Blogs In the Kitchen
The Salmya Gourmet Club
Olivier G February 19th 2008
Olivier Gougeon, General Manager for Villa Moda's Food and Beverages Arm muses on Lebanese food dynamics in Kuwait
Being married to a Lebanese, I naturally found myself once my wife moved to Kuwait surrounded by Lebanese. It is crucial to highlight that Lebanese expats in Kuwait exceed 50,000 people: mostly young men in search of pursuing their dreams and making it big.
But how did all these single young men, so used to their mom’s moujaddara and kebbe bi laban manage to adapt on their own?
As I soon noticed, many single Lebanese make sure to get themselves invited over on the weekend to a Lebanese family house, usually a more settled couple with young kids. In truth, the family becomes to the young expat, a surrogate family in Kuwait, and more importantly, a good substitute to mom’s dishes back home.
Every weekend, I see the same thing happening: ten young professionals hanging out waiting for Carole’s moujaddara, Dyana’s mougrabya or Yasmine’s kebbe-neye. They chat, perhaps watch a DVD and consistently go to the kitchen to check when the food will be ready because they're getting hungry and she is taking more time than expected…
To all those Lebanese expat moms, cooking for their families and that herd of expats, I would like to salute you all and declare the birth of a new Lebanese gastronomical region: Salmya – Kuwait.
Being married to a Lebanese, I naturally found myself once my wife moved to Kuwait surrounded by Lebanese. It is crucial to highlight that Lebanese expats in Kuwait exceed 50,000 people: mostly young men in search of pursuing their dreams and making it big.
But how did all these single young men, so used to their mom’s moujaddara and kebbe bi laban manage to adapt on their own?
As I soon noticed, many single Lebanese make sure to get themselves invited over on the weekend to a Lebanese family house, usually a more settled couple with young kids. In truth, the family becomes to the young expat, a surrogate family in Kuwait, and more importantly, a good substitute to mom’s dishes back home.
Every weekend, I see the same thing happening: ten young professionals hanging out waiting for Carole’s moujaddara, Dyana’s mougrabya or Yasmine’s kebbe-neye. They chat, perhaps watch a DVD and consistently go to the kitchen to check when the food will be ready because they're getting hungry and she is taking more time than expected…
To all those Lebanese expat moms, cooking for their families and that herd of expats, I would like to salute you all and declare the birth of a new Lebanese gastronomical region: Salmya – Kuwait.
