweets are in our lives.

It is the pervasiveness of desserts and sweet making that has encouraged the growth of the industry. But beyond the staples found in American grocery stores, like Burtons, Nabisco, and Flowers, you will also encounter many Asian dessert companies, either as independent shops or the Asian baked goods section of your local supermarket. One such company is Yousaf Falooda, which originates from Pakistan. In the entire state of Florida, there are but two Yousaf Falooda stores. While the company has had a presence in Broward County for several years, as the local market matured, two new stores sprung up. Having had prior experience instructing paralegal certification classes, the owner of the store wanted to give back to the community by preparing a free class.

Because Yousaf Falooda has such a rich culture and history as a Pakistani dessert company, it is important to remember the backbone of the industry – the foundational principles. Just as the foundation of the sweets are sugar, water, starch, the dessert fusion of Yousaf Falooda is constructed with a layers of cultural beliefs. The desserts of Yousaf Falooda is strongly tied to the values of other South Asian Muslims. Beyond Pakistan, you will find sweets being constructed from the shores of India, across the Arabian Sea over in the Gulf States like the UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait, as well as in North African nations like Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria.

The construction of the sweets are similar; however, the fusion of cultural significance is different based on the customer’s preference for certain ingredients (e.g., may prefer more milk than water), as well as differences in religion. Despite those differences, the essential components of the dessert remain the same, which shares much in common with the foundational principles of any of the world’s religions. Just as tasty desserts have foundational principles, so too does contract law. It’s important to review them as the architectural symbols of our daily lives – the beams that hold everything together. Per the American Bar Association (ABA), the essential elements of a contract include: While this is not an exhaustive list of elements, it does provide insight into the fusion of values we discussed earlier.

If we again take the example of the construction of Yousaf Falooda’s dessert, we can see how each ingredient plays a role in the construction of a contract. For instance, without the sugar (value), we can expect documents to be unwelcoming and unpleasant to read, as well as entirely deficient in writing style. Without the water (understanding), the integrity of the contract will be weak, which leads to customer confusion with regard to complex provisions. Without the starch (relationship), then the contract lacks the very essential binding that connects everything together for a successful contract execution.

Just as there comes a time when the food decor of Yousaf Falooda will fade from being the jewel of our cultural lives to just one of many options we consider, so too does contract law change. Contracts are not static, but dynamic. From changing laws to the passage of new legislation, to the re-evaluation of old rules, contract law receives continuous revisions. As the landscape of the world evolves, so too do the approach to basic contract law for paralegals, and paralegals are held responsible for staying abreast of those changes.

As careers of paralegals continue to grow, so do the expectations placed upon them. Whereas paralegals once solely concerned themselves with addressing the needs of their attorney, now they operate independently. With an increased degree of autonomy, paralegals must demonstrate a heightened level of competence regarding the type of work they carry out. Just as Yousaf Falooda continues to provide high-quality products that are consistently delivered to the customer with professional service, paralegals should provide the same.