Kitchen Arabic: How My Family Came to America and the Recipes We Brought with Us

by Joseph Geha

Immigrant children first speak the language of their mothers, and in Toledo, Ohio’s Little Syria neighborhood where Joseph Geha grew up, the first place he would go to find his mother would be the kitchen. Many of today’s immigrants use Skype to keep in touch with folks back in the old country but in those “radio days” of old before the luxuries of hot running water or freezers, much less refrigeration, blenders, or microwaves, the kitchen was where an immigrant mother usually had to be, snapping peas or rolling grape leaves while she waited for the dough to rise. There, Geha’s mother took special pride in the traditional Syro-Lebanese food she cooked, such as stuffed eggplant, lentil soup, kibbeh with tahini sauce, shish barak, and fragrant sesame cookies.

As much a memoir as a cookbook, Kitchen Arabic illustrates the journey of Geha’s early years in America and his family’s struggle to learn the language and ways of a new world. A compilation of family recipes and of the stories that came with them, it deftly blends culture with cuisine. In her kitchen, Geha’s mother took special pride in the Arabic dishes she cooked, cherishing that aspect of her heritage that, unlike language, has changed very little over time and distance. With this book, Geha shares how the food of his heritage sustained his family throughout that cultural journey, speaking to them―in a language that needs no translation―of joy and comfort and love.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Food

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Born in Lebanon and raised in the USA, Joseph Geha is the author of Through and Through: Toledo Stories (Graywolf: St. Paul, 1990), a collection of short stories inspired by his experiences growing up in an émigré Arab American community. In 2009, Syracuse University Press published a second (expanded) edition.

Joe's novel, Lebanese Blonde (University of Michigan: Ann Arbor, 2012), is the winner of the 2013 Arab American Book Award.

He has also been granted the Pushcart Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and his fiction has been chosen for inclusion in the Permanent Collection, Arab American Archive, of the Smithsonian Institution.

Over the years Joe's fiction -- along with his poetry, essays and plays -- has appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies, including Epoch, Esquire, The New York Times, The Northwest Review, Homeground, The Iowa Review, New York Quarterly, Oxford Magazine, The Amherst Review, Kaleidoscope, A Nation's Voice, Crazyquilt, The New Virginia Review, Growing up Ethnic in America, Big City Cool, Homeground, and The Quarterly.

Married to novelist Fern Kupfer, he lives in Ames, Iowa, where he is a professor emeritus of the Creative Writing Program at Iowa State University.

Reviews

[CairoErica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across this at the library and was completely delighted by it. Here’s a link to some of the author’s artworks, including the painting he mentioned at the end of the book. https://joegeha.substack.com/p/grandp...

[Cynthia Paschen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me a bit to finish, as I did not want to reach the end.

So much of our family memories, and memories of our ancestors, are tied to food, to recipes, to time spent in the kitchen preparing meals, cleaning up, telling stories. Just a whiff of onions sautéing in butter or spices toasting in a dry skillet or the sizzle of eggs in a pan bring back feelings of comfort, or celebration, or routine.

I firmly believe that like the character in "Like Water For Chocolate," the person preparing the food imparts their emotions on the dishes they make. Joe Geha's mother had lots of challenges as an immigrant, a wife, a mother, but she told her family of her love for them with her food. Later in life, she shared her recipes with her Joe.

Wonderful stories, told with recipes, and with love.

Thanks, Professor Geha.
xo,
Cynthia

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a walk down memory lane. So much fun reading about his family. My mother's family grew up in the same neighborhood. She was from Lebanon, my grandfather was Syrian. Litlle Syria, in the old north end of Toledo was its own little island.
I cannot attest to the recipes, but the loubyeh bi laham is spot on, according to my brother. His grape leaves are slightly different than mine.
Lebanese cooking has so many variants according to its old country regions. I knew the Geha family a bit and I suspected that these recipes would be similar to my family's recipes. I can't wait to try them.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to me at the perfect time and I love it so. It was a library hold that arrived in time for a Thanksgiving read and thanks to Joseph Geha’s immigration/immigrant stories and recipes shared with love, I couldn’t have asked for more. Much of the book is set in the area from Detroit to Toledo to Cleveland. I was particularly tickled when one of the stories took the reader to Carey, Ohio and the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation where I have visited many times. What a surprise!

“A painting I completed recently depicts a family group expressing gratitude before eating, which I think is appropriate to a book about family and food. Titled Grace: Iowa Picnic, 1936…”

[SqueakyChu · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can a cookbook make me cry? I don’t know, but this one is so beautiful. I loved everything about it—from the author’s lovely writing to the essence of the emotions it brought up in me while reading about the Middle East to the author’s heart-warming stories about his immigrant family to the book’s mouth-watering recipes. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed reading a cookbook more than this one.

OMG! Can this man, Joseph Geha, write! … and cook!!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very engaging read, with stories of Geha's immigrant upbringing and family history, along with recipes from his culture, past and present.
Kitchen Arabic refers to the blend of Arabic and American language spoken in the immigrant homes, a transition to English while still holding the spirit of the old country, particularly for the elders.

[Deborah Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this part story part cookbook! I actually took a cooking class from the author in Ames, IA. I love how the Iowa State Bookclub makes me read books I would otherwise not! I can’t wait to try a few of the recipes.

[Jennie Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely memoir. I adore the blend of storytelling interspersed with recipes, even if those dishes don't always connect specifically with that chapter. Food is memory, culture, and history all rolled into one.

[Arianna Boettger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich!

Beautiful stories, family history and delicious recipes. I thought this was just a cookbook but it’s much more. A very interesting read about Lebanese immigrants and their culture and traditions.

[Kacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might end up buying this just so I can have the recipes on hand. They all sounded delicious! The stories were great, too. I enjoyed learning about Geha's family and traditions.

Nothing else to say. It was just enjoyable with some tempting recipes.

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/sPOPueyQRRY

Enjoy!

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful mix of memoir and recipes.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and poignant memoir with recipes. A whole picture of Lebanese Catholic immigrant family life.

[McCain Library]

This title is available at McCain Library as an eBook.

Follow the link to check availability and more information: https://agnesscott.on.worldcat.org/oc...

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review of this book, and interview with the author, will be available on The Folklore Podcast shortly. I'll link to both when they're live.