no products in the cart
what do we mean by arab hospitality?
it goes without saying that hospitality is very important to an arab, whether in a business or social setting. we take it very seriously - arabs love being kind to their guests. if you've ever been to an arab's house for dinner, you'll know exactly what i'm talking about. the guest always comes first! this is true across the board - from the small things, like making sure they choose their seat and what's comfortable for them first, to bigger things like making sure they're fed well (which really means stuffing them to the brim and making sure they eat all the food they can). if your plate is empty, someone is going to pile more food on it, so you need to act quick if you're full.
we don’t start eating until the guest starts, and we don't stop until the guest stops - it's considered rude to let someone eat by themselves. we make sure to check in with them throughout their visit to see if we can make their stay more comfortable and enjoyable. this means being very present with them, understanding social cues, and making sure everything is to their satisfaction, like the house being at a perfect temperature for them, or asking if they need a drink top-up, or a second helping of food and dessert.
this is our tradition. we dedicate our efforts to honoring our guests as far as our capabilities allow us. we have a very famous arab proverb that sums this up perfectly, which is:
"if you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart."
origins, survival, and tradition.
we inherit this sense of importance of taking care of the guest from our bedouin ancestors. kindness and service of the other in a harsh desert climate during travel was essential for survival.
a typical visit to a jordanian house for dinner nowadays, as well as most arab houses with some slight variations, starts off with a cup of arabic coffee. this is a bedouin tradition that we still uphold today, which originated as an effort to revitalize the guest after a long journey through the hot desert. coffee is given out as soon as you take a seat in the guest room awaiting dinner to be served. there are usually dates and other dried fruit and nuts served with it. the guest is then invited to the dining table for dinner. when dinner is served, the guest always sits down at the table first, and then the host piles their plate high with a little of everything while the guest tries to pace themselves with “oh no that's enough for now", and the host just ignores them. stuffing your guests is something that brings arabs great pride!
after dinner, you'll be led back into the guest room where you are promptly bombarded with fresh seasonal fruits and sometimes a cake or pudding, or some other type of dessert. this is typically served with tea and sometimes a cold drink if it's summer time. again, if you don't start grabbing some fruits, someone will pile up a plate high and give it to you. this usually lasts an hour or so, depending on the time, but what you need to look out for as a guest is the last coffee service. now, there are some exceptions to this next rule, but at the end of the night you would usually be served what is known as turkish coffee - this is a subtle hint from your host that means "we gotta go to sleep".
an arab host will never tell you outright that it's time to go, because that would be disrespectful, so we use this method to hint to guests that the night is over. obviously, we want you to drink your coffee and enjoy it; don't chug and bounce! this would be more like a last call, so lets drink this together and enjoy it.
arab hospitality doesn't only apply to food. for better or for worse, we're a very community-driven people. we want to be involved in other people's lives and them ours, because a typical arab will never outright ask for help but will always offer it, even if they are in need themselves.
one of my favorite manifestations of this in our culture is the guest's right. you can knock on an arabs door and ask them to stay at their house as a guest and they will typically let you stay with no questions asked for at least three days. the idea is to offer what they can to help you get back on your feet. i mean total strangers will do this with no problem!
another example, and this happened to me when i was in amman a few years ago, is arabs will immediately come to your aid if they see that you're stranded (this might also originate from our nomadic bedouin history). the last time I experienced this was because our rental car's battery was shoddy. it wouldn't start at all, so some people that work in a shop close by saw us struggling and, totally unprompted, came and gave us a jump so that we could get home. no one asked for anything in return, and even if you offer something as thanks, they'll be super offended. it's seen as a duty for people in the community to help each other out.
we try our best to emulate this core principle throughout our efforts at shawarmaji to offer great shawarma and hospitality, which is shown to our guests at our restaurants, but also extends to our customers across the country. i really hope that you're inspired by our rich culture when you share our products with your guests. we love hearing from people when they serve their friends and family at dinner parties, so please continue to share your experiences with us!
thank you to every one of you who continually support our small family business, allow me to share my musings, and give me the opportunity to live my dream by serving our community the food that i love (and live) to eat.
peace, love, and toum,
chef mohammad abutaha
