Maha and Seif had the entire room laughing at their banter about Maha’s great cooking. She personally created a two-course meal of eleven dishes for twenty-five people. Homemade hummus, falafel, soup, and various pasta dishes were just a few of the highlights for the foodies in the group. The entire dinner took Maha over a day to cook. Everyone teased Seif, because he made it very clear that his mother did all the cooking, but he was more than willing to help shop and eat.

They spoke about their lives as Iraqi refugees. They were originally refugees in Egypt. Maha loves the idea that their Egyptian city never slept, and Seif loves how people can sleep in Durham. Everyone laughed when Maha said that she honestly missed the traffic jams in Egypt, and Seif had a different opinion.

Now in America, they proudly showed the group of North Carolinians a little bit of their Iraqi culture. By the end of the night, several people learned to say basic Iraqi greetings, could list the foods they ate, and hugged both Maha and Seif goodbye.

If you would like to host a Recipes with Refugees night in your home, please contact Jourdi at jbosley@cwsglobal.org. We’re hoping to host several dinners this year with chefs from Iraq, Burma, Eritrea, and DRC.