EP. 22 – SAY MY NAME

Samia and Samar discuss the importance of diet and names.

They discuss:

• Samia’s most recent visit to the doctor
• The struggle with eating “healthy” when all such recipes are western
• Examples from their past of name mishaps and the impact on identity
• If countries ought to referred to they way they refer to themselves
• When should people be held accountable for mispronunciation of places

Matcha Talk Website – Say Salaams

BASIC BREAKDOWN

Samia begins by sharing the recent change in her diet as suggested by her doctor. It was explained that the dependency on fruits during Ramadan may have actually caused her body to attack itself. She mentions the glycemic index and what it means.

Samar reveals her addiction to sugar. Samia delves further into the conversation she had with her doctor about examples of bad dependency on sugar.

Samar goes on to defend her decision of not eating fruits, unless one is eating ‘correctly’. Making the switch to ‘clean’ sugar is also made difficult due to being expensive and requiring an adjustment to the tastebuds.

Samia explains how she does not eat true Pakistani cuisine anymore as her household has become accustomed to the different spices she uses. Incorporate the new diet from the doctor poses its challenges also due to bland low sugar recipes.

Eating healthy things incorrectly are damaging the body. No one is indestructible and it is not worth losing your health.

Samar shares the struggles people have had with pronouncing her name. Professors, teachers, classmates would ask for the correct way to say her name yet a few months later would return to the incorrect name.

They explore the importance names have on identity. At work someone had come in with a great name and Samar was prompted to ask her Trainee if they had ever had problems with others mispronouncing their name.

Media has shortened the name of Mohammed bin Salman to MBS, Samar thinks this is because it is difficult to say so it was shortened by others. She thinks it is ridiculous if a name is being shortened on a recorded video. Samia suggests perhaps this is the name he wishes to be known by.

While Samia was in High School, a teacher shared information on the Hagia Sophia and how he refused to believe she could actually read the foreign letters. They rehash the dangers of trying to be informational but coming across as biased, skewed or incorrect to the culture.

They discuss countries like Germany, which is known to its people as ‘Deutschland’, and Korea, possibly known to its people as Hanguk-in. Samar argues other countries should respect the original names while Samia argues that the standards should change on the large scale.

Samia relays her difficulties in her childhood in being unhappy and unable to accept herself. Saying one’s name correctly is the least that can be done by people to show that the individual as a human, a person, a being is welcomed in their space.

They discuss people’s reaction to the usage of the word ‘hijab’ versus ‘scarf’. Samia is suspicious of the media misusing the title purposefully.

Samar mentions how the architectural piece, Chandigarh, was mispronounced while its every other attribute was being lauded and discussed in a classroom setting when she was in college. Samia relates this with IKEA and their furniture names.

They speak of the familiarity of the Welsh language and yet again how their previous educational institutions failed to teach them of the correct words. Both of them recognize they did not do any previous research.

Samia mentions the controversy behind the Prince of Wales.