“The key to the stomach is a bite” – Arabic Proverb

Nationality: Jordanian
Age: 41
Occupation: Accounting Manager
Residence: Yorba Linda
Performance Date: 5/3/2021
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English, French

Context:

She learned it from her grandma when she was a kid in Jordan. When her grandma offered her food, and she said that she has no appetite, her grandma would say “Muftah el button lo’meh” as a way to get her to eat a bite to increase her appetite.

Text:

Original Script: مفتاح البطن لقمة

Transliteration: Muftah el button lo’meh

Literal Translation: Key to the stomach is a bite

Smooth Translation: The key to the stomach is a bite

Thoughts:

I found it strange that there would be a proverb used to convince someone to eat–usually, the problem is getting someone to stop eating. My family has told me this proverb a few times too when I said I was not hungry, and usually a bite did make me hungry. It wasn’t until this week that I realized that this proverb, from the times I have heard it used, is used when the rest of the family is eating. This proverb is not said to give advice, but to protect the Arabic tradition of eating together as a family.

“A third of the kid is to his uncle” – Arabic Proverb

Nationality: Jordanian
Age: 51
Occupation: Restaurant Owner
Residence: Long Beach
Performance Date: 5/3/2021
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English, French

Context:

He heard it from his aunt in Jordan when he was a teenager. He says that the proverb means that a boy inherits a lot of his uncle’s traits.

Text:

Original Script: تلت الولد لخاله

Transliteration: Tult elwalad la khalo

Literal Translation: Third of the kid is to his uncle

Smooth Translation: A third of the kid is to his uncle

Thoughts:

I heard this proverb for the first time only recently, and I found it funny how it kind of describes me: I spent a lot of time with my uncles as a kid, and I started taking after them a bit. What interests me is that the amount is ⅓, implying that the mom and dad are the other ⅔ of the child. This proverb shows how strong family ties are even outside of the nuclear family (from what I’ve seen, this holds true: the Arabic families I know are tightly knit).

“The dog’s tail is curved. Even if you put it in 100 molds, it stays curved.” – Arabic Proverb

Nationality: Jordanian
Age: 51
Occupation: Restaurant Owner
Residence: Seal Beach
Performance Date: 5/3/2021
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English, French

Context:

He learned this in high school, in Jordan, likely from one of his teachers. When you have hope that somebody would do something right/good, for a change, but they do not, this would be the time to say it.

Text:

Original Script: دنب الكلب اعوج. لو بنحط بميت قالب بضل اعوج

Transliteration: Danab el kalb awaj. Law binhat bi meet aleb bidal awaj.

Literal Translation: The dog’s tail is curved. Even if you put it in 100 molds stays curved.

Smooth Translation: The dog’s tail is curved. Even if you put it in 100 molds, it stays curved.

Thoughts:

I found this proverb particularly funny because we have a pug, and his tail is always curled, so the imagery was clear. This is similar to the English proverb “A leopard never changes its spots,” in that both of them use immutable characteristics of animals as a comparison to someone who cannot change. By using the hyperbole of 100 molds, the proverb uses a bit of humor to take the edge off of the indirect advice/criticism.

“Your heart is white” – Arabic Saying

Nationality: Jordanian
Age: 47
Occupation: Architectural Drafter
Residence: Long Beach
Performance Date: 5/1/2021
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English, French

Context:

She said that her mom would always say this to her. They were both still in Jordan when she first heard it. According to her, you would say this “when somebody is hoping for something that you know won’t happen,” or “when somebody is hoping for somebody else to do something, but you know they won’t do it.”

Text:

Original Script: قلبك ابيض

Transliteration: Albak abyad

Translation: Your heart is white

Thoughts:

When I first heard this saying, I thought that it meant that someone was acting naïve. I clearly remember when I asked my family if there was any dessert left from the day before, only to be told “Albak abyad”; I was naïve to assume that they had not eaten it all. Even after I heard my informant’s explanation, I find it interesting how the saying associates the color white with naïveté instead of purity (the usual association). It shows that innocence to a fault (naïveté) is seen as a problem in Arabic cultures, encouraging those who hear the saying to not be overly hopeful.

“You’re beating water in a mortar” – Arabic Saying

Nationality: Jordanian
Age: 47
Occupation: Architectural Drafter
Residence: Long Beach
Performance Date: 5/1/2021
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English, French

Context:

She first heard this saying from her grandma when she was in elementary school in Jordan. She says that you would say this when “somebody keeps talking about a problem and trying to solve it a different way, but you know there is no other answer.”

Text:

Original Script: بدق المي بالهاون

Transliteration: Bido’ el my bil hawen

Literal Translation: Beat the water in mortar

Smooth Translation: You’re beating water in a mortar

Thoughts:

When my informant first told me this several years ago, I realized from the imagery that I was doing something in a way that no progress could be made. The comparison lies in how you do nothing to the water if you beat it in a mortar with a pestle; you just waste time and energy. This saying shows that Arabs value efficiency, since this is a warning said to those who are wasting their time.