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Raised on Tabbouleh and Hummus · Obnoxiously Pleasant

0:04
SPEAKER_00: I'm Hanan.
0:05
SPEAKER_00: I'm Lena.
0:06
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back, everyone, to the Obnoxiously Pleasant Podcast.
0:09
SPEAKER_00: This week we're going to be talking about what, Lena?
0:12
SPEAKER_01: Arab American Heritage Month.
0:14
SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
0:15
SPEAKER_00: And as well as Arab American identity.
0:17
SPEAKER_00: As some of you may know, or maybe you may not know, April is national Arab American Heritage Month.
0:23
SPEAKER_00: And so we decided to honor that and to honor our heritage.
0:27
SPEAKER_00: We're going to be talking about Arab American identity.
0:30
SPEAKER_00: Um I look at Arab American identity.
0:33
SPEAKER_00: So it's cool, right?
0:34
SPEAKER_00: Like I look at Lena as Palestinian American.
0:36
SPEAKER_00: I look at myself as Egyptian American, but we have this like super unique identity that unifies the both of us.
0:43
SPEAKER_00: I look at it as I mean, some people, yeah, some people may look at it as something that divides us.
0:48
SPEAKER_00: Go ahead.
0:48
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, go ahead.
0:49
SPEAKER_01: No, I was I was just gonna say that it's because it's not just, you know, if we're talking about Arab identity, we would have to kind of separate our identities based on the country or uh of our origin, origin country.
1:00
SPEAKER_01: So, but when we say Arab American identity, it's the American part that I think uh kind of combines the experiences of Arabs in America.
1:08
SPEAKER_01: So you are not gonna understand certain things about being Arab American unless you are in America, Arab American.
1:15
SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
1:15
SPEAKER_01: Like it's different, it's different than just being Arab or talking about Arab identity, but it's very specific to being Arab and American at the same time.
1:24
SPEAKER_00: I hundred percent agree with you.
1:25
SPEAKER_00: Like that's what I mean when I say like it unifies us.
1:27
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter like what country you've come from, it's this experience, right?
1:33
SPEAKER_00: It becomes like a a whole other identity that you have, yeah.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: Um, that that really does unify like us together because we end up having like the it's it's the same thing, it's the same experience for everyone, right?
1:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
1:47
SPEAKER_00: I always say like it's the same experience and a lot of different things, but really for me, more than anything else, it's like the way that we were brought up, the way we were raised.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: And you and I touched a little bit.
1:56
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
1:56
SPEAKER_01: On the last episode, yeah, we had a lot of fun doing that actually.
1:59
SPEAKER_01: We really did.
2:00
unknown: Yeah.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: So we touched a little bit on that last week.
2:02
SPEAKER_00: And I also say, like, there's other like to kind of build on that, there's really things that do define you as like do define like your American identity.
2:11
SPEAKER_00: I think number one, first and foremost, and my opinion, please, if anybody else disagrees, let me know.
2:17
SPEAKER_00: But I think it's the fact that we use the English letters to have full conversations, like over text with each other's.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: Yes, like the seven is a ha, seven apostrophes a ha, the two is the hemzah, and it is a full, it's a whole, it's Arab easy, it's a whole full language.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: That's a good thing.
2:32
SPEAKER_00: Is that is that what it's called?
2:34
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
2:34
SPEAKER_00: Is that is that the name?
2:36
unknown: Yeah.
2:37
SPEAKER_01: I I thought it was uh Arabish or something.
2:39
SPEAKER_01: I guess there's different descriptions for it.
2:41
SPEAKER_00: So it's it's when you look at it, it's a full language.
2:44
SPEAKER_00: So like think about how often you do that, just to like when you text with folks, right?
2:48
SPEAKER_00: So it's really great that we've come up with this whole language where you can text uh your friends, your family members, uh, in Arabic, but using the English letters.
2:57
SPEAKER_00: So I feel like that's really like specific to the Arab American identity.
3:01
SPEAKER_00: Because if you think about it, there's a lot of like first generation, uh second generation folks who only speak.
3:06
SPEAKER_00: They don't really read and write the language in, you know, like like ought to be ought to be.
3:10
SPEAKER_00: They but they speak really well.
3:12
SPEAKER_00: So they have this, it's this whole other language that's formed as part of the Arab American identity.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: And it's super cool because like we all use it to talk to each other on WhatsApp.
3:21
SPEAKER_01: Like even definitely.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: Arab American, if you're not like chatting in groups on WhatsApp.
3:26
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's one thing.
3:28
SPEAKER_01: Another thing is the adding ing to everything, to a lot of words, like you know, you you'll you'll call me or you text me, what are you doing?
3:34
SPEAKER_01: And I'll be like, I gotta like, you know, I'm um uh or sullying or anything.
3:41
SPEAKER_00: She's always is she's always in the freaking kitchen, just isling her life away.
3:46
SPEAKER_01: That's not true.
3:47
SPEAKER_01: That is not true.
3:48
SPEAKER_01: You're kind of like perpetuating.
3:51
SPEAKER_01: I do, I love to cook.
3:52
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
3:52
SPEAKER_01: But sometimes I don't.
3:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's all she's got dishes.
3:55
SPEAKER_01: And you know, like a typical Arab, I don't really like to use my dishwasher.
3:58
SPEAKER_00: Use that as a drying rack.
4:00
SPEAKER_01: Yes, I do.
4:02
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I don't like to use it.
4:03
SPEAKER_01: I'm just like, I'm gonna wait until the whole thing fills up.
4:06
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, no, I don't want to do that.
4:08
SPEAKER_01: But that's very Arab.
4:09
SPEAKER_01: You're like my mom.
4:10
SPEAKER_01: You're Arab.
4:11
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you're like my mom.
4:12
SPEAKER_01: She I get it, you know, she gets it.
4:13
SPEAKER_01: I understand.
4:14
SPEAKER_01: Totally hundreds of isn't it the same point that I just made?
4:16
SPEAKER_01: Like this is a but that stand that until I fill up the whole damn thing.
4:20
SPEAKER_01: No, I'm not gonna do that.
4:21
SPEAKER_00: And Lena just led me right into my third point where we could be having a great full-on conversation in English, and then she it just pops in there with a few Arabic words because why?
4:33
SPEAKER_01: Nothing else feels like no, no other English, like no English word will do justice.
4:41
SPEAKER_01: So you have to you have to use the Adi word, you just have to, you know, like when you get mad, how do you curse?
4:48
SPEAKER_01: Do you curse in English or in Arabic?
4:49
SPEAKER_00: No, uh even if I'm at work, I'm all automatically I'm like, yeah, the lot of yeah, the lot of see like it doesn't even yeah.
4:57
SPEAKER_01: For me, it's like you know, you just go into these things because like you don't like like you don't get that it's true, it's very true.
5:07
SPEAKER_01: It's just like very go ahead, sorry.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
5:10
SPEAKER_00: You don't feel like it expresses or exactly like your feelings the same as like the Arabic language stuff.
5:16
SPEAKER_01: Arabic language, and I think we're not the only ones.
5:19
SPEAKER_01: I think anyone who's bilingual probably feels that way, you know.
5:22
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, but that's another Arab American thing.
5:24
SPEAKER_01: Like you said, you like we have to like what what were the words you were telling you?
5:28
SPEAKER_01: Like yalla.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: So I was like, yalla, like every every I'm gonna say if you have if you're an Arab American and you have non-Arab American friends, I don't care what their background is, they have heard you and now understand what the words yalla mean, halas, right?
5:43
SPEAKER_00: So yalla means let's go, chalas means that's it.
5:45
SPEAKER_00: They've understood best, they understand yes, okay.
5:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so they said insha'Allah, they have to know insha'Allah, insha'Allah.
5:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they have to know they definitely know, they definitely know masha'Allah, insha'Allah, astakfarullah, like Alhamdulillah, yeah, all these because these no matter how like even if you are born and raised in this country, you're still gonna use these.
6:11
SPEAKER_01: You're still gonna use these.
6:12
SPEAKER_00: It's part of your vocabulary, absolutely, it's part of your vocabulary.
6:15
SPEAKER_00: And so I think like like you know, that these are just like just a few examples, right?
6:20
SPEAKER_00: Of like like the Arab American identity.
6:22
SPEAKER_00: And so when we celebrate like Arab American identity or Arab American Heritage Month, which is coming up on Friday, this is gonna drop Tuesday, thanks to our production team, i.e.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: Lena, um, and our children who help out part-time.
6:35
SPEAKER_00: Yes, exactly.
6:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Arab American Heritage Month officially begins Friday, April 1st, and last all through the month of April.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's they focus so much on celebrating like food and the culture that we brought to the United States of America and how it kind of like weaved into society.
6:52
SPEAKER_00: But I don't think nobody like I don't think anybody ever focuses on like the stuff that we talked about.
6:58
SPEAKER_00: Like that really is truly a part of like your Arab American identity.
7:02
SPEAKER_00: I mean, amongst other things.
7:03
SPEAKER_00: Amongst other things, but obviously, yeah, go ahead.
7:06
SPEAKER_01: I was just gonna say you mentioned food, you know, and and there are something like everybody knows what the bula is and what hummus is, but can we just talk about how some company no, how some companies are adamant on destroying what hummus is like the whole chocolate hummus thing.
7:22
SPEAKER_01: Can can we just talk about that for like for a couple minutes?
7:25
SPEAKER_01: It's wrong, it's so wrong because hummus are.
7:28
SPEAKER_00: I'm so upset about that.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: I mean, honestly, I'm gonna like just I'm I don't want to like assume that everybody knows where hummus is, so I'm gonna explain that hummus is okay.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, sure.
7:37
SPEAKER_00: Explain it.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, made from chickpeas, right?
7:39
SPEAKER_00: So meat chickpeas to me, or garbanzo beans, like wherever, it depends on what you what you call them.
7:44
SPEAKER_00: Um, they it's it's finely um like I guess ground or pulverized until it becomes a paste.
7:51
SPEAKER_00: You mix it with tahini and with lemon lemon and garlic, and garlic, yeah.
7:56
SPEAKER_00: And essentially it is the most like well-known like snack dip situation, absolutely, like all over the Middle East.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
8:05
SPEAKER_00: So to me, hummus, okay, not hummus, hummus is excuse me, sorry, I don't mean to make fun of anybody, but it's hummus.
8:14
SPEAKER_00: And if you don't know, if you if you can't say your huh, okay, it's it's it's hummus, not hummus, okay.
8:21
SPEAKER_00: Anyways, that's hilarious.
8:23
SPEAKER_01: Okay, go ahead.
8:24
SPEAKER_01: Am I mean for saying that?
8:25
SPEAKER_01: Am I no, you're not you're absolutely it's fine, but like you know what?
8:28
SPEAKER_01: I don't I don't have a problem with people mispronouncing it because like you know, some people have a hard one.
8:32
SPEAKER_00: You know, I do because hummus starts with ha, like like that's true.
8:38
SPEAKER_01: I don't know, but I just my thing is can you stop destroying something that's already amazing?
8:42
SPEAKER_01: Can we make it?
8:42
SPEAKER_01: No, like it's so good in its original format.
8:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, chocolate hummus, but do you know there's an apple pie hummus that I saw the other day?
8:50
SPEAKER_01: Like, who does that?
8:51
SPEAKER_01: Like what?
8:52
SPEAKER_01: I think Trader Joe's.
8:53
SPEAKER_00: No, I don't know about that.
8:54
SPEAKER_01: I'd have to No, no, no, no, wait, hold on, hold on.
8:56
SPEAKER_01: I have to find it for you.
8:57
SPEAKER_01: I'll I'll find it for you.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: If it's not Trader Joe's, are you gonna insert a clip?
9:01
SPEAKER_01: Yes, the chocolate.
9:02
SPEAKER_01: Wait, wait, the chocolate hummus is definitely Trader Joe's, I think.
9:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but the apple pie could be another company.
9:08
SPEAKER_01: Let me not say 100%.
9:10
SPEAKER_00: Okay, apple pie hummus.
9:12
SPEAKER_00: Let me let me look it up right now.
9:14
SPEAKER_00: If my screen is shaking, chicken chicken is because I'm on ew, you're right.
9:19
SPEAKER_00: Right, is it Trader Joe's head, boars head?
9:21
SPEAKER_01: Oh, boars head, okay, okay, boars head.
9:23
SPEAKER_01: But isn't that disgusting?
9:24
SPEAKER_01: That is so, yeah.
9:26
SPEAKER_01: Like, I feel so violated.
9:28
SPEAKER_00: That's another word, that's another word that every Arab American uses instead of ew.
9:32
SPEAKER_00: We just go, yeah.
9:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
9:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, I eat Palestinian.
9:37
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
9:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Palestinians just have to change everything about anything.
9:43
SPEAKER_00: But I just okay, yeah, that's just wrong.
9:45
SPEAKER_00: Like chocolate.
9:46
SPEAKER_00: See, hummus is like a beautiful snack that should be enjoyed in its original form, anyways.
9:50
SPEAKER_00: But I agree with you.
9:51
SPEAKER_00: So, like food, I feel like we've made so much um, like we we've we've brought so much wonderful food to American culture, right?
10:00
SPEAKER_00: Like tabuli, as I like to say, tabula is amazing.
10:04
SPEAKER_00: But I almost feel like that's really like the the stuff that's made a mark on American culture is Levantine food, right?
10:11
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
10:12
SPEAKER_00: Um when you say Arab American, like because I'm Egyptian and I don't see anybody trying to eat no koshery, right?
10:17
SPEAKER_00: It's just cushion is good.
10:17
SPEAKER_01: No, but kosher is good though.
10:19
SPEAKER_01: We had this discussion before, but but you know, can I just say before you go on to the next point that I don't like taboah?
10:26
SPEAKER_01: I know your face.
10:27
SPEAKER_01: Like my sister thinks I'm crazy.
10:28
SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't like taboo, like I don't like.
10:30
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna have to leave the studio right now.
10:34
SPEAKER_01: I don't, I don't like tabula.
10:36
SPEAKER_01: Like, I know like that's blasphemous, like that's like so it is the most delicious, nutritious.
10:43
SPEAKER_01: I know it's good for you.
10:44
SPEAKER_01: I know my mom's like valid.
10:46
SPEAKER_01: Can I just tell you what mom tells me every time she like it's like a it's like a news flash for her every time I tell my don't eat tabula and she gets mad every single time like how many times am I?
10:55
SPEAKER_01: Every time she's surprised and shocked that you are this dumb, and then no, she'll be like, Oh, well, if she's like, anything that has any benefit to it, you're not gonna eat it, of course.
11:05
SPEAKER_00: I agree, yeah, I agree.
11:06
SPEAKER_00: Because, like, how could you not love the most delicious?
11:09
SPEAKER_00: The most douche.
11:11
SPEAKER_00: Give me fabulous delicious salad.
11:14
SPEAKER_00: You don't understand.
11:15
SPEAKER_00: Like, folks, if you've never had taboo, okay, ready, close your eyes, join me on this journey that I'm about to take you.
11:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
11:26
SPEAKER_00: Tabula.
11:28
SPEAKER_01: Go ahead.
11:31
SPEAKER_00: You're so funny.
11:33
SPEAKER_00: Tabula, guys, starts out with you take fresh, green, crispy uh parsley.
11:42
SPEAKER_00: Of course, like you know, you wash it, you finally chop it.
11:45
SPEAKER_00: You finally chop it, and it is the most delicate, fine chop.
11:48
SPEAKER_00: And it what what it does when you chop the parsley is that it makes it super fragrant and releases like all its natural flavors, right?
11:55
SPEAKER_00: One, lay that off to the side, deliciousness already happening in your minds and in your mouth.
11:59
SPEAKER_00: I'm about to bring it all home together.
12:02
SPEAKER_00: You chop tomatoes.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: Some people like to chop um onions.
12:06
SPEAKER_00: I I'm 50-50, like I can go with or without, but really it's the burgl.
12:11
SPEAKER_00: The burgl is like the secret in the salad, right?
12:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's like if you're not watching this on YouTube, you can't say for me, it's an ancient grain, it's delicious.
12:20
SPEAKER_01: No, it's good, it's good.
12:21
SPEAKER_01: I get that.
12:22
SPEAKER_01: I get I get like I just it's not like I'll eat it if I have to, but I just don't like it's just not my thing.
12:28
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, like I'm sorry, tabool, and it's just like lemony and it's so tart and it's delicious, and like on a on a hot summer's day or even a cold winter's day.
12:37
SPEAKER_01: I'm telling you, my sister makes really good salad.
12:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's the salad that just like fills your insides with love and like you feel like somebody who really loves you took the time to make this for you.
12:47
SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, if you haven't had taboo, guys, go try taboo.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: It is the bomb.com.
12:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so good, I guess.
12:53
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I can't argue with that.
12:54
SPEAKER_01: So, what else does it mean, or what else um is uniquely Arab American?
13:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, hi.
13:01
SPEAKER_00: I mean, do I need to say we talked about how amazing we are and how amazing our food is.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: Done deal.
13:06
SPEAKER_00: I think like we're both an excellent representation of that.
13:08
SPEAKER_00: That's what uniquely Arab American is.
13:10
SPEAKER_00: It's like where you have this, you're this whole other um honestly, sometimes I feel like we're this whole other like uh like type of people.
13:18
SPEAKER_00: We really are.
13:19
SPEAKER_00: Like you bring a little bit of your we yeah, you bring a little bit of your Palestinian-ness, I bring a little bit of my Egyptian-ness, our friends bring a little bit of you know their Lebanese-ness, Iraqiness, whichever they're there from.
13:30
SPEAKER_00: And together we all have these sort of similar upbringings and similar traditions, but like being raised in America.
13:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
13:40
SPEAKER_00: But I think being raised in America, it we really are well, I feel like we're just one unified group.
13:47
SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, we may have differences in some areas, but our experiences and like the way that we're raised and stuff really does make us this whole other group of people, right?
13:57
SPEAKER_00: Like, I for when somebody asks me, like, what are you?
14:01
SPEAKER_00: I always say, I'm Arab American.
14:04
SPEAKER_01: I was gonna ask you something similar to that, but okay, go ahead.
14:06
SPEAKER_00: And then when they ask me what kind of Arab, I always say, Oh, I'm Egyptian.
14:09
SPEAKER_00: But whenever anybody asks me what are you, I always say first, I'm Arab American.
14:13
SPEAKER_00: Because it's true, I am Arab American more than anything else.
14:16
SPEAKER_00: That's that's me.
14:18
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so you know you've had people ask you, like, where are you from?
14:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
14:21
SPEAKER_01: So what do you what's your response to that?
14:23
SPEAKER_01: Do you what do you what do you say when someone asks you where you where you're from?
14:25
SPEAKER_01: Virginia.
14:26
SPEAKER_01: I'm from Virginia, guys.
14:27
SPEAKER_01: Obviously, but like, you know, there's those people that you know what their kind what question, you know, you know, the kind they want to know where you come, like where your ancestors come from.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: I usually tell them I'm a citizen of the world.
14:39
SPEAKER_00: This is assuming that like like they don't already presume that I'm Hispanic, which is fine.
14:44
SPEAKER_00: I don't mind, you know, but like but like just ask me and like I will answer.
14:49
SPEAKER_00: But like don't look at me, be like, where are your parents from?
14:53
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
14:54
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
14:54
SPEAKER_00: You tell because I'm very proud of the fact that I am I'm not first generation, I am an immigrant.
14:59
SPEAKER_01: They end up, yeah, they end up asking you where are your parents from?
15:02
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
15:02
SPEAKER_00: And I'm very proud of the fact that like I am an immigrant, I am not somebody like as I love, love, love.
15:08
SPEAKER_00: Like I'm so proud.
15:09
SPEAKER_00: Oh my god! Why did you scream?
15:13
SPEAKER_01: Because I didn't want her to stop the broadcast.
15:15
SPEAKER_01: She could easily stop the broadcast.
15:17
SPEAKER_01: Kelbah.
15:18
SPEAKER_01: It's okay.
15:19
SPEAKER_01: Which city has the best Arab food?
15:23
SPEAKER_01: Like, I will tell you right now, not just because my family's from Cleveland.
15:26
SPEAKER_01: Oh I think Cleveland, no, shut up.
15:28
SPEAKER_01: It is so underrated, it is so underrated.
15:31
SPEAKER_00: Like, like Lena's always trying to sell us on Cleveland.
15:35
SPEAKER_00: I'm just gonna say, I've known Lena for over 20 years, she's constantly trying to sell us on Cleveland.
15:40
SPEAKER_01: No, no, but listen, listen, like the Knafe that I've had there, no, I haven't had anywhere else.
15:46
SPEAKER_00: Kunefa.
15:47
SPEAKER_00: Kunefa.
15:48
SPEAKER_01: It's not Kunafa, it's Knafe, it's Kunafa.
15:51
SPEAKER_01: Or as the Falahi Palestinians would say, Knafe.
15:54
SPEAKER_01: Okay, it is Knafe, okay?
15:56
SPEAKER_01: It's not Kunafe.
15:57
SPEAKER_01: Kunafe.
15:58
SPEAKER_01: Kunafa.
15:58
SPEAKER_01: I'm telling you, so who do you think?
16:00
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think okay.
16:01
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, she's turning it into a song.
16:03
SPEAKER_01: Listen, so who do you which city?
16:05
SPEAKER_01: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, it's so hard.
16:07
SPEAKER_00: It's so hard because I've really had like good food everywhere I've been.
16:10
SPEAKER_00: That's the thing.
16:11
SPEAKER_00: Come on, let me tell you right now.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: So it depends.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: Can I break it down by like what kind of food, like what country?
16:17
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so four.
16:18
SPEAKER_00: If I want to have like Lebanese food and Iraqi food, well, Lebanese food.
16:24
SPEAKER_00: Lebanese food is either it's a toss-up for me between New Jersey and Michigan, right?
16:28
SPEAKER_00: Iraqi food, Michigan all the way, no contest.
16:31
SPEAKER_00: Egyptian food, Anaheim, California, specifically, all the way, no contest.
16:36
SPEAKER_00: Uh Palestinian food, it's gonna definitely be a toss-up between like I was gonna say Illinois.
16:42
SPEAKER_00: That's not a city, Chicago.
16:43
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
16:44
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be a toss-up between Chicago and probably one other place I've been to here, and that's like it.
16:51
SPEAKER_00: But I have some really good food in Chicago.
16:53
SPEAKER_01: There's no good food in DC.
16:55
SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry.
16:56
SPEAKER_01: The DC area, nothing.
16:58
SPEAKER_00: Bwendie's pretty good.
16:59
SPEAKER_00: Who?
17:00
SPEAKER_00: The Boeddy restaurant.
17:01
SPEAKER_00: Oh, the Boeddy.
17:02
SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, it's all right.
17:03
SPEAKER_00: They have their moments, so you have to go, by the way.
17:06
SPEAKER_00: Anyway, we're not gonna get into this, not restaurant review.
17:08
SPEAKER_01: They're better, yeah.
17:09
SPEAKER_01: They're better, like with catering, but whatever.
17:11
SPEAKER_01: Like you said, my thing is um it's definitely not that not Detroit for me.
17:14
SPEAKER_01: So anyone in Detroit, don't come after me because I've been there and I've had the food.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: And like you said, it depends on what kind of air.
17:21
SPEAKER_00: That's why that's why I broke it down by Jean.
17:22
SPEAKER_00: And if you forget anybody's food, please don't kill me.
17:25
SPEAKER_00: I will say in our area, there's a shortage.
17:27
SPEAKER_00: And if you guys please tell me, there is a shortage of of like other North African cuisine.
17:33
SPEAKER_00: Like, I have never been to a Libyan restaurant, I've only ever been to friends' homes or things like that.
17:38
SPEAKER_00: I would love for that to be like a thing, right?
17:41
SPEAKER_00: I I Tunisian, maybe like once, Moroccan, maybe once, Algerian, like never.
17:48
SPEAKER_00: Honestly, I've never ever been to an Algerian food.
17:50
SPEAKER_00: I've had Algerian food, but not like it's not all that.
17:53
SPEAKER_01: I've had Algerian food and I don't like it.
17:56
SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
17:56
SPEAKER_01: I'm telling the truth.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: Let's just before anybody comes for Tulina Strugular, I'm gonna say, yeah, yeah, it's fine.
18:03
SPEAKER_00: But I love Algerian, so it's Selena has the the palette of my seven-year-old, okay?
18:07
SPEAKER_00: That's they like the same food.
18:09
SPEAKER_00: So that's don't come for her, guys.
18:11
SPEAKER_00: She's just so picky.
18:13
SPEAKER_00: I am picky.
18:14
SPEAKER_00: I think the cool thing is that we've been celebrating Arab American Heritage Month for a while now, but it didn't really get official until like last year, right?
18:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:23
SPEAKER_01: I think uh President Biden signed it in April of 2021.
18:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and so I think it's really cool that there are people who really continue to work and push for like Arab American representation.
18:33
SPEAKER_00: Um even though we've been around for like quite some time, right?
18:37
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, a long time.
18:37
SPEAKER_01: A long time, yeah.
18:39
SPEAKER_00: I just think it's still really cool that there are folks like in our everyday lives, not just like famous people, that still continue to like kind of pave the path forward um for you know us to be recognized as our own group of people in this country.
18:55
SPEAKER_00: If you didn't know that this month was gonna be Arab American Heritage Month, I I I think like awesome.
19:01
SPEAKER_00: Now you know, go out and look and search for like all the cool Arab Americans, like famous Arab Americans.
19:07
SPEAKER_00: I bet you anything.
19:08
SPEAKER_00: That's the other thing I wanted to talk about.
19:10
SPEAKER_00: That there are so many famous Arab Americans that people probably don't even like realize are Arab Americans.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's true.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: A lot.
19:15
SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of them out there on one of our uh TikTok videos.
19:18
SPEAKER_01: We had this one guy comment about you know how we we did that video about um Arab women and you know how the stereotypes did you see that it's like well, name one, one accomplished, because you said something about an accomplished, you know, you know so many accomplished uh Arab women, and this jerk was like, Oh, name one.
19:38
SPEAKER_00: There are so many accomplished Arab American females, it's not even like I think automatically, like I said, of Reem Accra.
19:43
SPEAKER_00: I think of somebody like Mason Zayed, right?
19:45
SPEAKER_00: Yes, so Masoon Zayed is amazing because here's a woman who took a disability, right?
19:50
SPEAKER_00: And I don't even want to call it a disability, and she is probably one of the funniest, wittiest, smartest women that you will ever see give a like do a stand-up comedy show if you give a stand up.
20:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but we have yeah, we have friends, we have Arab American uh women, friends of ours that are very accomplished.
20:09
SPEAKER_01: Just because you don't know about them doesn't mean they're not accomplished, you know?
20:12
SPEAKER_00: Like in the same like if you want to look from like famous Arab American women, yeah, like go ahead.
20:17
SPEAKER_00: There's there's a lot, like you can't just give me an example.
20:20
SPEAKER_00: Like, I just gave you two examples, right?
20:21
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and there's a lot more than that, anyways.
20:26
SPEAKER_01: Anyway, so finally we're gonna wrap this up.
20:28
SPEAKER_01: How are you gonna celebrate this month?
20:30
SPEAKER_00: Am I gonna celebrate by just being myself and being amazing?
20:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm gonna be fasting during this month, so I'm just gonna try to survive the month.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: But that is part of your that that is part of your Arab American idea.
20:41
SPEAKER_00: You're fasting, you're gonna be observing it almost on, so that is your mode of celebrating Arab American Heritage Month.
20:47
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna be making lots of you know awesome food because it's Ramadan.
20:51
SPEAKER_00: Right?
20:52
SPEAKER_00: Yes, and so we will be celebrating by just continuing to be the amazing positive forces in our families and societies that we currently are.
21:02
SPEAKER_01: Inshallah.
21:03
SPEAKER_00: No, no, inshallah.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: I said inshallah.
21:05
unknown: I don't know.
21:06
SPEAKER_00: I'm just gonna say for all of our folks who don't know what inshallah means, it means God willing.
21:11
SPEAKER_00: Now, popular opinion states that if you use the word inshallah, you're just trying to say no politely.
21:17
SPEAKER_01: Inshallah, everybody has a great Ramadan, a great Arab American Heritage Month, and just a great month for everybody, insha'Allah.
21:25
SPEAKER_01: And the next time we post, it's gonna be during Ramadan.
21:29
SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna be talking to you guys live about week one.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: What I mean, we'll be a few days in, but like what does that mean?
21:36
SPEAKER_00: How we're doing, how we're feeling.
21:37
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:38
SPEAKER_00: And I really would love for you folks to engage with us and tell me like what you're doing.
21:42
SPEAKER_00: Is there like a new um, like, is there something that you're trying to achieve during Ramadan during this month?
21:47
SPEAKER_00: And is there something like a new habit that you want to build, right?
21:51
SPEAKER_00: Yes, that's a good idea.
21:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then Panana will check in with you guys on Instagram.
21:55
SPEAKER_00: I will.
21:56
SPEAKER_01: That's what she wanted to do.
21:57
SPEAKER_01: That was her thing.
21:58
SPEAKER_01: She's I know before she cut me off.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: Shut up.
22:01
SPEAKER_01: I didn't cut you off.
22:02
SPEAKER_01: Anyway, um, thank you for watching.
22:05
SPEAKER_01: Don't forget to subs.
22:06
SPEAKER_01: Oh my god, I just want to say before we go, thank you guys for all of the uh the love.
22:11
SPEAKER_01: The love.
22:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you guys followed us on Instagram, you're following us on TikTok.
22:15
SPEAKER_01: You're we also got like a bunch of subscribers on uh YouTube, which is awesome.
22:19
SPEAKER_01: We're finally over a hundred.
22:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I just want to celebrate.
22:23
SPEAKER_01: Like I was thinking of getting a thubla and like just like you know, doing this.
22:26
SPEAKER_01: I know it's a hundred subscribers, but it's a big deal.
22:28
SPEAKER_01: Thank you guys.
22:29
SPEAKER_00: It's a big deal for us because honestly, we're not doing anything except for just organic growth.
22:34
SPEAKER_00: Like, we're not doing advertising, we're not doing anything.
22:37
SPEAKER_00: It's literally just exactly it's literally just likes, shares, engagements, and friends and family and acquaintances like sharing our stuff.
22:45
SPEAKER_00: So, like, if you've liked any of our content, if you shared, if you're followed, thank you, E so much to us and to our production team.
22:52
SPEAKER_01: Yes, me.
22:53
SPEAKER_01: My the production team is me.
22:54
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, once again, I'm gonna wish you guys a very happy Ramadan and an awesome Arab American Heritage Month.
22:59
SPEAKER_00: I hope you find your own unique way to celebrate.
23:01
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining us this week.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: We look forward to seeing you next week.