Thursday 1 July 2010

Arabic Coffee


The very first thing I ask for when I wake up is coffee , it awakens me and puts me in the mood right away when I take my first sip . It's my headache killer , for I usually have headache when I get up , but it goes immediately when I drink or even smell Arabic coffee . It's what accompanies me in my nostalgic nights , and what makes our family gatherings taste unforgetable . When I get really moody , depressed , or exhausted .. all what I need is one hot smooth cup of Arabic coffee , and it's all away !

On the other hand , and in order to get a longlasting pleasure of a cup of coffee , you have to go through a few steps like preparation 'roasting , grinding ....' , cooking , and SERVING coffee . I'll be tackling only the serving stage ' Mubasharah' in this post , I'm not going to go through the others because (1) I'm not a cook (2) serving is a really hard tiring process .. it requires a lot actually (3) it's one of the traditions that have been obsolescent and no longer taken up by most people especially the young generations ; us and the ones to come (4) I always miss up at serving coffee !!! Ok now .. shall we learn some rules :D :D


-First and most importantly the server 'Qahwaji' :

  • S/he should remain standing and observant to every guest in case anyone is done with his coffee , or wants more .
  • At some cultures , he should keep silent .
  • Should start with the old people and then start with who is sitting at the very right of the room all the way he goes to the left .
  • S/he should hold the Dallah in his left hand and the cup 'Finjan' in the right one in order to pour and then hand . (as shown in the pic)
  • The server should neither fill nor pour a little coffee in the guest's cup , for it'll be considerd rude .
  • Should be respectful to anyone who says s/he doesn't want coffee though the guest shouldn't say so .

- For the guest :

  • It'll be considered impolite if you say you don't want coffee . Have at least one Finjan .
  • You can't drink coffee while you're leaning . Adjust the way you are sitting and have your cup .
  • If you are done and want more , just extend your cup .
  • If you are done but you don't want more , shake your cup , or simply say 'Bass' which means enough .
  • DO NOT blow into your cup if your coffee was hot .. never !

That's all I know . Hope it was of a little benefit .
Off to have a cup ;)

4 comments:

Fadiosis said...

Girl is "awesome" your middle name?
Arabic coffee is my coffee #1.. I'm totally in love with it!!!

And I love the way you write it. But if you allow me to add, you mentioned that "5) The server should neither fill nor pour a little coffee in the guest's cup , for it'll be considerd rude ."
I heard that some people consider pouring too much coffee is rude. And why? Pouring a full cup of coffee means (finish this and leave) while pouring less than half every time means (drink this and I'll serve more) thus, asking the guest to stay :p.
>>>>>> ye7ammissss. hehehehehe

I really really love your post :D.

Abrar said...

Hehehehe you are insanely funny :D

You know how complicated social activities and obligations are !!

My mother always told me that if I fill the guest's cup with coffee , he'll consider it as if I'm holding a kind of hatred or something towards him !!
تلاقينهم دايم يقولون إذا مليت الفنجان " إنتِ شايله علي ؟؟؟؟"
:D :D
The same thing applies to pouring little .. it's a kind of underestimation !!


Is awesome my middle name ??
Ummmm maybe :P
BTW , I'm not cocky whatsoever .. LOL

Shahirah Elaiza said...

Girl, this was such an interesting post! I wish more people would blog about tradition and culture =)

Abrar said...

Thank you Shahirah :)