Stephanie CP #6

Saturday 7:00-8:30 PM. During our last conversation partner meeting, Ghunaim told me about a popular Saudi dish that he loves called Kabsa. I decided I would make it for this meeting so he could tell me if it was authentic or if it was missing something. The spices used for this dish were almost entirely new to me, I had never heard of them before or smelled/tasted anything like them before, but Ghunaim knew exactly what they were when he came over. He even told me that these spices were used to make a popular Kuwaiti tea, called karak tea, which seems similar to Chai tea. While we were waiting for the food to finish cooking Ghunaim and I discussed about his family and Kuwaiti cultural roles, using the CIES conversation partner discussion #5 titled “Cultural Roles: Taking A Closer Look At How We Act.” He said his mom usually makes the Kabsa for the whole family, and I could tell he didn’t really know much about cooking. I think this is more related to his interests than gender culture roles in Kuwait, because he said his friend and one of my tutees, Abdulhadi (male), loves cooking and usually cooks Kabsa for his friends at NXNW. Ghunaim told me about ways to greet someone based on their gender/age/relationship and how to accept/ refuse gifts or meetings. Everything he said sounded really similar to cultural norms in the USA, but he did mention how things changed if you were talking to a woman instead of a man. To my surprise, when we ate the meal, he told me the spices I used tasted authentic! He said the meat was perfect, but the rice was too watery. I think this was because I used Jasmine rice instead of the recommended Basmati rice. Now I know for next time! Overall, it was such a fun meeting and I’m glad I could give Ghunaim a meal that reminded him of home.