English
Q: Which village are you from?
A: I am originally Lebanese, but I was raised in Palestine, in al-Bassa.
Q: How old were you when you left Palestine?
A: 15 years old
Q: So you knew the dishes and how to cook?
A: Yes, everything.
Q: You weren’t yet married?
A: No, I got married here. I got married in 1952. We left in 1948. I was born in 1932.
Q: What were the dishes that you cooked mostly in al-Bassa? Did every area have a dish it was famous for?
A: They cooked everything.
Q: Like what?
A: Muhammar and moghrabieh and kibbeh -- these are the winter dishes And in the summer vegetables like mloukhieh, fried eggplant -- and also muhammar. And in the season of olives, they would make a dish called dakanin, like a loaf of bread -- here they call it mana’ish-- in Palestine, in al-Bassa, they called it dakanin. The people of Kwaykat called it msakhan. Every village had a name for it. This dish was popular in winter, in the olive season. They pounded onions, peppers, and harr, and olive oil all together, they put them all together, and went to the bakery. They rolled the dough, flour, wheat, and they divided the dough in small portions, and cut in it and filled it with pepper and onion. This was what they called dakanin. This dish is very tasty. I still remember it. But here we don’t make it.
Q: You don’t make it here?
A: Here no. Here they do mana’ish, a whole or a small loaf, they soften the dough and make it. But over there, no, they mixed wheat flour and corn flour, and shaped the dough in small pieces like this, but thick, and they filled them with pepper, onion and olive oil. And they make a big meal, a feast like they say. This is a famous dish in al-Bassa. Kwaykat people call it khubz musakhan [‘hot bread’]. I learned it when we got married and came here. Now in Palestine, there is still khubz musakhan, only it is different from the one we used to make. They add chicken to it -- they put chicken on top of the loaf, and add pepper and spices. When we went to Palestine, to your aunt Rasmiyeh, she made this dish for us. They baked small rounds of bread on the stove, and added to it hot pepper and minced meat. Then they added pieces of fried chicken on top, and put it in the oven. They call it khubz musakhan. They also added sumak -- very tasty!
Q: So this is the famous dish of al-Bassa – musakhan – which people talk about until now.
A: Ah!
Q: What did you cook at weddings?
A: At weddings they killed sheep, and cooked mansaf. I don’t know what they called it in Palestine, now here we call it mansaf, They would kill seven to ten sheep, depending on the means of the groom’s parents, and they invited people of the village and their surroundings. And every village would come with a sheep, and bags of rice, and packs of coffee. They made the pack out of straw like this paper, they wove it and filled it with coffee and brought it with them.
Q: Like a basket?
A: Yes. The people who were invited didn’t show up with empty hands. They came all together, not each person on his own, and they brought with them livestock. This is how it was in Palestine. The groom’s family would have been up all night cooking and baking. The day before they baked bread on the saj, and made noodles by hand. They baked a whole sack of flour, they made the dough and invited all the girls of the village. They came and stayed up all night to make noodles and dry them, and the next day they cooked them. We didn’t have ready-made noodles in Palestine , they used to be handmade. They stayed up all night to roll them. And on the wedding day they cooked them with rice and put pine seeds and almonds on top.
Q: And in time of pilgrimage, what did you cook?
A: There were few who went on the pilgrimage. People went with the pilgrim to bid him farewell in a part of al-Bassa called Dahra al-Musherafieh where there was an open space like a park. People went all the way there with the pilgrims, all the village went with them. When they came back, they went to meet them there too.
Q: What did they cook?
A: Just like the wedding dishes, they made mansef, each one depending on his means.
Q: What did you cook for the feasts?
A: We grilled meat, and baked cakes, and made blouza. This blouza, sweetheart, what do we call it now? – it’s not muhallabieh -- it’s made out of water, sugar and starch -- we called it blouza. They made it and took it to the cemetery, also yellow cakes and white cakes. White cakes are the ones that we make now, stuffed with dates and walnuts; and yellow cakes -- they made lots of those.
Q: This blouza, did you add walnuts to it?
A: Yes, we add walnuts now. In Palestine we didn’t. They made it and they ate it with yellow cakes.
Q: And when a woman gave birth?
A: They made moghleh. They boiled cinnamon, ginger and anise. The people of the village came, and they hosted them. They congratulated them, and they offered sweets, and Tuurkish delight, if it’s an arus (bridegroom), meaning a boy. People lived simply, unlike these days when everything is given so much importance. People lived happily. The custom was that they visited a woman who had given birth, also newlyweds. They did a zaffeh for the groom in the morning, and stayed up all night at the groom’s parents’ house, or they would be invited to his maternal or parental uncle for a sahra.
Q: And at the time for the bride’s visit to her parents?
A: The groom’s parents would again bring sweets for the bride to take to her parents’ house.
Q: What kind of sweets did you take?
A: Sweets that people bought. Some people baked cakes that she took to her parents, some people bought, and some baked, depending on the means of the groom’s parents. She’d take a slaughtered sheep with her. Her parents would have prepared food too, and all the groom’s family would come with them, she didn’t go alone. No, all the groom’s family would come, his mother, his father, his siblings and sisters-in-law -- they ate lunch together and left. The bride would stay at her parent’s house for a week and when she went back they sent with her presents such as she had brought – sheep, cakes -- that she took to her in-laws. She didn’t go empty handed. Whatever gifts she would have got in cash, her parents would buy her gold, and clothes for her to take to her in-laws.
Q: When someone got sick, what did you do?
A: All the village paid a visit to anyone who was sick, unlike nowadays. The people of the village visited him, they paid him a courtesy visit, they’d call it ‘yashuqq alay’. They visited him and took something. If he needed something they made it for him.
Q: I mean what kind of medicine did you get him?
A: No, there weren’t organizations to help like today
Q: I mean you, his family, didn’t you make him something?
A: If he needed a doctor, the people of the house would take him to the doctor. And we made zoufa [hyssop] -- they called it ashbat al-blat [herb of the flagstone]. They also brought fruits. Palestine wasn’t like these days. When someone got sick they brought him a gift of fruits, because fruits were rare in Palestine – also desserts. Sicknesses weren’t like nowadays; nowadays diseases have increased.
Q: What did you cook in Ramadan?
A: We made everything. Our families would make any tasty dish. In summer there wasn’t air conditioning. For the suhoor, they would go up to the roofs of old buildings. The roofs were earth. They put up tents, and they called it ‘arisheh . They cut carob branches; they went to the valleys to cut carobs, and brought them to make tree houses. Kids would sleep outside and the woman and her husband inside the tree house, because it wouldn’t be decent for a woman to sleep uncovered on the roof open to everyone. They took prickly pears and melons with them. We slept up there only when Ramadan was in summer.
Q: Weren’t there any special dishes that you cooked in Ramadan?
A: No, like nowadays, they made all the tasty dishes in Ramadan, like muhammar, kibbeh. They cooked everything in special trays that they put in the ovens on wood. The women would go at noon to the bakery. And they made soup, and lots of food -- the person who fasts needs a variety of dishes.
Q: And when someone died, what food did you make?
A: Just like at weddings, the ones with means would slaughter sheep, and all the village would come to condole. And they made a circle.
Q: What sort of circle?
A: A circle means that all the women of the village would come, and they would make a circle, just like a dancing circle only this one was called a wailing circle, and they wailed and they spoke.
Q: What did they say?
A: They spoke about the dead. If it was a young man they would speak of him like a bridegroom. If it was an old man they would give him his worth. They came to condole. Al-Bassa was half Christian and half Muslim, the Christians condoled with the Muslims, and the Muslims with the Christians. And in weddings the same thing, they would take the groom to circle around the whole village, from his parent’s house to the road that circled the whole village, through the Muslim and Christian quarters. He went on horseback with all the men and youths behind him, and old men. They would hold hands in a line that they called sahjeh, and clapped for him, and women would dance in the middle holding kawanin.
Q: What are kawanin?
A: A kanoun was a small container for burning incense. They put them on their heads and danced, and exchanged places, and continued dancing. It was nice, people were polite with one another. People in al-Bassa considered themselves as one family. In weddings they congratulated each other. Christians condoled with Muslims if someone died, and Muslims the same.
Q: Did anyone help in times of condolence or at weddings? Did they hire anyone?
A: No they didn’t hire anyone. The older women made the food and cooked.
Q: So they didn’t pay them?
A: No, they didn’t pay a wage. A woman would come without invitation. They would be killing the sheep and cooking food -- they stayed up until morning, the food on the fire. They would set up tables in an open space and all families would eat. And if someone had a leader in his family, people would welcome him in the street. They would set up tables, and the street crier would call people in the area, saying “Bread oh hungry ones, water for the thirsty!” All the people in the village would eat, no one needed an invitation. Everyone in al-Bassa got along with one another.
Q: How about poor people, was their food different from that of the rich, or the same?
A: Each one calculated his means. The difference was a matter of means, whether someone had a good situation or not. There were butchers in the area, poor people would buy meat once a week, and rich people would buy meat every day. Everyone according to his means.
Q: The food of the rich was different from the food of the poor?
A: No, people ate together, and cooked the same way. Only the rich were different, they could afford to kill more livestock, and cook more. People weren’t snobbish towards each other -- everyone according to his capacities, no one criticized others. It was “This one is a worker” or “That one works in a plantation, he doesn’t have the means of a landlord”. Al-Bassa was all gardens. The land of Musherefieh was all gardens and wells, with a motor to water the trees. Income was higher than for those who worked for other people. Everybody lived according to his means. Nobody criticized anyone – “Why didn’t someone do that”? No, they would excuse him, that is his capacity, that’s how much he can do, he cannot afford… no one would criticize him.
Q: How did you speak? Did every area have its own accent?
A: Every area had its own accent. Like people in al-Bassa talk differently from people in al-Zib, though al-Zib is not far from al-Bassa. The people of Tarshiha are different. Around al-Bassa there are the villages of al-Kabri and Samayrieh, near al-Zib.
Q: How did you tell them apart?
A: Al-Bassa people drew out their speech. The people of Tarshiha and al-Zib expanded their words. Speech differed from one village to another. They said it was from the water. Old women said that a person’s accent was according to the water they drank. In al-Bassa there was a deep well, 24 baa’ down, a baa’ is more than a meter. It was the well from which all the people of the village drank. We lifted up buckets with ropes. It was called Ayn Jdeedeh. They said that they were going to make a fence around it, and a cover. But people left and they hadn’t finished. They were afraid that someone would fall. Once a woman did fall; she was bending over to get the bucket, and she fell in.
Q: What was the difference in accent [between the villages]?
A: People from Qibla pronounced the qaf. People from al-Zib, al-Bassa, Samayrieh, al-Kabri, Faraj and Nahr, talked like we talk now, that’s how they talked. But people from Qibla, around Yafa and Bir Saba’, and the areas inside, they pronounced the qaf.
Q: Were there words that you said differently? Or were the words the same?
A: The same words, only they pronounced the qaf. But we followed the people of ‘Alout, ‘Alout in the province of Nasra [Nazareth]. They pronounced the qaf, like ‘qal’, and ‘qulna’ – like that – so they spoke depending on the area, us and the Jalil province, the areas that I told you, the Jalil province, from al-Kabri and beyond they called it Qibla.
Q: Do you still talk the same way? Or have some words changed?
A: We think that we still talk in the same way, but when we went to Palestine during the invasion, to my cousin, we felt that the dialect was different. They still have their old way of speech, but we no. Our accent is closer to the Lebanese. We don’t feel that we talk Lebanese, but when you hear them talking there you can tell the difference
Q: Are there some words that you said in Palestine and that changed when you came to Lebanon, like ma’alaqa?
A: Yes. Now here we call it sahn. For ma’alaqa, they said zalafeh. They called the plate istaytiyeh. I don’t know much because I didn’t mix with other people. Our family didn’t take us to other areas. But people from the Jalil province pronounced the qaf.
Q: When you wanted to praise someone, what did you say?
A: We said “Wallah this person is good”, or “sakhi sakhi”, meaning generous. And if you got mad with someone you said “You have no family”, “You don’t deal well with people”, and things like that. Like they say, a ‘polite cursing’. But we didn’t have this in al-Bassa. People loved each other -- Christians and Muslims were one family.
Once men had a quarrel in Musherefieh. It was the feast of the Cross, and men and women, Christians and Muslims, went to Musherefieh. It was all plantations. People went there from the end of the world -- all the way from Nasra, they came to al-Bassa.
One day we were at the sea, girls and women swimming, and as we were coming out of the sea we heard a commotion, and people were upset. “What’s going on?” They said the people of al-Bassa are fighting, Christian men with Muslim men. And after that there was hatred between people, and they complained against each other. My brother Mohammad and Shaker my cousin were among them. They came and complained against them. They had already registered their names at work – they worked in a British area – because they didn’t want to lose their daily salary. So that’s how they helped each other. They said, “We don’t know anything, we were at work”. Soon after this people left Palestine.
Arabic
حاجة ام فاروق شحادة
ف: من اي بلد انت؟
ا: انا اصلي لبنانية بس ترباية فلسطين من البصة
ف: انت لما طلعتي من فلسطين اديه كان عمرك؟
ا: 15 سنة
ف: يعني كنتي تعرفي الاكل و تطبخي و كل شي؟
ا: اه كل شي
ف: يعني ما كنتي متجوزة بعدك؟
ا: لاء هون اتجوزت, اتجوزت بال52 ( 1952) و طلعنا بال48 (1948 )و خالقة بال 32 ( 1932)
ف: شو اكتر الاكل الي كنتو تعملوها بالبصة؟ هني كل منطقة كان الن اكلة مشهورة فيها؟
ا: كل شي كانو يعملو
ف: متل شو؟
ا: المحمّر و المغربية و الكبب, هاي اكلات الشتا و بالصيف الخضار متل الملوخية, البيتنجان مقلي و المحمّر كمان و بمواسم الزتون بس يطلع الزيت و الزتون يعملو اكلة اسمها " دكانين" هيك خبز يعني هون بقلولا مناقيش و بفلسطين بالبصة كانو يقولولا " دكانين" اهل كويكات كانو يقولولا خبز مسخن يعني كل بلد الها اسم. هاي الاكلة مشهورة بالشتا بأيام الزتون, بدّقو البصل و الفلفل و الحر و زيت الزتون كلهن مع بعضو و بحطو و بروحو عالفرن بيرقو عجين, طحين, القمح بيروحو برمّو صغير و بغمقو و بملّو بالفلفل و البصل هاي كانو يقولولا دكانين هاي الاكلة طيبة طيبة بعدني بتذكرا بس هون لاء
ف: ما بتعملو منّا هون؟
ا: هون لاء... هون بعملو مناقيش... رغيف متل ما هو كامل او رغيف صغير برقّو و بعملو بس هناك لاء كانو يعملو من طحين القمح و طحين ذرة يخلطو مع بعضو و يساوو صغير هيك يعملو قطع صغيرة بس غميق و يملّو فلفل و بصل و زيت زيتون و بعملو اكلة كبيرة متل ما بيقولو وليمة هاي اكلة مشهورة هاي بالبصة بس اهل كويكات بس تجوزنا و اجينا هون يقولولو خبز مسخن, اسه بفلسطين بعدا هاي الخبز المسخن بس غير الي احنا منعملو بحطولو جاج بحطو عالوج جاج الرغيف بحطو عليه فلفل و بهارات بس رحنا عفلسطين عند عمتك رسمية عملتلنا هي هاي الاكلة, بخبزو الخبز صغير عالفرنية و بتحط عليه الحر و لحمة مفرومة و بعدين بحطو عليه قطع جاج, بقلوها و بحطوها عالوج و بعدين بحطوها بالفرن و بقلولا خبز مسخن و بحطولا سمّاق كمان كتير طيبة.
ف: يعني هاي الاكلة المشهورة بالبصة هاي الاكلة الي عم تحكي عنا هي المسخن؟
ا: آه
ف: و وقت الاعراس شو كنتو تعملو؟
ا: بالعراس كانو يدبحو دبايح و يعملو مناسف... بعرفش بفلسطين شو بيقولولا بس اسّا هون احنا منقولا منسف و يدبحو دبايح 7-10 دبايح حسب قدرة اهل العريس و يعزمو اهل البلد و الي حواليهن و كل بلد تيجي و دبيحة قدامها و شوالات الرز و افف القهوةو القفة هاي هيك بعملوها من قش النخيل متل هاد الورق يحيكوها و يعبوها قهوة و يجيبوها معهن.
ف: يعني متل السلة؟
ا: ايوا... اهل البلد الي يكزنو معزومين ما ييجو و ايدن فاضية تيجي اهل البلد كلن دفعة وحدة مش كل واحد ييجي لحالو و يجيبو معهن دبايح هيك بفلسطين كانو و يكونو اهل العريس كل الليل يطبخو و يخبزو قبل بيوم خبز عالصاج و يفقلوو شعيرية عإيدن و يخبزو شوال طحين يعجنو و يعزمو بنات البلد كلها ييجوا يسهرو و يفتلو الشعيرية و يبسوها و تاني يوم يطبخو منها ما كان في هالشعيرية الخالصة و ما كان في هاي الشعيرية بفلسطين كان الشعيرية يقعدو يسهرو بالليل يفتلوها و يوم العرس يطبخو فيها الرز و يحطو على الوجه صنوبر و اللوز.
ف: و وقت الحاج شو كنتو تعملو اكل؟
ا: كانت قليل العالم ما تروح عالحج, كانت العالم تطلع مع الحاج يودعو هاي منطقة بالبصة اسمها ظهر المشيرفة فيها متل منتزهات يوصلو لهناك اهل البلد كلّا تنزل مع الحجاج و بس ييجو يروحو كمان يلاقوهن
ف: شو كانوا يعملوو اكل؟
ا: يعملو متل اكل العراس, يعملو مناسف... كل واحد حسب ماديتو
ف: بالعيد شو كنتو تعملو؟
ا: بالعيد نشوي لحمة و نعمل كعك, و نعمل بلوزة ,البلوزة هاي يا حبيبتي هلاء منقولا مش المهلبية, هاي الماي و سكر و نشاء نقولا بلوزة, يطلعو عالقبور منها و الكعك الاصفر و الكعك الابيض. الكعك الابيض الي اسه منعملو, منحشي بالتمر و بالجوز و كعك اصفر كتير كانو يعملو...
ف: البلوزة هاي الي بتحطولا جوز؟
ا: اه, احنا هلاء منحطلها جوز بس بفلسطين ما كنا نحطلها جوز, يعملوها و يوكلوها مع الكعك الاصفر
ف: و بس وحدة تخلف؟
ا: يعملو مغلي. يغلوها القرفة و الزنجبيل و ينسون و تييجي اهل البلد و يضيفوهن و يباركولن و اكتر شي كانو يضيفو حلو, يضيفو راحة بس يجي عريس" يعني صبي" كانت العالم عايشة على بساطة مش متل هلاء العالم معطي اهمية لكل شي, كانت العالم عايشة مبسوطة و عوايد اهل البلد تيجي عند الي مخلّفة و الي بتجوزو يعملو زفة للعريس الصبح و يسهرو بالليل عند العريس بالبيت اهلو او يكون معزوم عند خالو او عند عمّو و يعملولو سهرة
ف: و وقت ردة الاجر؟
ا: كمان اهل العريس يجيبولا للعروس معاها توخد حلو لاهلها
ف: شو الحلو الي كانت توخدو؟
ا: الحلو هاد تشتري في ناس تعمل كعك توخد لاهلا و في ناس بتشتري و في ناس كانت تعمل حسب مادية اهل العريس توخد معها دبيحة و يكونو اهلا عاملين اكل و كل اهل العريس بيجو معن مش تيجي هي و العريس لحالا.. لاء.. ييجو كل اهل العريس, امو و ابوه و اخوتو و نسوان اخوتو يتغدو و يروحو و تبقى العروس عند اهلها اسبوع بعدين لما تروح يحملوها متل ما جابت, دبيحة و ناس يحملوها كعك توخد معها لدار عمها توخد ما تروّحش و ايدا فاضية و شو ما يكون جاييها نقوط, اهلا يشترولا ذهب يشترولا اواعي يعني توخد معها.
ف: بس كان حدا يمرض شو كنتو تعملولو؟
ا: كانت كل بلد تلاقيها تروح تزور كان الي يمرض ما كانش متل هالايام اهل البلد تروح تجاملو تشق عليه كانو يقولو تشق عليه ( تزورو) يروحو يوخدولو اشي اذا بحاجة يعملولو
ف: اصدي الدوا شو كنتو تجيبولو؟
ا: لاء كا كان في جمعيات تساعد متل هلايام
ف: اصدي انت اهل البيت ما كنتو تعملولو شي؟
ا: اهل البيت اذا بدو حكيم يوخدو عند الحكما و كنا نعمل الزوفا بقى يقولولا عشبة البلاط و يستعملو الفواكه كمان. كانت فلسطين مش متل هالايام بس واحد يمرض يصيرو يجيبولو هدايا فواكه لان كانت قليلة بفلسطين و حلو ما كانش في امراض متل هالايام الامراض كترت
ف: برمضان شو كنتو تعملو؟
ا: نعمل كل اشي متل هيك, كل اكلة طيبة يعملوها برمضان اهلنا و بالصيف لا كان في مكيفات و لا شي يطلعو عالسكوح كلها سطوح بيوت قديمة, سطوحا تراب يعملو خيم يقولولا عريشة يقصو الخروب, غرف تبع الخروب ( الغرف هيك يبقى غاوي اخضر) يطلعو الوديان يقصو و يجيبو و يعملو الخيمة, الولاد ينامو برّا و المرة و جوزها ينامو بالخيمة انو مش لايقة المرة تنام بالسطح مكشوف كلها سطوح مكشوفة حد بعضها و يطلعو معاهن الصبر بإيام الصيف بس يكون رمضان يطلعو الصبر و البطيخ و نوطل و نحط راسنا و ننام.
ف: ما كان في اكلة محددة تنعمل برمضان؟
ا: لاء متل هالايام كل اكلة طيبة يعملوها برمضان متل المحمر الكبة كل شي صواني يعملو يعملو بالفرن عالحطب تروح الوحدة عالظهر عالفرن و تعملها شوربا و اكل كتير, الصايم الو اكلات متنوعة.
ف: و وقت ما يموت حدا شو كنتو تعملو اكل؟
ا: يعملو متل اهل العراس, يدبحو اهلو الي حالتهن منيحة و هيك يدبحولو تيجي كل البلد تعزّي و ينصبو حلقة
ف: شو حلقة؟
ا: حلقة يعني تيجي النسوان البلد كلها يعملو حلقة متل حلقة الرقص بس هاي يقولولا ندب, يندبو و يقولو
شو يقولو؟!
و يقولو قول ميتين مثلا اذا كان شب يقولولو كتل قول العرسان و اذا كان ختيار يعملو من ايمتو و ييجو تعزّو كانت البصة نصها مسيحية و نصها إسلام ييجو المسيحية يعزّو بالاسلام و الاسلام يعزّو بالمسيحية و بالعراس كمان نفس الشي, يطوّفو العريس البلد كلها من عند بيت اهلو البلد كلها البصة فيها طريق بتلف عالبلد كلها عحارة المسيحية و حارة الاسلام يرركبو الفرس و الزلام و الشباب وراه و الزلام الكبار يمسكو صف يقولولو سحجة يسحجو يزقفو و ايدن بإيد بعض و النسوان ترقص بالنص حاملين كوانين صغيرة
ف: شو كوانين؟
ا: كانون فيو بخور يحطوهن على راسهن و يقلب الصف يرقصو... حلوة كانت الناس تجامل بعضها... اهل البصة كانو تعدّيهن اكنن اهل... بالعراس يجاملو بعض المسيحية يجاملو الاسلام, اذا مات حدا او بالعرس و الاسلام نفس الشي.
ف: كان حدا يساعدهن وقت الاجر او وقت العرس, يستأجروا حدا؟
ا: لاء ما يستأجروش... هني النسوان الكبيرة هني يعملو الاكل و هني الي يطبوخو
ف: يعني ما كانو يعطوهن اجارهن؟
ا: لاء كا يعطو اجار, تيجي الوحدة بدون عزومة بالسهرة يكونو عم يدبحو و يعملو اكل و يصبحو الصبح, الاكل كلها عالنار و يحطو بمطرح وسيع طاولات و كل اهل توكل و في الي اهلو زعيم تلاقيه بالشارع يحطو الطاولات و يصير المنادي بالمنطقة ينادي يقول العيش يا جوعان من المي عطشان و كل اهل البد توكل ما حدا بدّو عزومة... كل الناس بالبصة كانت متفقة مع بعضا...
ف: الفقراء كانو يوكلو غير الغنايا و لاّ نفس الشي؟
ا: كل واحد حسب مقدرتو, الفرق المادية اذا واحد حالتو منيحة في لحّامين بالمنطقة كل جمعة في ناس تجيب لحمتها مرّة الفقراء و الغني الي قدرتو يجيب كل يوم, كل واحد حسب قدرتو و ماديتو
ف: اكل الغنايا غير اكل الفقير؟
ا: لاء كل العالم توكل مع بعضها و تعمل متل بعضها بس الغني غير, الي معو يدبح اكتر و يعمل اكتر العالم ما كانت تتشاوف مع بعضها, كل واحد حسب مقدرتو... ما حدا ينتقد حدا مثلا هاد واحد شغيل فاعل ( يعني عامل) نكّاش او بيشتغل ببستان ماديتو ما بتسمحلو يعمل متل الي عندو املاك و بساتين. كانت البصة كلها بساتين هاي ارض المشيرفة كلها بساتين و بيّارات فيها موتير بيسقي الشجر و في انتاج اكتر من الي كان يشتغل عند حدا... و كل واحد حسب ماديتو بيعيش... ما حدا بينتقد حدا... ليش فلان ما عملش لاء كل واحد يعذرو هاد قدرتو هالقد يعمل بعمل ما قدرتو ما حدا بينتقد عليه
ف: كيف كنتو تحكو؟ انو كل منطقة الها لهجة؟
ا: كل منطقة الها لهجة... مثلا اهل البصة بحكو غير اهل الزيب مش بعيدة الزيب عن البصة. اهل ترشيحا غير... حوالي البصة في قرى الكابري و السميرية حد الزيب.
ف: كيف كنتو تميزوهن؟
ا: اهل البصة شوي عندهن صوت طويل و اهل ترشيحا و اهل الزيب بمطّوا بالحكي اكتر يعني بيختلف بين البلد عن التانية باللغة. كانو يقولو حسب المي... النسوان الكبار كانو يقولو لغطة ( اللهجة) الانسان حسب المي الي بشربها البصة كان فيها عين غميقة شي 24 باع, الباع اكتر من متر... كانت هاي العين كل البلد تشرب فيها ننشل بالحبال سطولة و حبل اسما عين الجديدة كانو يقولو بدن يعملو عليها درابزين و يعملولا غطا طلعت الناس و ما عملولا بس ما كانو يروحو يملّو فيها, كانو يخافو حدا يوقع, مرّة مرا وقعت فيها على وعي كانت عم تنش بدا تتنول السطل الاّ هي وقعت.
ف: شو الفرق؟
ا: اهل قبلة بحكو بالقاف عندك هون اهل الزيب و اهل البصة, السميريةو الكابري, الفرج, النهر بحكو كيف اسّا منحكي هني هيك بيحكو بس اهل القبلة نواحي يافا و بير السبع و هاي المناطق الي لجوّا بحكو بالقاف
ف: في كلمات كنتو تقولوها هني عندن شي تاني؟ و لاّ كنتو كلكو نفس الكلمات؟
ا: نفس الكلمات بس هني يقولو بالقاف احنا لحقنا اهل علوط, علوط قضاء الناصرة بحكو بالقاف, قال و قلنا هيك يقولو يعني حسب في فرق بين المناطق, احنا و لواء الجليل, المناطق الي قلتلك هني اسما لواء الجليل, انو بدك تعدّي من الكابري و بالرايح بقلولا القبلة.
ف: بعدكو بتحكو نفس الحكي؟ ولاّ في كلمات تغيّرت؟
ا: هلاء احنا بنفكر حالنا منحكي نفس الحكي بس لمّا نزلنا على فلسطين ايام الاجتياح عند بنت عمي حسينا باللغطة غير عنهن. هني بعدن على لغطتهن القديمة بس احنا لاء, حسينا انو لغط الكلمة مشابه للبنانية اكتر بس احنا ما منحس حالنا منحكي لبناني بس لما تشوفي الي بحكي هناك بفقولي انو غير احنا بنحكي
ف: في كلمات كنتو تقولولا شي بفلسطين و بس اجينا على لبنان تغيّرت؟ متل المعلقة...
ا: اه, المعلقة كانو يقولولا زلفة عن المعلقة, الصحن يقولو ستيه, احنا هون منقول صحن... انا ما بعرف لان ما كنت اخالط الناس, اهلنا ما يوخدونا على مناطق تانية بس انو مناطق لواء الجليل كانو يحكو بالقاف
ف: بس كنتي بدك تمدحي بحدا شو كنتو تقولولو؟
ا: نقوا و الله فلانة منيحة سلامة عينا سخي سخي يعني كريم و اذا زعلتي من واحد بتقوليلو انت بلا اهل ما بتتعامل مع الناس بمنيح و هيك متل ما بيقولو بهدلة ايدامية... بس ما كان في عنّا منو هاد, احنا بالبصة كانت العالم تحب بعضا كانو المسيحية و الاسلام عيلة وحدة, مرّة اختلفو الشباب مع بعض عالمشيرفة, كان في عيد الصليب يروحو النسوان و الرجال المسيحية و الاسلام يروحو عالمشيرفة, كلها بساتين ييجو الناس عليها من اخر الدنيا من الناصرة, ييجو عالبصة و يوم كنا عالبحر عم نتسبح نسوان و الصبايا و هيك و احنا و طالعين من البحر لقيناها هالطوشة العالم كلها تغلي غلي. آل شو في شو في, بيقولو اهل البصة تقاتلو الزلام المسيحية و الاسلام و هون صار حقد على بعض و تشكو على بعض و منهن اخوي محمد و شاكر ابن خالي و هالشباب و هني كانو يشتغلو ب كم للانكليز, كم يعني مجمع للانكليز و اساميهن مسجلة. اجو تشكو عليهن و قبل ما يروحو على المشيرفة كانو بالشغل مسجلين اساميهن عشان ما يروحو ايامهن و جايين هني ساعدتهن و قالولن انو احنا ما معنا خبر كنا بالشغل اكشفو و هاي القصة بس... و من بعدها طلعت الناس من فلسطين.
Muhammar and musakhan are both famous Palestinian dishes made with chicken. Musakhan belongs to the Ramallah area: chicken is baked under layers of chopped onion, red peppers, and olive oil, sprinkled with sumak, which gives it its distinctive red colouring and taste. It should be cooked in a taboon, and eaten with special bread. Muhammar is more characteristic of Galilee: chicken is baked with layers of sliced onion, red peppers, potatoes, and plenty of olive oil.
Made from hot red peppers, harr is either a powder or a thick sauce used to season stews.
A sahra is when family and friends sit up together for an evening’s entertainment.
Tree houses put up in summer to guard fruit orchards were called arisheh or ‘erzal.
The sahjeh was a traditional dance done only at weddings.
A baa’ is a measure of distance that is no longer used.
This is a rather free translation of an anecdote that isn’t very clear.
