Images of Women

Today's post is posted simply because I like this picture:

Image taken from:  2.bp's blogspot

How hot did you say it was?

One of my favourite stories about the heat happened whilst we were in Jordan:

We were having breakfast in our hotel restaurant when a little girl from England threw her entire 3 foot body at the window and pressed herself as close as she could get to it. She raised her arms above her head and continued to press or wriggle her entire body into the window. Finally when she was sure of her vision and the warmth she was feeling, she turned around and said with some astonishment in her voice, "Daddy, Dad-dy, it's still sunny".


Summer's Here
It's the 11th July and summer is here.  Instead of talking about how hot it is and how it's impossible to do anything outside, today's post lists some of the ways you know summer has arrived:


1. In the lift you can’t tell if the fan is on or off, the temperature feels the same either way

2. The sweat starts building up on the top of your head and runs down your face, taking your make-up with it, then runs past your armpits and down the small of your back and ends up in puddles around your backside. Then if it’s really hot, it continues to run down your legs and past the backs of your knees

3. The temperature feels the same whether you are standing in the shade (55oC/ 130oF) or the sun

4. If when you open your car door you look at the shadows on the ground you can watch the heat leaving the car in curls. Then you enter the car, sit down and burn your bottom on the seat. You attempt to turn the steering wheel but it is so hot it burns the skin off the palms of your hand. And you think about wearing gloves so you can touch the steering wheel, but it’s so hot your hands have swelled and the gloves are now too small to put on. When you finally manage to sit on the seat you find all your CDs have melted in the heat so now you can’t play your music and the plastic ballpoint pens have bent in half so you can’t write with them.

5. The birds in the garden have their beaks open and are panting

6. The water in the open air swimming pool is too hot to swim in after 10am in the morning

7. Your glasses steam up when you go inside and hit the air conditioning

8. The windows in your house are full of condensation because there is such a difference in temperature between inside and outside

9. When you go to the toilet you can feel the heat on your bottom coming off the water because the water is so hot

10. You switch off the water heater and use the water from outside

11. The pavements are so hot they burn your feet through your shoes

12. When you enter your office building you’re soaked to the skin and everybody sympathizes with you over the heat. And they’ll also be able to tell you the last day it was cooler and will compare today’s heat with yesterday’s heat

13. You think you’re going to die from heat exhaustion

Washing Up

Although this subject, 'washing up' is a minute point, when I first came across it it stopped me in my tracks.

How could something so simple be carried out in a way so completely different to what I'd always experienced?  And why on earth would anyone do it differently from the way I'd always done it?

It really did amaze me and it was the thing that started me thinking about cross-cultural communication and how absolutely everything can be different in someone else's culture.


Washing up in England
I was brought up in England where we'd always do the washing up in a bowl.  Gloves were always worn (to protect your hands) and then the taps would be turned on.  The water would run into the washing up bowl until the bowl was full and then they would be turned off.

The dirty washing would then be put into the bowl and the washing-up liquid added to the water.  Bubbles then appear and you'd use a mop or cloth to clean the dishes.  Once the crockery was clean from the meal left-overs, the dishes would be stood vertically in a rack to dry.


Washing up in the GCC
In the Middle East none of the above happens.

Washing up liquid is put into a container which stands at the side of the sink for the duration of the washing up activity. Water is added to the container and made into a thick liquid which is used to clean the dishes. The tap is turned on and left running.

The person doing the washing up (often a servant or house boy), picks up the plates one by one, dips the sponge ~I don't even know if you can buy a w-up mop, I should look~ into the washing up liquid continer at the side of the sink, cleans the plate and then puts the sponge back in the container at the side of the sink.

The plate is then put under the running tap again and all traces of the soap suds are washed away (it is deemed unhyginic to leave soap suds on a plate you will eat from).  The plate is then turned up side down and put on the drainer at the side of the sink ~I've never seen a drainer in the Middle East~


Insults
1
A real slight by an Arab to another Arab would be to say their drinking glasses "smell of fish". It subtly indicates all sorts of things;  money is hard to come by,  the dishes aren't washed properly or are unclean (a real insult) and the servants aren't being organised.

The background to this insult comes from the insinuation that until about 20 years ago, fish was very cheap in the Gulf and therefore considered to be a poor man's food.  Because of this, and because cooked fish has such a pungent smell, many households now disinfect their entire stock of glassware once a week to ensure the fish smell doesn’t build up.

One lady I know is regularly insulted by her mother-in-law because every time she visits, the mother in law tells her she can smell fish in her water glasses.


2
Fish smells are still used to describe the, 'great unwashed'.

For example should someone be telling you a story about having to go to a public building e.g. a ministry or hospital, they could very well describe and act out how strong the fish smell was, using great big hand movements and holding their noses for too long (!) too dramatically (!) whilst making blowing noises with persed lips (!) as a natural and integrated part of the story ~such lively, dramatic fun to watch~

Halal or Haram?

Today's posting contemplates the five substances which are, according to Islam, known as haram [ha-rram] or prohibited. The five items are: pork, alcohol, dead meat, al zinnah and riba and all five are explained in more detail below:


1. Pork
Pork and all pork devrivatives (e.g. pork scratchings, gelatine) are banned because of the following Koranic verses

1.1 The Table 5:3
"You are forbidden carrion, blood and the felsh of swine; also any flesh dedicated to any other than God."

1.2 Cattle 6:145
"Say: 'I find nothing in what has been revelaed to me that forbids men to eat of any food except carrion, running blood, and the fesh of swine - for these are unclean - and any flesh that has been profanely consecrated to gods other than God.'"

1.3 The Bee 16:115
"He has forbidden you carrion, blood and the felsh of swine; also any flesh consecrated other than in the name of God. But whoever is compelled thorugh necessity, intending neither to sin nor to transgress, will find that God is forgiving and merciful. You shall not falsely declare; 'This is lawful and that is forbidden' in order to invent a falsehoold about God. Those who invent falsehoods about God shall never prosper."


2. Alcohol
Alcohol and alcohol derivatives (e.g. gripe water and rubbing alcohol.  Items such as deodorants and grapes are not used/consumed by the more austere) because of the following verses in the Koran:

2.1 The Cow 2:219
They ask you about drinking and gambling. Say: 'There is great harm in both, although they have some benefit for men; but their harm is far greater than their benefit."

2.2 Women 4:43
"Belivers, do not approach your prayers when you are drunk, but wait till you can grasp the meaning of your words."

2.3 The Bee 16:67
"And the fruits of the palm and the vine, from which you derive intoxicants and wholesome food. Surely in this there is a sign for men of understanding."

2.4 The Table 37:47
"Belivers, wine and games of chance, idols and divining arrows, are abominations and devised by Satan. Avoid them, so that you may propser. Satan seeks to stir up enmity and hatred among you by means of wine and gambling, and to keep you from the rememberance of God and from your prayers. Will you not astain from them?"

2.5 That Which is Coming 56:6
"They shall recline on jewelled couches face to face, and there shall wait on them imortal youths with bowls and ewers and a cup of the purest wine (that will neither pain their heads nor take away their reason)."

2.6 The Unjust 83:22
"The rightous wil surely dwell in bliss. Reclining upon soft couches they will gaze around them: and in their faces you shall mark the glow of joy. They shall be given a pure wine to drink, securely sealed, whose very dregs are musk (for this let all men emoulously strive); a wine tempered with the water of Tasnim, a spring at which the favoured will refresh themselves."


3. Dead Meat
Dead meat is meat which has not been slaughtered in a Halal method. That is when the animal has the knife drawn across its throat, the blood leaves the animal, at which time a Koranic verse is recited.

3.1 The Table 5:3
"You are forbidden the flesh of strangled animals and of those beaten or gored to death; of those killed by a fall or mangled by beast of prey (unless you make it clean by giving the death stroke yourselves) also of animals sacrified to idols."


4. Al Zinnah
The act of having sex with someone you are not married to. {see wgaw blog archives: 15/o3, 13/o2 and 11/o2}

4.1 The Belivers 23:1
"Blessed are the believers, who are humble in their prayers; who avoid profane talk, and give alms ot the destitute; who restrain their carnal desires (except with their wives and slave-girls, for these are lawful to them: transgressors are those who lust after others than these)."

4.2 The Ladders 70:22
"Who restrain their carnal desire (save with their wives and slave-girls, for these are lawful to them)."

4.3 The Confederate Tribes 33:50
"Prophet, We have made lawful to you the wives to whom you have granted dowries and the slave-girls whom God has given you as booty; the daughters of your paternal and maternal uncles and of your paternal and maternal aunts who fled with you and any beliving woman who give herself to the Prophet and whom the Prophet wishes to take in marriage. This priliege is yours alone, being granted to no other believer."


5. Riba [rib-bah]
Ursury or interest {see wgaw blog archive: 17/o3} is not allowed, as written in the Koran in the following locations:

5.1 Al Baqarah, 2:275
“Those that live on usury shall rise up before God like men whom Satan has demented by his touch, for they claim that trading is not different from usury. But God has permitted trading and made usury unlawful.”

5.2 Al Baqarah, 2:276-279
“God has laid his curse on usury and blessed almsgiving with increase. God bears no love for the impious and the sinful. Those that have faith and do good works, attend to their prayers and render the alms levy will be rewarded by their Lord and will have nothing to fear or to regret. Believers have fear of God and waive what is still due to you from usury, if your faith be true; or war shall be declared against you by God and His apostle. If you repent, you may retain your principal, suffering no loss and causing loss to none.”

5.3 The Imrans, 3:130-2
“Believers, do not live on usury, doubling your wealth many times over. Have fear of God that you may prosper.

5.4 Al Nisa, 4:161
“Because time after time they have debarred others from the path of God; because they practice usury - although they were forbidden it - and cheat others of their possession.”

5.5 Al Rum, 30:39
“That which you seek to increase by usury will not be blessed by God; but the alms you give for His sake shall be repaid to you many times over.”


Additional Items
As quoted in, 'The Table 37:47', games of chance (gambling), idols (e.g. faces removed in paintings for Muharram {see wgaw blog archive: 17/o2}) and divining arrows (fortune telling), are also frowned upon and banned in many Muslim countries.


Halal
That which is allowed, according to the Koran.


Please Note:
All quotes are taken from 'The Koran' translated by N. J. Dawood, 1993, Penguin, London, ISBN: 0-14-044558-7

Hair Removal

I first wrote about hair removal on this blog a couple of weeks ago {see wgaw blog archive: hair removal} and attempted to explain the fact all Arab women remove all their body hair, on a regular basis. But somehow I think I failed to put across how it is approached or accepted here.

When an Arab woman waxes her forearms, lips or face it is seen as a very positive thing to do. Girls will discuss in great detail amongst themselves how their hair is growing back and many have electrolysis over their entire body.

Describing someone as having waxed their forearms would be a compliment for a woman in the GCC. Women here wax their entire bodies for all special occaisions and especially when they marry. It has extremly sexy connotations for just about all the Arab men I know.


Urban Legends
1
A friend's husband once told her Arabic women always shaved their pubic hairs in the summer and when they were getting married. She asked him to elaborate as she couldn't imagine he'd know such intimate details without there being something fishy going on.
His reply?
“Anything and everything to do with weddings and body parts was open to discussion between women and men in the run up to a marriage.” ~ummm~

2
One day in class one of the students said to me,
"Don't get angry when I tell you this. My wife got angry when I told her, but you mustn't get angry."
I promised not to get angry and wondered what on earth it could be that the student was going to tell me.
Then he said, "It's personal, and you mustn't get angry."
Again I promised not to get angry and asked again what it was he wanted to tell me.
Finally he blurted it out; "Your hair, the hair on your face. Have you ever thought of having it removed?"
And he made a rubbing motion on his cheeks with his hand. I replied I had never thought of having it removed.
"I told my wife to remove her hairs. I told her she'd look much nicer without them on her face. So would you."
He continued,
"And I think your husband would prefer you that way too. You should do it."
I said I would think about it.
"You must, it would be much better."

Sewak, Miswak

Miswak [miss-waq] is a little piece of a branch which is cut from the arak tree and used instead of toothbrushes and toothpaste.


Image taken from: http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/alsaid/Pictures%20Library/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=13


The branches are cut in to pieces 10-20cm long, or approximately a handspan in lenght, and are about 4-14mm wide - thin enough to get into all the mouth's nooks and crannies.

Image taken from: http://efati.persianblog.ir/post/191


Freshness
Fresh miswak is a light brown colour (dark brown indicates old age), with a hot pleasant, or sour unpleasant, taste depending on your preferences and likes. If a stick is dry, the chewing end ca be soaked in fresh water or rose water {see wgaw blog archive: rose water} for 24 hours. However, don't soak it for long periods of time or it will become ineffective.


How to Use
People usually buy the miswak in the suq, then strip off some of the bark from one end and chew to separate the fibers so it then takes on the general appearance of a toothbrush. It can then be re-cut for further use and to ensure hygine and a lack of bacteria.


Miswak is never used with the leaves left on, but it's a cute little boy ... Image taken from: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/2708446641_b48bcf0ba1.jpg?v=0

Perceived Benefits
It is said Miswak can:
1. strengthen the gums, prevent toot decay
2. eliminate toothaches
3. stop decay that has already set in
4. remove bad odours and replace them with cleanliness
5. improve the sense of taste and
6. cause the teeth to glow and shine.

Hair Removal

Just about everyone, men and women, in the Arab world removes their hair. Mostly it's removed from the armpit and pubic areas for cleanliness, however for women the hair on the forearms and legs are also removed regularly. Before a wedding the bride will have absolutely all her body hair removed.

Within the GCC there are two main forms of hair removal which are done in the salon; 1. threading and 2. sugaring


Threading [khite]
This form of hair removal is supposed to be less painful than plucking ~ha ha~ and always involves two people; the person removing the hairs and the person with too many hairs.

The person removing the hairs will take a roll of cotton sewing thread and remove a piece of thread about two meters long. They will then fold the thread in half put the fold around their middle finger and twist the thread until about a foot of twist appears in the thread.

One end of the thread is put between their front teeth, the other end in their right hand and the loop is held by the middle finger of thier left hand. The hair puller will then roll the thread and move their head back at the same time, using the loop to trap a series of unwanted hairs and pull them from the skin.

photo taken from: www.grownupgeek.com/system/files/u20244/threading.jpg



Sugaring
With sugaring [hal-lah-waH] sugar, lemon and water are boiled down to make a syrupy, softball candy, sticky mess, which is a kind of caramel colour.


photos taken from: www.evanji.co.uk/

Once the syrup is the right strechy consistency the person removing the hairs will take a small quantity from the pot, make a small ball and rub it on to the skin. The hair is then stripped away and the person having their hair removed will scream ~the first time I had this done I had never felt such pain and was covered in blue buises for two weeks afterwards~


Halawa Recipe - Stove
This recipe comes from: www.deardarla.typepad.com/dear_darla_diaries/2008/06/halawa-body-sugaring.html

2 cups water
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Wooden spoon & candy thermometer (optional)

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat the mixture slowly, over low heat, until small bubbles start to form. Stir the mixture two to three times every minute using a wooden spoon. Bring to boil (250 F)

2. When the color changes to a golden brown, lower the heat and continue to simmer and repeat stirring.

3. Keep a careful watch on the colour. Once it starts to get a little darker, turn off the heat.

4. Allow to cool a little (about 15 mins), then pour small quantities onto sheets of cotton. Some people prefer using plates but it’s a bit of pain to peel off the plate when it cools.

5. When it becomes cool enough to handle, pull a piece off the plastic and pull and stretch it. This will immediately cause it to change color, from a clear golden brown to an opaque gold. It should be easy to stretch and pull. If it is too hard, you have left it on the heat for too long and must make a new batch. If it is too liquid, it has not been heated enough and must be heated once more, or a new batch made.

Store the body sugaring in a cool, dry place until you're ready to use it. It should keep for about 1 month before you need to replace it.


Halawa Recipe - Microwave
This recipe is taken from: www.tipking.co.uk/tip/5824.html

1/2 lemon
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar

Put all the ingredients into a microwavable bowl, turn the microwave onto high for 3-4 minutes. When it cools down, use it like hot (or cold) wax! You will find all the hair you want to remove comes off.


Some Suggestions for the Leftovers?
Eat it like candy ~yuck~ or you can wrap it and store it until the next time you need to remove some hairs.