A country’s cuisine is one of the elements that help a travel connect or get to know the culture of the country he/she is visiting. A lot of countries are well known for their popular cuisines, but what happens when you get disappointed when you’re traveling with high expectations for the dish everyone’s been falling in love with? This is sometimes the case with Arab travelers. Having a rich and diverse culture like ours makes it so hard to impress our taste buds. Here are five dishes that disappointed us as Arabs because we’re simply used to eating similar foods every single day.
Tapas V.S Lebanese Mezze
The Spanish appetizer that’s popular worldwide actually has a Middle Eastern competitor. I mean, how is that so different from Lebanese Mezze? At least Mezze is more satisfying!
Schnitzel V.S Escalope
Schnitzels are German while Escalopes are French, yes, but Egyptians have mastered the art of adding Escalope to everything. It’s on every single menu, on every dining table at any gettogether, and it’s the typical choice of food to bring to any dish party; it’s like it’s become a national dish even though it’s not.
Lasagna V.S Macarona Béchamel
Even though I’m a big fan of Italian cuisine myself, but seriously, the only major difference between both dishes is the type of pasta used. So, sorry but not sorry, fellow Italianos, but that’s not going to impress us!
Paella V.S Koshari
There may be no direct comparison here but bear with me. At the end of the day, it’s the same concept; several ingredients that have nothing to do with each other on one platter.
Gyros V.S Shawarma
One shall not speak words against Shawarma. Whether your team beef or chicken, the sandwich is just sacred all over the region and nothing can ever compare whether we like it or not. Gyros or Shawarma? Shawarma. Chocolates or Shawarma? Shawarma. Your dog or Shawarma? Shawarma. The answer is always, ALWAYS Shawarma, my dear friend!