Tuesday, March 27, 2007

"You know you are Lebanese when..."

Pascal (in Lebanon) sent me the text in blue below.
I can't vouch for the veracity, since this kind of culture is so enormously foreign to me.
One thing strikes me though: if this is an even half-way accurate picture of meditaranian/middle eastern culture, then I think people from there, especially men, must have a very hard time when they come and live in a place like my home country Denmark. Because all those status things, like the clothes, the car brands, and the macho image, simply don't mean anything to most Scandinavians. I don't think they even notice it. It must feel like being castrated or becoming invisible to somebody from a culture where it is everything.
- Eolake

You know you are Lebanese when:
1) You constantly mix Arabic, French, and English when speaking ("Okay merci kteer, yallah bye!") or ( Hi Kifak Ca Va )
2) You call a Night Club (Night), Cafetteria (Cafet) and Dunkin'Donuts (Dunkin')
3) You won't drive anything that's not a Mercedes, BMW, or Hummer
4) You could always use another pair of sunglasses
5) You get plastic surgery at least once in your lifetime
6) You use your forehead and eyebrows to point something out
7) You think you are better than everyone just because you are Lebanese
8) You are so "class" while everyone else are "nawar" (Bedouins)
9) Syrians are the butt of all jokes
10) Your family "owns" at least one Sri Lankan servant
11) You can't do anything in life unless you have a "wasta" (connections)
12) You have about 40 cousins
13) You have at least one relative named Mohamed, Ahmad, George, Elie, Tony, or Marc
14) All your aunts want to hook you up with a guy/girl they know
15) Family gatherings are filled with gossiping and cat-fights, where the women hang out in the kitchen and the men sit and discuss politics
16) You are constantly talking about the latest Hayfa Wehbe news
17) You have relatives smuggling diamonds in West Africa
18) You bought your driver's license
19) You don't have a job but you drive an SUV and upgrade your cell phone every month
20) You only buy something if it is expensive enough, because the higher the price the better the quality, right?
21) You dress like you're going clubbing all day everyday, probably because you do.
22) If you are a Lebanese girl you give the look of death to another girl who looks better than you
23) Your aunt is always asking when she can belly dance at your wedding
24) When you arrive at an airport you find like 20 relatives waiting to greet you
25) You always curse Lebanese people when you are in Lebanon, but when you live abroad you only make Lebanese friends
26) The men always fight over who pays the dinner bill (Everybody wants to pay!)
27) You teach Westerners all the Lebanese swear words
28) You have to keep explaining to Westerns that Beirut is not just a drinking game
29) Your refer to other Lebanese guys as "Cuz" or "Bro"
30) Your extended family is over your house all the time, discussing the latest family drama
31) There is no such thing as quiet time
32) You know there is another meaning for "kiss" and "tease" ("p*$$y" and "a$$", in arabic!)
33) At least one conversation a day is about being Lebanese
34) Going to church is a fashion show
35) You have at least one gold chain with a cedar tree or a cross on it
36) You think wearing a leather jacket during the summer is cool
37) You are always right!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can vouch for my fellow countrypersons. This portrait is more than 50% accurate, I guarantee. (I get #23 at least once a month.) Not *everybody* is that "typical" of course (only a hefty majority), but if you were wondering about typical us this is the genuine stuff. "Bonified", as we say. ;-)

Lo, behold, and be amazed, fine people! (Or aghasted, depending on your culture.)

And yes, adapting to a "foreign planet" where appearing isn't everything proves a bit of a challenge sometimes. (Allright, MOST of the time!)

Anonymous said...

Pascal,
That's pretty cute! I bet the mercedes, bmw, or hummer is white too, right! I remember when I was in Saudi, we all joked that our car was the white mercedes in the parking lot when just about every car in the lot was a white mercedes! Thanks for the laugh.

Anonymous said...

My goodness. I don't even own a cell phone, let alone a car. And you people upgrade the former monthly, and for the latter only a Mercedes, BMW or a Hummer will do?

I bet you have wrist watches, too?

Anonymous said...

Strange...
I couldn't live there if it were for the people. The landscape maybe, yes.

Anonymous said...

some of it sounds very american actually.

Anonymous said...

Epona said...
"I bet the mercedes[...] is white too, right!"


How did you guess? We have not one, but TWO white mercedes. One is my age (plus a couple of months), the other is practically brand new, a 1981 model.

ttl said...
"I bet you have wrist watches, too?"


Digital, of course, my good man. With metal bracelet, too! Would you like me to tell you the time?
Glad to oblige : just look at the end of this post. :-)

Monsieur Beep,
The landscape is currently under heavy re-designing. Since last summer, and going. Even the frontiers are liable to shift. Better wait until after all the (de)construction work is done. It's only a matter of a few decades, tops.

I used to enjoy taking strolls in nature (I live in a pine forest now), after the Syrians left. At night, it was so peaceful here, no cars, no hunters, not a soul around. Only some rodents and their predators.
Not any more. The people, like you said. Not civil war anew (yet!), but there's clear tension everywhere. I prefer not to be mistaken by some edgy trigger for a spy or a bomb-planter. And it's not paranoia, either. Random "security incidents" came very close to my immediate family lately. Bearing grey as your exclusive life-long political colour is only half-efficient.

I'm not goint to bore you with depressing details. Suffice to say the Lebanese leaders have always been very stupid and selfish, and sold out to some outer power or its opposite, they still are, and too many imbeciles remain ready to fight for their clanic chief. Including many from my generation.

You probably know the old joke :
After Creation was almost completed, angels asked the Lord:
"Isn't it unfair that You have put so much beauty in that one tiny spot called Lebanon?"
The Almighty calmly replied: "Not one bit. Wait till you see the people I'm placing there... and the neighbors they're getting!"


Sometimes people like me cope by being insanely optimistic and good-natured. I guess being vain is also an efficient derivative...

You can't be normal and be a Lebanese. By definition. You HAVE to be at least a bit insane to cope. And to stay here in the first place!

But I'm not really here, anyway. 97% of the time, only my body is. (Chilling giggle.)

Anonymous said...

I should specify that Syrian jokes are like Belgian jokes for the French, or Polish jokes for the United-Stateans. Except that being occupied by Syria for a few decades, the Lebanese are more understandably excused. I know a couple of these "ethnic" jokes that are uniquely eloquent because they are real.

Hey, why not share them?!

* A Syrian trooper enters a perfume shop in Beirut, and asks for "perfume of drat!". If you think this sounds funny in English, wait till you learn that "drat" in Arabic means... fart! After a couple of minutes of questions and head-scratching, the shop-keeper has a revelation: "Oh, you mean Drakar Noir!
- Oh, yeah, that's the name."

* Another pair of troopers once entered a home appliance store in Lebanon, where a friend of a friend of mine (name withheld by request!!!) happened to be shopping. One of them had a hair dryer in its box, and wanted to exchange it for another model. Problem is, the one he fancied was... a power drill! The attendant tried to explain it to him: "But sir, this device is not the same. It is a power drill, you see." The Syrian's companion eventually understood: "Hey, you styoopeed! [Their accent sounds a bit like that.] He's telling yoo this is a «holer».
- Anyway, sir, why do you wish to exchange it? This is a fine model you have, and it's in perfect working condition.
- Yeah, but it's a girlie model. I wanted one more manly!"
[Imagine if he had tried to USE the "manly" one!...]

With such TRUE anecdotes, no wonder we love joking on the IQ of Syrian soldiers. When they're not present.

Anonymous said...

You'd like to know more about that amazing paradox of planet Earth commonly called the Lebanese?
Order Life’s Like That! and read it. Then, you'll want to order book #2, Life’s Even More Like That, for (guess what?) a second serving.

I've said it time and time again : first and most, we joke at ourselves. Walla! :-)

Anonymous said...

Lebanon, sounds to be a cool place, Pascal. Its a very nice country. Except for certain facts like classes and women workin' in the kitchen which is so like in India.