Kuwaiti in New York part 3 : I Love you Kuwait !

Farah ALHashim

I know this might sound out of the ordinary, but what I’m about to say might shock some of you and others might just … simply not believe it.
Today and right in the middle of the crowded Herald Square, in midtown Manhattan, I came to a realization that might be a bit late or maybe just in time.
On February 17th just few days before my flight to New York, I sat with the editor in chief of “Adam and Eve”, we imagined how will I contribute to this magazine, I could not think of anything in specific, but the words raced my intuition and simple came out of my mouth, “how about a column ; A Kuwaiti in New York,” I said.
“I love it, “ she instantly replied. We both cracked a wide smile and our eyes glittered with excitement waiting to have the first part published.
Few days later, and after I packed up my bag, and arrived here, I had all those feelings that people talk about when they move into another country …. But there is something important seemed to be missing … these people have missed a major point. …
No I won’t say it, but I will describe it for you. As a future film maker ill imagine my life as a series of scenes and every scene has a beat change, an action and a reaction, suddenly there is an empty black space… do you know what do they call that in movie business ?
A gap !!! while scenes were taking place, one after the other, there was something missing in between I just realized … something was changed in me…
People usually grow up, and not notice any change that tackle’s their character or personality or even a weight gain or loss unless someone tells them in their faces, but there is something changing within me that it feels like a layer of skin is being pulled off my body, and I’m sensing it.
The picture might be ugly, but it’s the truth.
The truth might be ugly, but beautiful in the same time and that’s why I’m here.
Maybe I was supposed to write to you a 3rd sequel about a Kuwaiti in New York, who manages to enjoy being in the big apple, buying Manolo’s Blanhik shoes or meet the perfect American – African or Latin guy who magically turns her mind up side down, but this column is going to give you another kind of stories… Reality.

The last couple of months have influenced me a lot, and made me recreate my character from scratch.
I used to be like any American university student, partying with friends, listening to European DJ`’s, having coffee in Star Bucks and shopping from Top Shop and Forever 21, but this somehow changed.
The moment I arrived here I felt some kind of connection to Arab culture, like never before, I felt if I listen to English music in New York for example, I will be colonized by the American culture and thus deleting any last Arabic part in me, which is why I always used to carry my blackberry where ever I go, and play marina FM while crossing the streets in Manhattan.
I listened to Arabic music like it’s the first time, I appreciated every beat, every melody and I felt that I made a mistake all those years for trying to neglect Arabic melody.
I always complained about Kuwaiti’s as being old fashioned in party scene or even in music making, but now I understand why Kuwait is like that. No body will appreciate Kuwait as it as unless they examine it from distance.
I know for a fact that I have lived in Beirut for the past 7 years and spent my college years with Lebanese people, but that doesn’t mean that I’m entirely Lebanese. There is a part of me screams –Kuwait-. The high school and middle school part, that part that shaped my entire teen hood apart from the summer holidays that I used to spend in my grand mother’s house in South of Lebanon.
I studied in public schools, I used to stand every day at 7:30 in front of the students and scream with every bit of my voice, “ tahya el Kuwait, “ (long live Kuwait) and after that, students used to follow my lead and end it by performing the national anthem.
Kuwait is part of me, and without a doubt it started to show here between yellow cabs, the New York pizza and the crowded streets.
These things suddenly took over my mind, and for some reason I admit, I was a young teen who used to skip prayers over playing play station or shopping thinking that it is better or what ever.
But somehow despite my busy schedule that starts here from 8 am till 12 am at midnight, I found time to pray 5 times.
Being in New York made me closer to my religion, closer to my family and to my country.
We all used to get bored on a Thursday night in Kuwait, or wake up in the morning, wash our faces and do the exact same thing everyday, but when I left this routine and came here for a different kind of life style. It suddenly came to my mind ; I miss waking up at 12pm and going late for work, I miss going to sultan center with my mother and shop for food, I miss eating 10 times a day because there is nothing better to do other than eating, watching TV and eating. I miss all those silly moments spent in marina mall with friends, I miss national TV of Kuwait that no body watches, I even miss the hot weather, the sandy storms, and the Indian workers.
Some people when they are exposed to foreign culture, they get easily affected and integrate in its mood, they don’t react to it or fight back to hold their old traditions and habits, instead the become a foreign version of themselves.
On the other hand there are those people who fight this kind of transformation, they react to it like some kind of emotional rash and refuse it completely.
I ‘m one of those people, I refuse any kind of “amerkinzation” and I ‘m loving every minute of my “lebanonization” and “kuwaitization”.

You are a New Yorker when …

Farah ALHashim

After observing a lot of people in New York I came up to this conclusion.

I found out that if anybody says the word, “ the city” he or she expect the rest to know that this means Manhattan.
If you have never been to the statue of liberty or the empire state building or you are looking for free things to do in the village voice it means you are a New Yorker!

When you are standing in a packed subway with 200 hundred other people standing next to you and everyone manages to avoid looking at each other.

If you buy a 50$ worth of groceries and fit it in one paper bag.
If you live in a building with a larger population than most Americans towns,
Your door man is Russian, your grocer is Korean, your deli man is Israeli, your building super is Italian, your laundry man is Chinese, your favorite bartender is Irish, your favorite diner owner is Greek, and your favorite falafel guy is Egyptian.
You get pissed off at people who say they are from New York and they tell you they are from upstate.
You can pick out the tourist when they turn their heads to the subway announcements.
You know what bodega is.
When your are in the background of a tourists photo,
When you use the rats in the subway tracks to tell you when the trains are approaching the station.

When you don’t buy newspapers in the morning, because you know somebody will leave theirs on the train.
When your door has more than three locks, and when you consider eye contact an act of over aggression

When you miss “real” pizza and “real” bagels.

When you don’t go to Times Square on weekends
When you can ignore homeless people without feeling too bad
When you know the difference between ray’s pizzas.
When More than half of the people you know have names that take three tries  to pronounce correctly.
When you see at least one person you know no matter where you are or when.
When you can walk through the city for hours and not get tired, but once you’re out of New York City and walk for 10 minutes you feel exhausted.
When you don’t own a “I love New York shirt.”
When you have trained yourself to hold your breath upon entering a subway elevator.
When you move up one block to steal the cab from the person waiting for it below you
When you hold the trains’ doors open so you and 50 of your friends can get in
When you refuse to eat pizza anywhere other than New York because the pizza everywhere else is just horrible in comparison.
You know how to fold the New York Times in half, vertically so that you can read it on the subway or bus without knocking off other passenger’s hats
When someone bumps into you and you check your wallet.
When Communicating on the road only takes one finger.
When you walk a mile in 14 mines and think that everything should be open 24 hours.
When you order your dinner and have it delivered from the place across the street
When Rats are your new subway friends.
When you know exactly which subway and door is close to the stairs at the stop your getting off.
When you have jaywalked in front of a cop more than once and they did not care.
When you believe that being able to swear at people in their own languages makes you multi –lingual.
When you cant find an umbrella anywhere when its nice out but the second it rains 5 people are fighting to sell them on the same block.
When you wear sneakers with a suit, and smoke while walking.

Best Deals in New York : How to Get The Best of Everything

Farah ALHashim

A big city like New York, it is hard for anybody especially a tourist or a new comer to find something they want easily, there are a lot of choices when it comes to food, housing, entertainment, job offering and many things else.
To make your life easier, I have gathered some information about few websites and journals that provide to you the best bargains in New York in housing services, shopping destinations, restaurants, and many more.
Deal vogue.com is a great website for people who just arrived to New York, or simply for people who are picky when it comes to dining out, shopping for the house or even personal things like clothes, shoes make up and etc.
Anybody who creates an account on this website will receive a daily newsletter of all the cheap deals regarding invitations to new openings of restaurants, fashion parties, book signing, shopping stores, diet programs and many more regarding your life style choices.
It says in the website that DealVogue creates limited-time offers on the best stuff to eat, see, do and buy in New York City. “ They also said to Expect exclusive deals on many great places for anybody to enjoy at a fabulously discounted price.”
It is as simple as it sounds.

Deals of the month….

16$ for 4 hours, Central Park bike rental.
50$ worth deal of grocery, delivered to your house.
20$ concert for at the symphony place, New York
15$ for 2 day all Access Cinco de mayo pub craw pass only 20 $

What is so beautiful about New York is that anybody can buy art. …
There is a website called Art on a Budget, where you can find used books under 2$, plus paintings that cost 10 $ or less.
You will be bound to read, you will get the chance to buy poetry, biography books with cheap price.
Loft works is one of those outlet stores that has a great variety of clothing designs under 100$ and I guess New York is so professional in that matter. …

Mulberry Street. …
A great place to find affordable fashion items. ..
Any fashion designer is bound to know this street, and recently Kim Kardashian has opened her store” Dash” around Mulberry street.
This neighbor is full of fashionable design outlets from Italy, Sweden, Middle East, France, India and local New York designers.
Every spot shares within its walls a different kind of design, gothic, shabby chic, classic, retro, funky and many more.
It is always crowded, it is close to little Italy area and it is like a Bermuda triangle; once you go mulberry you never go back.
If you want to get the best out of New York bars, beauty salons and spas, you must check this website best-deals.com or sugerdeals.com
Get ready before you book your ticket, and believe me, getting the best deals in New York is easy, but you just need to know where to start.

The Hummus Place: Best Hummus in New York

Tried and tested !!

The number one nominated Hummos place according to Time out New York

Farah ALHashim

I’m sure if the Lebanese famous Chef Ramzi ever decided to take a break and come to New York, he will probably find himself creating another Hummus competition after the Israeli ‘s claims, that Hummus is an Israeli traditional plate.
Where ever you turn your head in New York, your eyes will spot a falafel stand, or a hummus place; an entire restaurant designed only for Hummus business, however the funny part about this piece of information is that the best hummus place in New York owned to a Jewish company and certified with “kosher” Law.
I know that many people especially Lebanese or even Palestinian will get upset or irritated and take it personally if they stepped into a Hummus place and found a middle eastern menu singed by kosher law and considered a part of the Israeli cuisine.
How ever, this does not undermine the company’s hard work and the effort that has been invested into creating such an amazing taste and mouthwatering cuisine .
The best hummus restaurant in NYC is, “The Hummus Place,” that is located in East Village, 100 East Saint’s Mark Place.
When I went to “The Hummus place,” as an Arab I was enjoying of course my Middle Eastern cuisine however, I got to know it better, like it’s the first time we meet.
I mean who has not ate a hummus plate in their lives more than a 1000 times maybe more? Who hasn’t tried Tabboleh with extra lemon, or made Baba ghanoj from scratch?
Hummus was introduced to us, Arabs, the moment we opened our eyes and said our first word; probably hummus was our first word. It is so integrated in our culture, in our lives, that we even forgot what we eat without it, we mesmerized every tang, every flavor and every bite we ever had.
On the other hand, when I saw Americans, French, Jewish people sitting on other tables next to me, ordering hummus like its some kind of antique bottle of wine, or some kind of rare fish plate and they are discussing the finishing touches like herbs, type of vegetables served and many more like the size of the chick bees, I was completely shocked with a goofy smile on my face, asking myself, how do they see hummus, I’m sure their relationship with it is completely different than us.
Few minutes, the waiter came and said,” Do you like it?” I simply nodded with a smile and said,” Of course, it is hommos, I already know what it tastes like?”
The waiter smiled and told me that their hummos is different and it is fresh, but all restaurants say that about their products, I mean who is going to say their food sucks?
I was wrong. The hummus tasted differently than what I have tried in down town Beirut or in Barbar Restaurant in Hamra Street, or even in Kanari restaurant in Hawali.
The taste was foreign to my tongue, yet my appetite was starting to get to know this new taste and I realized that sometimes change is not a bad idea and it can be refreshing.
This restaurant was nominated as number 1 according to time out New York as the most delicious hummus restaurant and according to the village voice it was nominated as the cheapest yet most delicious food destination to go to in NYC.
After an interesting journey in “The Hummus Place” I came to a realization that sometimes we take things for granted, we never realize how interesting or good they are until we lose it. Despite the fact that I rarely ate Hummus in Kuwait or Beirut, I’m eating Hummus practically every other day here, and guess what it is healthy!!
One more thing to know is that their menu has a lot to offer; starting from Hummus, Labneh, roasted eggplant, falafel, Tabboleh and many more Middle Eastern dishes.
Even their website is like an exploded bomb of scientific and healthy information about how Hummus is good for the body and according to their website, “Hummus is one of the few foods that leaves you feeling satisfied without spiking your blood glucose levels. It’s tasty and nutritious, but also low in calories. Hummus is vegetarian dish, actually it’s also vegan. Basically made up of 60 – 70% water, chickpeas, Tahini (from sesame seeds) olive oil and lemon, it’s considered a grain / legume, but if you eat it with bread it’s actually a complete protein. A great source of dietary fiber, Hummus also packs the good monounsaturated fats like Omega 3 and is rich in vitamins C, E, K, and B6 to name a few, but it doesn’t stop there. Minerals like Manganese, Copper and Sodium are accompanied by Iron, Folate, Thiamin, Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc.”
One last piece of information, before you finish, your Hummus Place and not forget the round warm mouthwatering delicious pita bread, don’t forget to order yourself a “Mhalabeya,” or a piece of “Knafei,” that will simply blow you away and send you back to “ALHalab,” or “Kanafani.”

Note: despite the conflict of civilization socially and politically speaking between Israel and the Middle East, hummus has managed to unite us not with our hearts but definitely with our stomachs, “Sahten.”