good meals and good times.

I'm living on the international floor. To be honest, I was dreading this fact a bit. Weird smells, foreign people, gibberish language... meh. I wasn't thrilled.

Until I realized my roommate is the ULTRA Indian/Mediterranean cook.

For dinner, Mona (my roomie) invited her friends and family over. 4 people came - 2 Lebanese, 2 Indian. But of course, as her custom stands, dinner being ready at 5 means that dinner will start getting prepared at 5. Until the food is served, usually an hour or more later, the rest of the time is spent socializing. And it's an unreal experience! First off, the company consisted of very, very good looking Lebanese men, with attractive accents and a smooth way of talking. That, combined with the smells of India and a foreign land, made for a great time! I learnt about their culture, what they do in Canada, how different the Lebanese culture is from the Indian culture, and how they eat - which is a massive practice in their life. Every time people gather together, whether it's for a celebration or just to hang out, food is served. And it's SO DELICIOUS. I swear I should've been Lebanese or Indian. Mona served us curry chicken, rice, pitas with hummus, and tabouli. My taste-buds were doing the happy dance. So she topped if off with 'Indian Chai' tea, which was the best tea I have ever, ever tasted. Mona loaded it with sugar and milk, making it like dessert. MMMMMM.

It feels quite different from Canadian culture in the sense that they, as in most Indian/Lebanese folk, eat to socialize and connect. I find that in Canada, we eat to pass boredom, fill a void, or to react to an emotion. Here's Mona, a Indian girl who can cook enough for an army, and me, a silly Canadian who can't even pop Kraft Dinner into the microwave. There is such a difference!

All in all, I feel quite cultured. I mean, it was only one meal, but it lasted over two hours! Non-stop talking, joking, and straight embellishment made the time fly by. It's really neat to see how other cultures interact, what they do, and how they relate to each other. Food is heavily emphasized, as well as family, friends, and being involved in everyone's life. Mona told us how her Grandma, her 'Deeda', (?) and her mom are the ultimate cooks. According to her, this Indian way of making food is passed down from generation to generation, and is a talent that develops over several years. From mother to daughter. Very neat to learn about.

Another rad thing were Mona's clothes. She has Indian dresses in her closet, as well as thousands of bangles which I am mildly obsessed with. Her culture is so neat - I am very surprised how captivated I am! Lately I've read a few books on the Muslim/Eastern cultures, spanning India, Lebanon, Iran, and so forth. It's kinda cool to have a glimpse of it here in my apartment. Residence has been full of very unexpected surprises so far - I can't wait to see what a week or two more will bring!

Love Always,

Dani.