SOME contrast

Posted By Yousef’s Mom

For all of the Kuwaiti and maybe Arab Girls out there, Mom got something to say about the way the Kuwaiti 3aza has changed and how the 3 days that follows, where women gather in the grieving family’s house to offer condolences, is no longer about offering support and consolation!

Mom wrote this next part:

“It was no easy duty to go and condole a woman on her loss, It wasn’t easy for other relatives to see a member of their family suffer and go through those horrible days. It was a simple gathering where everything revolved around the family and their grief. it was simple yet very heavy, intense and somber experience. Therefor not everybody was allowed to go, only the eldest of the family would go and represent the rest and do the necessary (wajib). The place where the guest would be seated was never big or specially set up for the sad occasion. It was a small hall where the guests would stay QUIET for awhile, Read some Quran, Offer their support and condolences and then leave to make room for other guests. The atmosphere used to be filled with silence, Sadness and above all Respect for the grieving women and her family.

Fast-Forward to present day’s 3azas. Things have changed a lot since people had feelings and consideration. Nowadays Everybody goes to 3azas (not for the right reasons). Even little girls are brought to the 3azas. With their hair on their shoulders, Their little plated jewelry and their dazed eyes. The grownups haven’t spared us either, they attend wearing their topnotch abayas, filled with swarovski crystals and what not. Abayas suitable for weddings rather than 3azas!

Some even went as far as wearing makeup. The new type of makeup, the “Sad occasions” makeups. And we find the supposedly grieving family now setting the place up so that it can seat as many people as possible, going out of their way (and sadness) to make the people comfortable and make sure they “enjoy” their say. We find them renting chairs and filling up the place with as many chairs as possible, turning the place into a little cinema, a little show, a shameless masquerade.

The once feared and respected occasion has become just another place for gatherings. For relatives to see each others and pass their hellos. I often hear the salams and the sowalif (chitchats) now. oh and the salams are not passed with soft-voices either! And the nerve on some of the women… I personally heard a woman say to her friend one time “I’m so happy I ran into you on this wonderful occasion!” –> “monasaba sa3eeda o imbaareka iny shiftkom!”

fa hal hatha min mazaya taqadomna?
am min masawe2 ta2akhurna?”

I tried my best to capture Mom’s words and this is the best i could do. she was much more eloquent though.

Posted By Mishary.

Today Me & my family decided to have our lunch at Sarai restaurant. It’s a combination of Syrian, Armenian and Turkish food. The word Sarai is from turkish origins and means The Castle (According the waiter).

I didn’t expect the restaurant to be this busy (Thank God i made the reservation yesterday!) The place was almost full, I would’ve taken more pictures of the restaurant if it wasn’t so crowded!

The appetizers were delicious esara7a, I loved and enjoyed them, Even though i was surprised to find out that they don’t serve some of the famous mazzat (appetizers) like fried chicken wings with garlic and and grilled Hallom cheese. The starters were the hightlights, but when you reach the maincourses stage, I’m sorry to say that there is nothing special about them.

Over all the restaurant’s atmosphere is suitable for families, Just make sure to reserve before going.

In my opinion it deserves 4/5 due to the place being small and their main courses being bland.

For reservation call 2242424