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Abstract

historic mission for the human race. Your mom will answer: well, your cousin just bought a new car. Even if you graduated at the top of your class from medical school, your cousin did something better. <b>ALWAYS!</b></p><p id="8073">But watch out! you can never use the same argument with your parents. Do not even dare to say: “but my cousin Ahmed is allowed to do that!”. The answer will be a cold stare and “I don’t care about what Ahmed does or doesn’t, he is not my son”.</p><h2 id="963a">4- Your family will show you love with food</h2><p id="0e6c">Anytime you visit your family, they will shove food, food, and more food in front of you. And it is delicious! It is the Arab way of saying we love you. Once you finish your dish, they will automatically refill it for you, and don’t you dare say you are full. Grandma will get sad. So, just enjoy the food and eat whatever is put in front of you.</p><p id="b11c">After all this food, the fat-shaming will start. why are you fat? you need to eat less. you need to so more sport. Do not answer, just keep quiet. Don’t you dare to point out it’s the amount of food they shove in front of you. They Love you and this is how you respond? shame on you!</p><h2 id="e543">5- Blue eye everywhere</h2><p id="5451">Arabs parents are afraid that someone or something will cause harm to their kids. Therefore, they will put or hang a blue eye (a piece of jewelry or decoration, which is a blue eye) everywhere. You got a car, you hang the blue eye from the rearview mirror. You had a baby, the baby gets a brooch with the blue eye on it. Its also on the front door of your house. It is everywhere.</p><figure id="76ae"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*nF9ZYN_zOo5A5lmJ0zDbhA.jpeg"><figcaption>Picture of the blue eye taken from my house</figcaption></figure><h2 id="eae0">6- Olive oil cures everything</h2><p id="b3eb">It is the holy remedy. You have a stomachache, rub some olive oil on your belly! Your back hurts, Put some warm olive oil on it. Your ear hurts, use some olive oil drips. Who cares about modern medicine once you have olive oil.</p><p id="6fc0">For stomachaches sometimes they will tell you to drink Seven-Up. I guess if Pepsi knew, that Seven-Up is used as a medical remedy they’ll market it as one too.</p><h2 id="5e8e">7- You swim in hummus</h2><p id="7f81">You are hummus at least twice a week. Anytime you had guests over for dinner, hummus was on the table. You love it and you put it on everything. In Germany (where I currently live), they’ve recently discovered the wonder of Hummus. You can find it everywhere and you will find some weird variations of it as well; hummus with butternut squash and hummus with red beets are some of the weird examples.</p><figure id="9829"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*qFPmng1ZQC9T7lAn"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@kyle_brinker?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Kyle Brinker</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><p id="690f">Dear white people: Keep hummus as it is! we had it for 100’s of years and we still love it without the weird new flavors.</p><h2 id="99cd">8- Mama and Baba are reversible words</h2><p id="b514">The Arabic word for d

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ad is “baba” and the Arabic word for mom is “mama”. However, when my dad wants to talk to me he will call me baba and my mom will call me mama. in the Arabic language, these words are reversible. This might sound weird for some of you but this is just how the Arabic language works. The words (baba, mama, uncle, aunt, grandpa, and grandma) are reversible, which means that my uncle will call me also uncle (in Arabic ‘Ammo) when he is speaking to me.</p><p id="9a0f">The look on my non-Arab friends when they hear my mom calls me “mama” is priceless! and to be honest, it is also hard to explain.</p><h2 id="5940">9- The “Shahatta” and the chilli flakes</h2><p id="1b69">Growing up I feared two items in our household, Moms flip-flops and the jar of chili flakes in the kitchen.</p><p id="bddc">If I called my sibling “idiot”, my mom will make me eat a teaspoon full of chili flakes, because I used a bad word in the house. She still threatens me with it and I’m 35 and I’ve been living on own for almost 17 years.</p><p id="3127">The other household item I feared as a kid was the shahatta (Arabic for flip-flops). Arab moms acquired a special skill in throwing the shahatta and hitting you with it even if you were in a different room, no even a different floor. The shahatta will find you and it will hit you. This was used if you talked back, broke something, didn’t study or just laughed loudly in a matter, she thought was impolite. The shahatta flew immediately.</p><h2 id="99d7">10- Middle Eastern households are equipped to survive the Zombie apocalypse</h2><p id="5e92">Two fully stacked fridges are the minimum number of fridges in any Middle Eastern household. The amount of prepared and frozen food is astonishing. A Middle Eastern household can survive a zombie apocalypse for months.</p><h2 id="9cee">11- You have family all over the world</h2><p id="1054">It doesn’t matter if the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, or New Zealand. You have some family there. It might be years and years and you never see them or meet them but know this, at a certain wedding they’ll be there, you will talk and you will discover that you guys are best friends since forever.</p><h2 id="9e1c">12- Don’t you dare go into the guest room</h2><p id="05b9">In any Middle Eastern house, there is a second living room that is preserved for the Queen (in case she decided to visit). No one is allowed to go into that room. This room is cleaned at least 4–5 times a week and it is absolutely off-limit for you, your siblings, your dad, or your friends.</p><p id="53ee">If you tried to sneak into this room, the shahatta will fly from your parent’s room through the house and will smack you in the head.</p><h2 id="467a">Bonus fact</h2><p id="a8d3">I don’t know why, but every time we had some guests coming over, my mom would ask me to tidy my closet. As if we will welcome the guests to sit in my closet between my T-shirts.</p><p id="f2db">In the end, I smile when I remember the stories from my upbringing in a Middle Eastern household. It is part of who I am today and the reason why I took a certain path in my life. We joke because we care and this story is in no way me complaining about being from a Middle Eastern family. Mama, Baba I love you guys, and thank you for everything you have ever done for us.</p></article></body>

12 signs you are Middle Eastern

Facts about growing up in a Middle Eastern household

Photo by Giorgio Parravicini on Unsplash

Growing up in a middle eastern household gave me great memories and a good start in life on my path. However, it always paints a smile on my face when I remember certain moments from my childhood.

The signs I’ll be listing here are more or less relevant for Arabs from the Levant region of the Middle East (Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon). It may be true to other Arabs from other countries or maybe some non-Arabs as well. The signs I’ll be listing here are my own (as a male living in the Middle ease), females and or Arab Americans might have even more signs, which are relevant for them.

so let us start on the list, I’ll give a short explanation to each item.

1- Your parents were the top of their class

Education is very important to middle eastern parents. If you didn’t have good grades at school, you were the shame of the family. Good grades were everything, you asked for a certain toy for your birthday, well son, you will get it only if you get straight A’s in school. You want to join the basketball team, straight A’s or it is not going to happen.

It doesn’t help that your parents always were at the top of their class. They used to study all the time and didn’t have time for nonsense like sports, dating, video games, or TV. This makes me wonder if all of the middle eastern parents were the top of their classes, who was the second-best, third-best, or who was in the last place.

2- We used to study on candle lights

“You are spoiled. you have all this and you still don’t want to study. we used to study on candle lights because we cared about education and we fought for it. Your generation is a spoiled one”.

Let us fact check this claim. In the Middle East, the sunset is typically from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. depending on the season. Also according to my grandparents, they always had electricity where they lived. So what is up with this claim? I heard it from my teachers and also from my friends’ parents. Also, let us not forget the following as well: “I used to walk for an hour to reach my school ”, ”we used to re-use old papers and make our notebooks” and “when I was your age, I used to treat my teachers as prophets and never talked back”.

3- You are never as good as your cousin

You will enter the house, great your mom, and tell her you went to the moon and just got back from this historic mission for the human race. Your mom will answer: well, your cousin just bought a new car. Even if you graduated at the top of your class from medical school, your cousin did something better. ALWAYS!

But watch out! you can never use the same argument with your parents. Do not even dare to say: “but my cousin Ahmed is allowed to do that!”. The answer will be a cold stare and “I don’t care about what Ahmed does or doesn’t, he is not my son”.

4- Your family will show you love with food

Anytime you visit your family, they will shove food, food, and more food in front of you. And it is delicious! It is the Arab way of saying we love you. Once you finish your dish, they will automatically refill it for you, and don’t you dare say you are full. Grandma will get sad. So, just enjoy the food and eat whatever is put in front of you.

After all this food, the fat-shaming will start. why are you fat? you need to eat less. you need to so more sport. Do not answer, just keep quiet. Don’t you dare to point out it’s the amount of food they shove in front of you. They Love you and this is how you respond? shame on you!

5- Blue eye everywhere

Arabs parents are afraid that someone or something will cause harm to their kids. Therefore, they will put or hang a blue eye (a piece of jewelry or decoration, which is a blue eye) everywhere. You got a car, you hang the blue eye from the rearview mirror. You had a baby, the baby gets a brooch with the blue eye on it. Its also on the front door of your house. It is everywhere.

Picture of the blue eye taken from my house

6- Olive oil cures everything

It is the holy remedy. You have a stomachache, rub some olive oil on your belly! Your back hurts, Put some warm olive oil on it. Your ear hurts, use some olive oil drips. Who cares about modern medicine once you have olive oil.

For stomachaches sometimes they will tell you to drink Seven-Up. I guess if Pepsi knew, that Seven-Up is used as a medical remedy they’ll market it as one too.

7- You swim in hummus

You are hummus at least twice a week. Anytime you had guests over for dinner, hummus was on the table. You love it and you put it on everything. In Germany (where I currently live), they’ve recently discovered the wonder of Hummus. You can find it everywhere and you will find some weird variations of it as well; hummus with butternut squash and hummus with red beets are some of the weird examples.

Dear white people: Keep hummus as it is! we had it for 100’s of years and we still love it without the weird new flavors.

8- Mama and Baba are reversible words

The Arabic word for dad is “baba” and the Arabic word for mom is “mama”. However, when my dad wants to talk to me he will call me baba and my mom will call me mama. in the Arabic language, these words are reversible. This might sound weird for some of you but this is just how the Arabic language works. The words (baba, mama, uncle, aunt, grandpa, and grandma) are reversible, which means that my uncle will call me also uncle (in Arabic ‘Ammo) when he is speaking to me.

The look on my non-Arab friends when they hear my mom calls me “mama” is priceless! and to be honest, it is also hard to explain.

9- The “Shahatta” and the chilli flakes

Growing up I feared two items in our household, Moms flip-flops and the jar of chili flakes in the kitchen.

If I called my sibling “idiot”, my mom will make me eat a teaspoon full of chili flakes, because I used a bad word in the house. She still threatens me with it and I’m 35 and I’ve been living on own for almost 17 years.

The other household item I feared as a kid was the shahatta (Arabic for flip-flops). Arab moms acquired a special skill in throwing the shahatta and hitting you with it even if you were in a different room, no even a different floor. The shahatta will find you and it will hit you. This was used if you talked back, broke something, didn’t study or just laughed loudly in a matter, she thought was impolite. The shahatta flew immediately.

10- Middle Eastern households are equipped to survive the Zombie apocalypse

Two fully stacked fridges are the minimum number of fridges in any Middle Eastern household. The amount of prepared and frozen food is astonishing. A Middle Eastern household can survive a zombie apocalypse for months.

11- You have family all over the world

It doesn’t matter if the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, or New Zealand. You have some family there. It might be years and years and you never see them or meet them but know this, at a certain wedding they’ll be there, you will talk and you will discover that you guys are best friends since forever.

12- Don’t you dare go into the guest room

In any Middle Eastern house, there is a second living room that is preserved for the Queen (in case she decided to visit). No one is allowed to go into that room. This room is cleaned at least 4–5 times a week and it is absolutely off-limit for you, your siblings, your dad, or your friends.

If you tried to sneak into this room, the shahatta will fly from your parent’s room through the house and will smack you in the head.

Bonus fact

I don’t know why, but every time we had some guests coming over, my mom would ask me to tidy my closet. As if we will welcome the guests to sit in my closet between my T-shirts.

In the end, I smile when I remember the stories from my upbringing in a Middle Eastern household. It is part of who I am today and the reason why I took a certain path in my life. We joke because we care and this story is in no way me complaining about being from a Middle Eastern family. Mama, Baba I love you guys, and thank you for everything you have ever done for us.