Hospit(i)lity

Written by

Maya Zankoul

in

Visit to my granma

Granma: "Let me get you something to snack on"

Granma: "here you go.

Thus, the altercation begins

Last time I put it in my bag, it was a disaster

Give up

Candy placed in bag.

Have another one

Why me? Why?

Forced eating

I’m sure most of you have been through the complicated process of “diafeh” (=offering a snack for your guests). Especially with older people. They assume you’re too shy to accept or that you would think they aren’t generous/hospitable enough if they accept your refusal from the first (or tenth) time. But what if yes meant yes and no meant no? Wouldn’t that be easier?

So, now that I have this out of my system, here’s a song for you my darlings! Enjoy, and have a great weekend! 🙂 [Madonna’s True Blue! 1986, from the year I was born]

[Sorry the player doesn’t show in RSS feeds 🙁 I can’t upload music in here as my connection is TERRIBLE – yes, I knew today that Lebanon has the 5th worst connection in the whole wide world! Isn’t that amazing?]

Comments

20 responses to “Hospit(i)lity”

  1. darine Avatar
    darine

    Maya, you always write about things that are on our mind but we are too weirded out by them to talk about them 🙂

    Reply
  2. darinerachkidy Avatar
    darinerachkidy

    sooo funny…i loved it, that’s so true…can’t make ur grandma sad… i never refuse her diafeh, even if i have to “gloops” it eyes closed….

    Reply
  3. ze2red Avatar
    ze2red

    lol, i can relate 🙂

    Reply
  4. alvie9 Avatar
    alvie9

    imagine being a vegetarian and being offered meat. Not only the concept is beyond their grasp, they insist that a lahmeh b3ajjin is not meat. So i totally sympathize!!

    Reply
  5. hossun Avatar
    hossun

    Really cool! Can’t resist teta’s diafeh to me … ‘cz she gets it right .. but this is applicable to people all around us. They just can’t stop begging you to have a piece of cake or to have lunch with them. Good work!

    Reply
  6. Nour K Avatar
    Nour K

    HAHAHA, you are not alone Maya, you are not alone! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Riham Avatar
    Riham

    Are you kidding? 5th worst connection? hahahaha. Mine is fine but it could be much much much better. 😛

    Also, I love how with old people, it’s always the same kind of candy. It’s very cute of old people, but the candy actually sucks!!

    Reply
  8. Haytham Khouja Avatar
    Haytham Khouja

    shoot her!

    Reply
  9. melicieuse Avatar
    melicieuse

    you say it this way now, but in a few years wallah you will miss your teta’s melted sickly sweet fruit chewy candy.
    I know i miss my grandad’s melted chewy tofee candies he used to give us his grandkids when we came to visit, i didn’t specially like the candy but i would take it and eat it then and there (and believe it or not I’d ask for some to take home with me) just for the pleasure of seeing the hapyness in his eyes when he was surrounded by me and my cousins and he could hand us out candy he would buy during the week (he had a secret stash in his closet)

    Reply
  10. mc Avatar
    mc

    hey Maya, don’t forget the candy in your bag this time !! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Luke Avatar
    Luke

    awww this post was so sweet 🙂

    Reply
  12. Joe the Friend of the Sister Avatar
    Joe the Friend of the Sister

    I learned a new word thanks to you today, altercation.. i don’t think ill ever come across that one again.. 🙂

    Reply
  13. bernadette salame Avatar
    bernadette salame

    Love the sentiments of Melicieuse… but re the “daifeh” – could never quite understand when the same insistence was extended to cigarettes, even to a non-smoker.

    Reply
  14. zerolando Avatar
    zerolando

    Maybe if you tell your teta the truth about you being behind the Zankoulizer saving the planet she’ll get off your back with the cookies 😛 hahhaha

    Reply
  15. Haytham Khouja Avatar
    Haytham Khouja

    *sound of a gun reloading*

    Reply
  16. Nahil Avatar
    Nahil

    we7yet alla fi shi ghalat b their system hahahaha dude, i totally understand wat u go thru. ana sometimes ekhir shi ba3moul mashkal with my aunt like a real fight w btez3al 😀 kelo men wara el dyafe.. NO thanks aunty i love u..;. la ma besirrr… khede we7de (no 3anjad ) teb bedik ha? aw hay? aw hay? no 3anjad sheb3ane… teb hay? *the list goes on* till i leave w ebroum dahre 😀

    Reply
  17. Moustafa Avatar
    Moustafa

    “But what if yes meant yes and no meant no? Wouldn’t that be easier?”

    I disagree!

    I like the diafeh and must admit it one of those cultural things I’ve hung on to. I’d like to share a story regarding having friends from various cultural backgrounds. When I was younger I would visit friends’ houses after school, being there with my friend’s family is not always comfortable, and yes I was shy! So when my friend’s mother offered a cold cup of water on a really hot day, I declined the “first” offer. To my horror the mother said to me, “ok”. I didn’t even get a “are you sure?”.

    Since my nightmare of an experience I loooove the diafeh and the double/triple/multiple insistence! lol

    Reply
  18. Bethany (Dirty Kitchen Secrets) Avatar
    Bethany (Dirty Kitchen Secrets)

    LOL ROTFL! oh i do love “diafeh” and must admit I’m one of those annoying people that just insist- my non-lebo friends have said many times after getting to know me that they thought there was something wrong at the beginning as I would just not take no for an answer!

    Thankfully I can better judge now if someone is in fact shy or truly wants to be left in peace!

    Reply
  19. Dionysos Avatar
    Dionysos

    Hahaha… Excellent Maya!

    I love your illustrations…. And no, I did not plagiarize 😉

    Reply
  20. Monira Al-Halabi Avatar
    Monira Al-Halabi

    I LOVED IT!
    U are so talented with your ideas!\
    LOVE U!

    Reply

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