Shirk Fil Baraada (Unbelief in the Coldstore)

AA's better half doesn't like her tahini with oil.  Not one to practice taqiya, she is very upfront: she  asks if she may pour off the oil in the store so that none will get mixed with the tahini on the way home.  And, yes, she comes prepared so the shop keeper will not endure any mess.

Last week, on a mission for choice olives undertaken without AA, who was busy with work, she ventured into our local  Lebanese grocery.  Since Ibn AA  was returning from university for Eid AlShukr, we had decided to prepare hummus (the old fashioned way).   In case you're wondering, yes, as per her mathhab she eats her hummus bidun zayt zaytun.  On the other hand, I  have my own personal bottle.

In any case, the request to pour off the oil triggered not only dausha but also fauda in the grocery.  One of the "Mutatahiniyin" in the store took away the jar and refused to sell it to her. Others sprang to action to block aisles.  Jars of Tahini were shaken to mix the oil.  Voices were raised.  Takfir was pronounced.

The missus was, however, unmoved. 

Eventually a younger more liberal member of the staff  allowed her to make the purchase and to pour off the oil.

We had excellent hummus.  And, yes, she used AA's personal bottle of zayt zaytun quite liberally on the hummus for Ibn AA and AA.

I am looking forward to our next trip to the grocery (the olives are fantastic and they sell Cafe Najjar - and we never seem to have enough CN here at bayt AA).  And we're out of tahini!

My wife on the other hand has her eye on a Pakistani grocery in the neighborhood where such behavior is tolerated though not actively encouraged.

I suppose I shouldn't mention that she prefers Turkish tahini to Lebanese?