ABSTRACT
After finishing khutba and before starting salat-ul-Jummah, 1 Imam Siddiqui announced that a community dinner was going to be held in the evening between asr and maghrib prayers. 2 Everyone was welcome to join the dinner, meet friends, and be part of the “big family.” “Food has been prepared by some families in the community. They have put a lot of work into it. So, please tell each other about the party. Please come. And, if you’d like, you can bring a side dish to share.” Imam Siddiqui said. As soon as Imam made the announcement, Eman, my new friend and the second daughter of an Arab physician, turned to me and asked, “Are you coming?” “Yes, I will.” I answered and quickly added, “Insh’Allah.” 3 “Oh, you are gonna love the food. My mom made Baba ghanouje and Spinach pie,” 4 said Eman hoping to get a firmer answer from me. She added, “They taste so good, and they are NOT spicy.” She made a face to me while making the last comment. Of course, I understood what she meant, Indo-Paki dishes are usually way too hot for Arabs to handle. Eman once told me that she just could not understand why Indians and Pakistanis even add chili powder to their fruit salad.
