Interviewer(s): Aimee L'Heureux

Project: University of Houston

Wesal Kesbeh was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents from the West Bank. The family moved to Jordan when she was twelve years old and she lived there until age eighteen when she got married through an arranged marriage, or as she calls it “a living room wedding,” and immigrated to the United States. Wesal discusses her foray into cooking when her mother had to work upon her father’s death. She talks about memories of cooking as a family in the summer when all the relatives who lived in the Gulf came to visit Jordan.

Wesal feels strongly about teaching her children how to cook Palestinian food because it is part of their identity and one thing that was not taken from them. She talked extensively about Arab hospitality and food. She believes that there is no way you can be Arab and be thin. Wesal also explained the contention about the falafel’s origins and discussed the one dish that men make when it comes to Palestinian food: hash-nash, or Arabic barbeque.