Meeting Middle Easterners

I needed to find the Rajmah (spicy Indian kidney bean dish) seasoning I found in Cincinatti and my usual middle eastern store didn't have it. So, what's a boy to do? That's right, when one place doesn't have what you need you move on to another and hope for the best. (Is there subtext in that, lol?)

Most of the middle eastern people I know at school shop at this place, so I decided I would give it a try. I drug Neighbor Blair with me, since she had never been and she is getting into more exotic cooking these days.


World Food Warehouse - Dallas

World Food Warehouse
13434 Floyd Circle
Dallas, TX 75243
(972) 480-9911

Its a little tricky to find since they have redone every access road around I-635 and I-75. Its basically behind Texas Instruments in an isolated warehouse district. Once you get over the shabby hood you should also quickly get over the fact that, if you are white, you will be the only white person in the store. Also, you wont hear much English. Oh yeah, and many of products are labeled in Hindi, Farsi or Arabic.

Now that we're over that, lets go inside and witness that they have everything from Sour Cherry Jam to Halal meat to Foul to freshly-made Lavosh and Samosas. Alas, no Rajmah seasoning packet so I guess I will make that one from scratch.

What I continue to find very interesting is that middle eastern people are the most friendly people. I met Persian Ex in a middle eastern grocery in Houston, come to think of it he was a little too friendly :)

Lebanese Guy:A nice man walks up to me while I am looking at the lavosh. He emphatically announces that he is from Beirut, Lebanon. Then he helps me.

"Dont buy the lavosh here, just go to the bakery where they make these and tell them I sent you, they are personal friends. Now, when you have the fresh lavosh I suggest making my favorite Lebanese dish."

Which he described in detail, giving me the Lebanese and English names for the ingredients as well as specific instructions on how to prepare everything.

Birka Girl: A young lady in full birka-wear holds her finger up in a no-no fahsion as I attempt to pick up a couple of cans of Foul(small fava beans), she points to another brand and gives me the international approval sign, a thumbs up. She was right, these foul are spicy with cumin, yum. Thanks Birka Girl!

Persian Guy: Figures I go to this place the day before Ramadan ends. Every Muslim in Dallas was there shopping for the big meal that follows, which made the checkout line a mile long. No bother, it gave me a chance to talk to Persian Guy.

He looked familiar and it turns out that Persian Guy and I worked together back when I first moved to Dallas! We are having drinks after the Ramadan fasting thing is over, which is today, I think.

Its a very small world.

I need to move, lol :)


Neighbor Blair munching samosas @ World Food