Shawarma...

Shawarma...(I expect the ninety-nine percent of my readers not to know this word a bit… in case it’s the opposite then it’s my pure ignorance on play)

Whatz so special abt this word…. This wouldn’t be of any significance for me if it didn’t happen to be my dinner for past 1 week... I have been surviving on this for last 7 days….

This happens to be an Arabic dish (I think one of the best things that they gave to this world)… Its origin is from Turkey and its cousins across the globe are Greek Gyros and Mexican Taco (I haven’t tasted those yet)…

It’s got slices of grilled chicken meat or lamb (have heard that beef variants are also available) with tomato, cucumber, lettuce dressed with garlic sauce. Some people also include potato fries in between to build it up... this is all wrapped up in a Arabic bread (locally called Kubhoz or pita)… The meat is grilled in a vertical flame cooker… With this they also give some cucumber and chili seasoned in vinegar.

Whoa this combi is heavenly and a must for every food lover (non-veg)… some people may not like the rawness of the meat the first time but somehow I have learned to bypass that part…

The taste here differs from each countries restaurants... Turkish, Egyptian, Lebanese, Syrian…..

The best part is that you (actually I) don’t have to go to hi fi restaurants to have this... u have lot of street corner shops serving this… so that saves u a lot of time and money and stares…

Coming to the last part “the stares”…. Being an expatriate here in an Arabic country where your ethnic race overtakes the local native population (the demographic ratio is little unbalanced here), u have to sustain these stares…

Sometimes when I go to these Arabic Restaurants, u find heads turning... (sometimes 180 degrees) and looking at u… (that typical “what the heck” kind of stuff)…. I somehow manage to convey across the counter what I need and get it with a broad smile on my face… most of the guys who served wore a puzzled look….

This usually used to deter me from going to treat myself with some extra calories… but this thing changed some time back… I happen to go to this Egyptian restaurant and asked for the Shawarma… even though the guy was new, the look was the age old one… but the difference was this guy spoke… he knew a little English(that’s strange) and little Hindi(that’s not very strange in this part of the world or at least where I reside)…

He asked me “u Indian?” (with his chin going quite narrow and wide eyes)

I said with a made up smile “yeah…” and to myself “is that a problem”

He says to me “I joined (this) place 2 weeks (back)… you the first one who comes here…” (as though I was one of those little zombie things walking)

Oh Boy…. this guy is sure to make my sandwich cold… but for courtesy sake I just reply that “I happen to like the taste….”

Then he gives a even more wide smile… “That’s strange...seriously strange...”

Then I quiz him “whatz strange abt that”

With a broad smile he tells me, “u not like other Indians, u talk nicely too” (if he had continued a bit more I bet he would have got what is to talk to a guy who is half dead out of hunger)