Laban?

Laban and 7aleeb

There are so many words that mean one thing in one country and something else in another. I have so many stories since I have friends from all over the Arab world in Canada.

When we first met our Egyptian neighbours so many years ago it was my turn to make tea for guests; my sister and I used to take turns haha..

So I was asking how much sugar they like in their tea and the hajja said three sugars and some Laban.

I go back to the kitchen, and I’m thinking what? Laban, araf, araf, araf! Who the heck puts Laban in their tea?? So I go back to the living room, to make sure:

Me: hajja, inti olti 3ayza laban beshai beta3ek? (Me talking with my Egyptian accent)
Hajja: aywa, shwaia , mosh keteer wmatenseesh thalatha sokar, ana a7eb elshai 7elw.
Me: laban? ya3ni laban? inti 3ayza laban belshai??
Hajja thinking eh dah, elbente deh hablah wala eh?
Me thinking araf araf araf

Then finally my mom, and the hajja’s daughter in law realize my dilemma. And they tell me that the hajja wants milk in her tea, not yogurt!!

Well dah, I’ll never make that mistake again.


And then again once after hubby and I got married, his nephew stayed with us after the wedding for few week. One day after I finished cooking dinner, hubby was sitting on the balcony smoking.

Me: T, momken troo7 t3ayet la Rami 3shan yegi yakol?
T: eesh? A3yetlo 3shan yegi yakol?
Me: aah, 3ayetlo , howi 3ala elbaranda a3ed bedakhen.
T: taib leesh badi a3yetlo?
Me: 3shan yegi yakol (ya latkha)
T: tayeb mashi (he is thinking eesh hadi mart khali, sho habla, , leesh badi a3ayetlo?)

So T goes to hubby, telling him that he is supposed 3ayetlo to come eat, and of course hubby knows my Palestinian/Lebanese talk by then, so he laughs and laughs.

So I was basically saying:
Go call him to come eat

And he was hearing
Go cry to him to come eat
So now I know not to use the word 3ayet in Jordan, and say Nadi !