As I wanted to relax and have a tasty meal in my own company, I decided to walk down to the A&A Kebab and Grill. This restaurant is very close to EMU, which is convenient for students who live on campus.
As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by the owner. Whenever I visit this restaurant, the owner is smiling and welcoming. It is not surprising if he asks how you are doing and how your studies are going.
Middle Eastern music was on in the background while I waited for my table. I could not remember the last time I went to a restaurant and such cheerful music was on.
I chose to sit somewhere in a corner, as I wanted to capture details I might miss otherwise. On the right walls of the restaurant there were three tapestries. The first one was the face of a woman, and around the woman there were leaves and birds. Her dark eyes and brows looked astray. Her lips were dark red and her skin was pale, giving me feelings of softness. Certainly, the Middle Eastern beauty standard is different than the American one.
Another tapestry featured a forest landscape with a family of reindeer in their natural habitat. This tapestry made me realize the importance that nature holds in the Middle Eastern culture.
The reindeer seemed so peaceful, perfectly living their lives. There, animals are not only seen as a source of food, but also respected as a form of nature’s beauty. The other tapestry I was unable to capture, as I did not want to disturb the family dining in front of it. It was a group of Middle Eastern men doing their traditional line dancing.
Coming from a collectivistic culture, it made me laugh and recall the family celebrations we have. The Middle Eastern and Albanian love of music falls on the same side of the spectrum.
The lovely waitress came and asked for my order.
When she asked: “What would you like to drink?” I wasn’t able to think for a little bit. Many Middle Easterners abstain from alcohol, as their religions forbids them from drinking.
Therefore, in my head, it was between water and alcohol, so why was she even asking? Then, I recalled that most Middle Easterners drink sodas with their meals. That is a habit I have fought and vanished from my eating habits a few years ago, so I only ordered water. Meanwhile, everything in the menu seemed delicious. I was craving the special lentil soup that A&A Kabob Grill is known for. Sadly, they only had the bean soup, which I agreed to order. As a main entrée, I ordered the chicken shawarma.
While waiting on my order, I noticed that there was a variety of people who knew about this place. I assumed that this place would only be attended by Middle Easterners, yet American and Vietnamese families kept walking in one after the other. There was a woman who I could have sworn was Mennonite. She walked in, cheerful and happy, and wished a great day to the owner. Her phone rang and I could not help but hear her say: “Yes, I came to A&A Kabob to have their special lentil soup.” I was happy to hear that the reputation of this place was larger than I imagined.
