CP #3 Jude

Last Friday, Saoud (my conversation partner), Katelyn, and Yassas (her conversation partner) all went to El Jalisco to sample some Mexican food. I have to admit, it was a bit of a selfish decision (considering I picked the restaurant), but Katelyn had discussed Mexican food with Yassas and he was willing to try it. I texted Saoud that day and he wanted to go too, so we made it a group event.

When we got to el Jalisco, it was completely jammed-packed with people. There was a 10 minute wait to get a table, and we opted to sit outside. Unfortunately, the night started out a little bit awkwardly. Yassas is very new to English whereas Saoud is coming along very well (they are on completely different plateaus) and coming up with conversation topics was difficult. However, when we got a table the mood completely changed. There was a loud manager at El Jalisco who continually sang and dance while everyone was eating. Also, when someone was there on their birthday, the manager would come out with a tambourine, place a large sombrero on the person's head, and play a birthday song. This was extremely interesting and new to Yassas and Saoud. They had a lot of questions as to why there was so much dancing and screaming in the Mexican restaurant.

As an American, this was an extremely normal sight for me. I am well accustomed to going out to a restaurant and being surrounded by screaming and singing, but I can see how it would be strange to someone from Kuwait or Saudi Arabia. Saoud explained this was not normal in Kuwait and I explained that it shouldn't be normal in the US, but it is. Saoud explained that the normal dishes in Kuwait were chicken and rice dices adorned with different spices. I told him the closest thing on the menu was probably a quesadilla, so he ordered that. He enjoyed it, and he spoke about his friends and family (Saoud is only 19 and has been away from his family for months). This was sad to me, because I know what it feels like to be away from your family, and I can't even imagine how it feels for Saoud.

Next CP, I told Saoud that we will cook a huge Kuwaiti style dinner to remind him of home. He is going to share some recipes with me, and I'll share with him. But overall, I think taking the two to el Jalisco was a great cultural decision. The festive and drunken atmosphere of this typical American restaurant was really helpful in explaining how silly Americans can be sometimes, and they enjoyed it was well.