I have a food and religion and hosting question rolled into one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Halal meat is usually very fresh, so if you want to try out a butcher near you, it might be interesting for you. (There won't be pork products.) If you end up serving something like hot dogs for the kids, make sure they're not pork.

Otherwise you should be fine.

Thank you I am interested in visiting a halal butcher, just to see what they offer.

Anyone know anything about Khartoum Grocery & Halal Meat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You mention a different culture. I assumed they were American, but if not,do you know what country they are from?

Saudi Arabia.
Actually I only know for sure that he is from Saudi Arabia, so for now lets assume his wife is too, 5 children oldest is 17, I think some or all were born here. Again I am assuming for now.

They will likely politely decline if they are extremely conservative. But please ask anyway. That is really nice of you.

I'd definitely get meat from a halal butcher shop.

My husband is Egyptian Muslim and we entertain from all over the Arab world., he is NOT religious so he tends to attract like-minded Muslims, of which there are many. Including Saudis. But never assume.

Serve a lot of food, and I like to do a mix of Arab and American dishes, so they can choose safe known favorites or experiment with American.

Thank you for the advice and letting me know they may decline.

Serving a mix of Arab and American dishes sounds like fun and I do like to experiment in the kitchen. Would doing a family style tapas menu work? Lots of little dishes to share? Or more of a sit down menu with courses?

Tapas would be great, I think. It's called mezze in the Levantine part of the Middle East. Not sure if Saudis eat this way. But if they've been here for years, they are likely used to American-style meals.

[Anonymous]

Earlier pp here.

It is of course nice to serve them something from the Middle East but at the same time slightly weird. It's like preparing pasta for someone Italian or cooking Chinese for someone who is Chinese. It's like you go to their home in Riyadh or Jeddah and instead of serving you mix of Saudi or middle eastern dishes, they would serve you hamburgers because you are American.... The PP's situation is slightly different because her husband is Egyptian, so it looks less weird that she's serving middle eastern dishes to her guests.

Especially that you wouldn't be able to get the taste right for many middle eastern dishes anyway unless you know someone who knows how they should taste and can advise you (trust me on this one, as weird as it reads from an anonymous poster . I'd prepare some signature dishes that you'd normally serve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Earlier pp here.

It is of course nice to serve them something from the Middle East but at the same time slightly weird. It's like preparing pasta for someone Italian or cooking Chinese for someone who is Chinese. It's like you go to their home in Riyadh or Jeddah and instead of serving you mix of Saudi or middle eastern dishes, they would serve you hamburgers because you are American.... The PP's situation is slightly different because her husband is Egyptian, so it looks less weird that she's serving middle eastern dishes to her guests.

Especially that you wouldn't be able to get the taste right for many middle eastern dishes anyway unless you know someone who knows how they should taste and can advise you (trust me on this one, as weird as it reads from an anonymous poster . I'd prepare some signature dishes that you'd normally serve.

Thank you for the advice, that makes a great deal of sense. Would it be okay/nice if I tried my hand at a middle eastern appetizer and served it along with everything else. I think it would just make them feel welcome, but I may be over thinking it.

[Anonymous]

OMG, I hope you dont offend them. I think you are over thinking this. If the meat had to be halal, I think they would tell you. Just dont serve any pork and you will be just fine.

Frankly, being arab myself, they eat mostly chicken and lamb unless its beef BBQ'd.

What do you plan to cook?

I know a bad ass lamb seasoning - just take the lamb chops and put this on it - you cook it quick on broil in the oven like steak. Same cooking time per same steak thickness - only you serve lamb medium/medium well (little pink):

- Worchestershire sauce
- Olive oil
- McCormick's Lemon Pepper seasoning mix (must be this brand! - has salt in it)
- Rosemary
- Garlic powder

Im syrian, but its a sisiclian recipe that I love. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG, I hope you dont offend them. I think you are over thinking this. If the meat had to be halal, I think they would tell you. Just dont serve any pork and you will be just fine.

Frankly, being arab myself, they eat mostly chicken and lamb unless its beef BBQ'd.

What do you plan to cook?

I know a bad ass lamb seasoning - just take the lamb chops and put this on it - you cook it quick on broil in the oven like steak. Same cooking time per same steak thickness - only you serve lamb medium/medium well (little pink):

- Worchestershire sauce
- Olive oil
- McCormick's Lemon Pepper seasoning mix (must be this brand! - has salt in it)
- Rosemary
- Garlic powder

Im syrian, but its a sisiclian recipe that I love. Good luck!

Me either! Thats why I wanted to get some advice before I called his wife and invited them over. Thank you for the lamb recipe! I have several good lamb dishes as well. I'm not just worried about food though, I want them to feel comfortable and welcome. I don't know if there are any customs I should be aware of, etc. I just want to be prepared, I like to be a good hostess.

Is seafood okay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Earlier pp here.

It is of course nice to serve them something from the Middle East but at the same time slightly weird. It's like preparing pasta for someone Italian or cooking Chinese for someone who is Chinese. It's like you go to their home in Riyadh or Jeddah and instead of serving you mix of Saudi or middle eastern dishes, they would serve you hamburgers because you are American.... The PP's situation is slightly different because her husband is Egyptian, so it looks less weird that she's serving middle eastern dishes to her guests.

Especially that you wouldn't be able to get the taste right for many middle eastern dishes anyway unless you know someone who knows how they should taste and can advise you (trust me on this one, as weird as it reads from an anonymous poster . I'd prepare some signature dishes that you'd normally serve.

I'm the woman married to the Egyptian. I can see that it would seem weird for an American to make Arab dishes, but some are pretty standard fare, like lamb kebabs or a farmers salad with just diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and lemon juice, etc.

Maybe it's because I'm not super-adventurous eater. When my husband once got take away in Cairo for us with a "regular" dish of beef and lamb kofta, I wasn't prepared for the "delicacy" wrapped up with it -- a lamb testicle. Or molokhaya, which is like a muscosy, gelatinous version of spinach. Or crayfish with their heads and legs still attached. Or God help us all, fesikh. I just really appreciate seeing a food or two I recognize.

[Anonymous]

If it helps my DH and I are foodies and I am adventurous in the kitchen, recipes don't scare me.

[Anonymous]

Lol, yes, I think you are just slightly overthinking. Riyadh has many of the U.S. food chains (Applebee's, Benihana, red lobster, outback steak etc), ....

But like you said, it may be a nice touch. you can make simple green salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, dress it with lemon and olive oil - dress right before serving), or make Greek salad (almost same minus lettuce, plus sweet and feta cheese and olives, dress with olive oil), store bought hummus (dress with olive oil) or tzatziki (add olive oil), or dolma (but buy from middle eastern shop like Lebanese butcher or chemali), ....

[Anonymous]

...Sweet pepper...

[Anonymous]

I don't know...when I stayed in or travelled to other countries a huge part of the fun was being welcomed into the locals homes and enjoying local dishes. Why should this be any different just because this family is muslim? When we ate with international students for my husbands work, including muslims, they seemed to feel the same way and were adventurous with trying new food.

OP, if they didn't mention any special dietary restrictions, then I would just do the obvious (no pork) and cook something special like you would do for any other guest.

[Anonymous]

It seems like the OP is very worried about offending muslims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like the OP is very worried about offending guests

Fixed that for you.

[Anonymous]

Meat should be halal and NO PORK.

I also think that dairy and fish should not be served...but not sure.

[Anonymous]

Usually alcoholic drinks are not consumed in an Islamic diet...though most of my muslim friends drink freely (and a lot!).