Mandi House

There is a Yemeni restaurant in Westwood village called House of Mandi. Most of the patrons speak Arabic, and I could tell that they were regulars because unlike my friend, and I, they knew exactly what to order.

You have a choice to sit on chairs, or on floor cushions. I wanted to sit on the floor, but my friend didn't. So, we ended up at the table. The staff was super friendly, and guided us to our seats as soon as we walked in, and gave us free bottled waters. One thing you need to know is that there is a call button at each table, and when you're ready to order, you push it. My friend, and I, did not know this, and waited like two idiots for a longtime, until we flagged down one of the servers, and he told us what to do.

They have a lot of choices on their menu. I suggest to have a look before you go. For appetizer, we ordered Mutabbal, an eggplant dish which comes with Yemeni bread. The eggplant was okay. It lacked flavor, so we added salt and pepper to bring out the taste. The bread was excellent, and highly recommended.

For the entrée, my friend got chicken Mandi, and I had the Hrada of Seltah, a stew of root vegetables which also comes with bread. Portions are large, and most likely, you will go home with a lot of leftovers. I tried my friend's rice. It was really good. I think that's what I'm going to order the next time with some kind of a vegetable dish.

The Karak tea is full of flavor with various spices. I normally don't drink black tea or milk, but I love spices in tea, and had to try it. So yum...

English

 

I went to see a new play, titled English, at the Wallis in Beverly Hills. The story takes place in a classroom setting with a couple of Iranian students, and a Persian teacher. The students are taking the class because they have to pass the TOEFL—a global exam that measures the students' English skills before they can go and study abroad. 

 

As I sat sat in my seat, I was expecting a large Iranian crowd. But no. Most of the audience were Americans. Perhaps it was unique to the day and time I attended. Nevertheless, that was a big surprise. Now, on to the play... The story explores the struggles foreigners face when learning a new language, and having to uproot their life to another country. Some people look forward to it. And I can relate to that.

 

When I first came to the U.S, I was really excited. I didn't have to take the TOEFL. At age 12, I hardly spoke English. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The first year, I cried a lot because I didn't understand what the teachers were talking about. The math class was super easy since it's a universal language, and the level of seventh grade math in the U.S was something I had already learned at age seven in Iran. But science and history were tough because they required an understanding of the language. Learning English eventually got easier, but fitting into a completely different culture was tough. It changed me from being a funny, confident person to being shy, and awkward. And it wasn't until my college years when I was able to blend in. 

 

And that's what this play was about. The teacher who used to live abroad, felt more at home in Iran. Other students couldn't wait until they could leave, and study outside the country. Another student with an Iranian heritage, who was born in the U.S, had also decided to come back because he couldn't fit in the American culture.

 

Overall, the play was enjoyable. It took me back in time to my own struggles. The only problem I had with the play was the ending. The ending was in Farsi which I understood, but the majority of the audience didn't speak Farsi. I thought that they should have had subtitles for the American audience. Perhaps the writer, Sanaz Toossi, or the director, Knud Adams, thought that people can figure out the just of it. Also, this play was advertised as a comedy. But instead, it was a dramedy. The first half was funny, and the second half got more serious, and emotional.