Expectations

I loved Aladdin growing up. And I think I actually watched the old VHS more in my teenage years than I ever did before the age of 10. There isn’t much dining that takes place in the film but in the fictional city of Agrabah street vendors sell melons, pistachios, sugar dates and figs as well as apples.I wanted to try middle-eastern food for my restaurant critique because it is one of the only cuisines that I don’t have many preconceived notions for. I have many notions of the middle-east but they do not surround its food. I know that lentil soup is a must try when I visit Shawarma King, a Lebanese restaurant on S. Drake in Kalamazoo. I had considered going to Zooroona instead, they also serve Lebanese/middle-eastern cuisine, however, the owners of the place are actually Pakistani. I expect the food to look utterly foreign. The majority of the dishes on their menu, I have never heard of before. But one of the reasons I chose Lebanese food was that two of my close friends are half Lebanese and I’m hoping that they will be able to decipher, make excellent ordering suggestions as well as eat a lot of food that I can then sample.

 I pretty nervous about the project—to write a restaurant review. I will have the added challenge of going into the ordeal with strep throat, a very painful condition that causes loss of appetite and exhaustion. It’s hard to believe but yesterday I finally went to the health center to antibiotics for the walking pneumonia or bronchitis I’ve had for a month straight and today, the second day of my antibiotic regime I have clear white spots mocking me from on top of my tonsils saying, you can’t win! You are doomed to be sick until the end of the quarter, maybe longer, only time will tell! I’m going to the doctors before dinner; hopefully they can give me some relief. For now I’m just glad that I have several friends, two of them Lebanese, with great appetites to assist and guide me.

I have tried one Lebanese selection however, and that is there cardamom coffee. My friend Aaron has made it several times and I am excited to try Shawarma King’s version!