Eid Mubarak
Eid Mubarak (Belated). N had planned to come into town for Eid. We had said that we would host a small gathering at our place to celebrate with friends. My friend, and former co-worker, made the offer to host it at his house. He knew that we are so busy and we would have to move out all of our packed boxes, etc. in order to host. This was such a kind gesture and I am so grateful.
N and I made Chicken Biryani and Bhindyi. I wore a new purple jora that Appa had given me. My man looked so handsome in Shalwar Kameez. My friend is a doctor, so his guests were mostly doctors of Pakistani and Indian descent. We ate, ate, and ate some more. It was a great time and a blessing to not have to host the party at our condo.
At times it is still a struggle to cross barriers. One woman in particular was very hard to crack. I tried to make small conversation and I complimented her several times. Each time she responded in a very matter-of-fact way and she appeared “high and mighty.”
Me: Oh this is lovely, did you make it?
She: Yes.
Me: Oh, it tastes very good, what do you call this dish?
She: Potatoes and Peas
Me: (Knowing that is some type korma, but not sure exactly) Yes, it is very good, but what do you call the dish?
She: Potatoes and peas.
Now, throughout the night I made every humble attempt to use Urdu/ Hindi words and was blending in, I thought, quite nicely as I greeted everyone properly and prepared desi food, etc. But, every attempt I made with this particular woman was met with failure. I’m not sure if she was being mean and trying to make a point; seeing as the very first question out of her mouth to my husband was “where did you meet your wife?” Or did she make the assumption that I was completely ignorant and culturally insensitive despite my appearance and mannerisms?
Me: Oh your bangles are so beautiful, my MIL and SILs have bought me several sets. Um, um I forget the word, what do you call them?
She: Bangles.
Me: Yes, bangles.
And it’s not as if she could not speak the language, because she and he friends would speak it to dear hubby.
posted by Baji @ Sunday, November 06, 2005
2 comments
2 Comments:
yeah, she is what is known as, RUDE. That's all. And I woulndn't say its just you. I'm Pakistani and speak Urdu but when I moved to Michigan I was treated the same way. Very stand offish. A polite smile as though I was, I dont know, torturing them and they were trying to remain dignified. They were lovely with my MIL when she came to visit. I'd say its prejiduce and in my case age-ism (as I was much younger than them). Nothing you can do about it, I'd just not even try, don't give her the feeling of superiority:)
just ignore these type of people. They LOVE torturing anyone they can. Just ignore her next time and show her how much fun you are having with all the people around her.
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