I was shocked how the city she brought him to in Saudi Arabia looked. Most things they show from the middle east they never really show the modernized cities and towns. It also shows just because a few bad people from that place does not mean everyone from there is bad. They ate some interesting food like they always do on no reservation. I am really interested in visiting the middle east and trying the many new things and food being one
Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the video. I must admit that my knowledge of the Arabic world is limited at best, and everyone is subject to their own biases, myself included. However, in this video I realized that we as Americans have often let a news organization describe a people from nothing more than a handful of its citizens. Whatever the description is, there is usually an over encompassing view of the people that is left unnoticed. To put it in the words of Anthony Bourdain, “It is always a bigger, more nuanced, more complicated story.”
Kelsey Flannery, Arabic 1001. I thought this was a very interesting video, it addressed a lot of aspects of Saudi Arabia that I was familiar with and I lot of things I did not expect at all. What I liked best about it was the connections between us and the people of Saudi Arabia that they showed. Such as the mall, I did not expect to see a mall of that size with those types of stores inside. I've always thought of Saudi Arabians as being more mellow and modest, which even at times in this video they were, but they also weren't shy about having fun and they interacted differently to the opposite gender than I expected. Overall I really enjoyed this video and can't wait to watch more!
This was a very interesting video. It made me want to go to Saudi Arabia. I loved seeing all the different traditional food such as camel, lizard, and lamb. The communal eating style was very interesting too. It really imparted a sense of community to the meal. I thought the fast food chicken restaurant was interesting too. I liked the fact that the booths had privacy doors on them. We need to have those in restaurants here. I would love to visit Saudi Arabia and experience some of these things for myself.
This video was very interesting and filled with a lot of journey. The fact is true that it is like a responsibility for the Arab to give the best hospitality to any guest whether he or she is Middle Eastern or foreign. Mr. Bourdain has enjoyed trying and experiment all these halal and delicious food that we eat on a daily basis. The best part I liked about the video is that when they all went to swim far in the sea and how they ended up catching different kind and color of fishes.
Natasha LaBalle, ARAB 1001 I really, really liked this video. As Anthony Bourdain himself said at the beginning of this episode, there's no country about which Americans are "more ignorant or less sympathetic" than Saudi Arabia. It's an unfortunate reality that there exists a lot of prejudice in the United States towards those who are from the Middle East. However, that is why it's so important that people try to learn everything they can about each other. The people in Jeddah were ordinary people living ordinary lives, no different than anyone else anywhere else. They have malls, they have fast food, and everything else you expect in a thriving, cosmopolitan port city. I personally really liked Danya's explanation of the differences in gender treatment in Saudi Arabia, because in the west there is a tendency to view the gender differences in Middle Eastern countries as bad or discriminatory, when in actuality that's not how the women who live in those countries feel at all. Overall, the episode contributed to a better understanding of Saudi Arabia, which is important because the more you understand someone's culture the more you understand the person themselves.
Megan Kriss, 1001 I feel like Saudi Arabia is one of the Middle Eastern countries that is most stereotyped. For this reason, I like that the country was shown by an individual rather than an organization with a possible agenda. It was also cool seeing it in a different light. I love Arab cuisine and was therefore very enticed by the food shown.
Ashley Uecker, 1001 I really liked the video. I thought the fact that the women had to wear a special wardrobe in the water was interesting. It looks like it would be difficult to swim in. The fact that she had to make her own suit tells me that women don’t go swimming very much. I also liked that the name of the oldest building was known as the building with the tree since it was the only tree around. The hallways were built wide enough and the stairs gradual enough so that camels could carry goods up to the roof. I’ve never heard of a building that was built to allow camels inside and go to the roof before.
This video was incredibly interesting and portrayed Saudi Arabia in a light that it is not often shown. In the United States, Saudi Arabia is most often seen on the news surrounding topics of terrorism and its people are discriminated against for equivalent reasons. I was quite surprised to learn that women dressed in modern, cute outfits underneath their covering and that the way of dress remained even when under water. It was interesting hearing Danya's perspective of the segregation of men and women. As a woman from the United States, I always saw the way of dress as a way of suppressing women. I was given an entirely new perspective when Danya stated that she always thought they were separating the men, as they cannot behave themselves. Additionally, for the first time, I was able to observe similarities between Saudi Arabia and the United States. First, I was shocked to learn that they enjoy four wheeling throughout the desert. It is important to remember that, religious values and culture aside, they are people, too, and like to have fun! Second, I was not aware that there were speakers throughout the city to alert everyone that it is time to pray. This is slightly reminiscent of when the official hymn of the United States Marine Corp is played on any Marine Corps base at particular times. All Marines are expected to stop what they are doing and salute until the hymn ends. I would love to be able to visit Jeddah some day. However, it is important to know that Jeddah is one of the most wealthy cities in the Middle East, and that not all of Saudi Arabia is as it was shown in the video.
Emily Richardson, Arabic 1001 Love this show! This is a great representation of Saudi Arabia as far as I can tell. It's really interesting to actually see the modern cities with the covered women. I love that the woman in the video is set to blow stereotypes out of the water , showing Anthony around her house and things she doesn't like to eat. Loved seeing the city and how the food is delivered. Definitely want to see it!
I thoroughly enjoyed the video. I thought it was very important to shine light on this country to show various cultural perspectives and knowledge other than what I believe most people, including myself, know of it in terms of oil, desert, and camels. I thought Dania was an excellent tour guide and enjoyed her energetic and funny personality. I would love to meet her and her family. The cuisine was intriguing in what was eaten and the presentation of the food being open for the enjoyment of everyone instead of self servings. I could feel a great sense of hospitality and close family orientation throughout the video. Also, I was very interested in Dania's response to gender segregation on how she viewed it as "cornering" the men than being oppressive to women. It broadened my view that segregation is not always viewed as oppressive in different cultures. Overall, I thought the video was extremely informative and entertaining.
Being able to see a Middle Eastern country such as Saudi Arabia in a different view was amazing. This video really did capture some of the beautiful cultural aspects of the country that usually are not shown or though about here in the United States. I really enjoyed that fact that we are able to catch a glimpse of someone's life who actually lives there. Especially from a woman's perspective. So often we have built up stereotypes and prejudices about Saudi Arabia and it's people and it's so nice getting the chance to see someone break those down. I would love to visit there some day. The food shown and the city also makes me want to travel and get a taste for it and the culture even more. Great video overall!
I greatly enjoyed the video. Saudi Arabia has always been a county I've wanted to visit and after watching this video I'm even more convinced that I have to go. while it was nice to see the similarities with American culture it was also enjoyable to see the similarities Saudi Arabia has with other cultures, such as hispanic cultures. Danaris Madera, Arab 1001
Andrew Langstaff ARAB 1001A I really enjoyed this video. My knowledge and understanding of this culture before the video was little to none but because of this video now it is definitely widening.
I actually found this episode very interesting. I was just as closed minded on how Saudi Arabia would be but this has given me a new view on it. Everyone on the episode was friendly and open to meeting new people. If I every plan to go I would like to meet them first.
Chase Kerrins, Arabic 1001 The film was very opening, growing up in American especially having grown up through 9/11, I have witnessed how America's view of the Middle East has become negative and very closed minded. The video showed us that they aren't like the media's image and they do have things in common with us. The video was very open and it let us to view he family and where she lives and how close some of the people are there. It also described certain aspects like female attire that we discussed in class. I find videos like this to be enjoyable because I do find that America is a very one sided place and its strong to say that "We are good and they are evil." and I do strongly disagree with this accusation of the Middle East. I do however strongly respect their religious practice and how proud and open they are to their religion. I find that to be truly amazing due to the fact that having lived up north for a bit religion isn't that open as it is down in the south and especially in areas like Saudi Arabia.
I found the video to be very informational, seeing as how Americans are rather close minded when coming to the inner workings of a foreign culture. Not only did the video help to clarify practices in the Arabic world. I also have great respect for those in the video, exposing a sort of intimate viewpoint revolving around practices in the home.
I thought this was a very interesting video. There are many unfair stereotypes we have about the middle east after more than a decade of war over there. I personaly would love to travel and work over there and see the culture firsthand.
I thought Albaik was an interesting restaurant, and the explanation behind the segregation by gender was really an opposing view that I have never heard before. Having single men separated from a family section makes sense I suppose from Saudi cultural view point. All in all It really got me to think about my views more.
The video overall was very amusing but I really was intrigued on how geographically diverse Saudi Arabia actually is. To see how someone can come from a flat desert spanning hundreds of miles in every direction with 100 plus degrees beating on your shoulders to the Red Sea where there is a huge coral reef! Seeing that really impressed me because all that one hears on television about Saudi is about how hot and dry it is, but no one ever speaks about the huge amount of aquatic life right next to the country. To me that is absolutely amazing!
I was shocked how the city she brought him to in Saudi Arabia looked. Most things they show from the middle east they never really show the modernized cities and towns. It also shows just because a few bad people from that place does not mean everyone from there is bad. They ate some interesting food like they always do on no reservation. I am really interested in visiting the middle east and trying the many new things and food being one
ReplyDeletePersonally, I thoroughly enjoyed the video. I must admit that my knowledge of the Arabic world is limited at best, and everyone is subject to their own biases, myself included. However, in this video I realized that we as Americans have often let a news organization describe a people from nothing more than a handful of its citizens. Whatever the description is, there is usually an over encompassing view of the people that is left unnoticed. To put it in the words of Anthony Bourdain, “It is always a bigger, more nuanced, more complicated story.”
ReplyDeleteKelsey Flannery, Arabic 1001.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a very interesting video, it addressed a lot of aspects of Saudi Arabia that I was familiar with and I lot of things I did not expect at all. What I liked best about it was the connections between us and the people of Saudi Arabia that they showed. Such as the mall, I did not expect to see a mall of that size with those types of stores inside. I've always thought of Saudi Arabians as being more mellow and modest, which even at times in this video they were, but they also weren't shy about having fun and they interacted differently to the opposite gender than I expected. Overall I really enjoyed this video and can't wait to watch more!
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting video. It made me want to go to Saudi Arabia. I loved seeing all the different traditional food such as camel, lizard, and lamb. The communal eating style was very interesting too. It really imparted a sense of community to the meal. I thought the fast food chicken restaurant was interesting too. I liked the fact that the booths had privacy doors on them. We need to have those in restaurants here. I would love to visit Saudi Arabia and experience some of these things for myself.
Isa Saleem Arab1001A
ReplyDeleteThis video was very interesting and filled with a lot of journey. The fact is true that it is like a responsibility for the Arab to give the best hospitality to any guest whether he or she is Middle Eastern or foreign. Mr. Bourdain has enjoyed trying and experiment all these halal and delicious food that we eat on a daily basis. The best part I liked about the video is that when they all went to swim far in the sea and how they ended up catching different kind and color of fishes.
Natasha LaBalle, ARAB 1001
ReplyDeleteI really, really liked this video. As Anthony Bourdain himself said at the beginning of this episode, there's no country about which Americans are "more ignorant or less sympathetic" than Saudi Arabia. It's an unfortunate reality that there exists a lot of prejudice in the United States towards those who are from the Middle East. However, that is why it's so important that people try to learn everything they can about each other. The people in Jeddah were ordinary people living ordinary lives, no different than anyone else anywhere else. They have malls, they have fast food, and everything else you expect in a thriving, cosmopolitan port city. I personally really liked Danya's explanation of the differences in gender treatment in Saudi Arabia, because in the west there is a tendency to view the gender differences in Middle Eastern countries as bad or discriminatory, when in actuality that's not how the women who live in those countries feel at all. Overall, the episode contributed to a better understanding of Saudi Arabia, which is important because the more you understand someone's culture the more you understand the person themselves.
Megan Kriss, 1001
ReplyDeleteI feel like Saudi Arabia is one of the Middle Eastern countries that is most stereotyped. For this reason, I like that the country was shown by an individual rather than an organization with a possible agenda. It was also cool seeing it in a different light. I love Arab cuisine and was therefore very enticed by the food shown.
Ashley Uecker, 1001
ReplyDeleteI really liked the video. I thought the fact that the women had to wear a special wardrobe in the water was interesting. It looks like it would be difficult to swim in. The fact that she had to make her own suit tells me that women don’t go swimming very much. I also liked that the name of the oldest building was known as the building with the tree since it was the only tree around. The hallways were built wide enough and the stairs gradual enough so that camels could carry goods up to the roof. I’ve never heard of a building that was built to allow camels inside and go to the roof before.
Alexandra Breed- Arabic-1001-A
ReplyDeleteThis video was incredibly interesting and portrayed Saudi Arabia in a light that it is not often shown. In the United States, Saudi Arabia is most often seen on the news surrounding topics of terrorism and its people are discriminated against for equivalent reasons. I was quite surprised to learn that women dressed in modern, cute outfits underneath their covering and that the way of dress remained even when under water. It was interesting hearing Danya's perspective of the segregation of men and women. As a woman from the United States, I always saw the way of dress as a way of suppressing women. I was given an entirely new perspective when Danya stated that she always thought they were separating the men, as they cannot behave themselves. Additionally, for the first time, I was able to observe similarities between Saudi Arabia and the United States. First, I was shocked to learn that they enjoy four wheeling throughout the desert. It is important to remember that, religious values and culture aside, they are people, too, and like to have fun! Second, I was not aware that there were speakers throughout the city to alert everyone that it is time to pray. This is slightly reminiscent of when the official hymn of the United States Marine Corp is played on any Marine Corps base at particular times. All Marines are expected to stop what they are doing and salute until the hymn ends. I would love to be able to visit Jeddah some day. However, it is important to know that Jeddah is one of the most wealthy cities in the Middle East, and that not all of Saudi Arabia is as it was shown in the video.
Emily Richardson, Arabic 1001
ReplyDeleteLove this show! This is a great representation of Saudi Arabia as far as I can tell. It's really interesting to actually see the modern cities with the covered women. I love that the woman in the video is set to blow stereotypes out of the water , showing Anthony around her house and things she doesn't like to eat. Loved seeing the city and how the food is delivered. Definitely want to see it!
Kacie Thorne-ARAB 1001
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed the video. I thought it was very important to shine light on this country to show various cultural perspectives and knowledge other than what I believe most people, including myself, know of it in terms of oil, desert, and camels. I thought Dania was an excellent tour guide and enjoyed her energetic and funny personality. I would love to meet her and her family. The cuisine was intriguing in what was eaten and the presentation of the food being open for the enjoyment of everyone instead of self servings. I could feel a great sense of hospitality and close family orientation throughout the video. Also, I was very interested in Dania's response to gender segregation on how she viewed it as "cornering" the men than being oppressive to women. It broadened my view that segregation is not always viewed as oppressive in different cultures. Overall, I thought the video was extremely informative and entertaining.
Tony Hudson- Arabic 1001A
ReplyDeleteBeing able to see a Middle Eastern country such as Saudi Arabia in a different view was amazing. This video really did capture some of the beautiful cultural aspects of the country that usually are not shown or though about here in the United States. I really enjoyed that fact that we are able to catch a glimpse of someone's life who actually lives there. Especially from a woman's perspective. So often we have built up stereotypes and prejudices about Saudi Arabia and it's people and it's so nice getting the chance to see someone break those down. I would love to visit there some day. The food shown and the city also makes me want to travel and get a taste for it and the culture even more. Great video overall!
I greatly enjoyed the video. Saudi Arabia has always been a county I've wanted to visit and after watching this video I'm even more convinced that I have to go. while it was nice to see the similarities with American culture it was also enjoyable to see the similarities Saudi Arabia has with other cultures, such as hispanic cultures.
ReplyDeleteDanaris Madera, Arab 1001
Andrew Langstaff ARAB 1001A
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this video. My knowledge and understanding of this culture before the video was little to none but because of this video now it is definitely widening.
Kenya Jeffers, Arabic 1001
ReplyDeleteI actually found this episode very interesting. I was just as closed minded on how Saudi Arabia would be but this has given me a new view on it. Everyone on the episode was friendly and open to meeting new people. If I every plan to go I would like to meet them first.
Chase Kerrins, Arabic 1001
ReplyDeleteThe film was very opening, growing up in American especially having grown up through 9/11, I have witnessed how America's view of the Middle East has become negative and very closed minded. The video showed us that they aren't like the media's image and they do have things in common with us. The video was very open and it let us to view he family and where she lives and how close some of the people are there. It also described certain aspects like female attire that we discussed in class. I find videos like this to be enjoyable because I do find that America is a very one sided place and its strong to say that "We are good and they are evil." and I do strongly disagree with this accusation of the Middle East. I do however strongly respect their religious practice and how proud and open they are to their religion. I find that to be truly amazing due to the fact that having lived up north for a bit religion isn't that open as it is down in the south and especially in areas like Saudi Arabia.
I found the video to be very informational, seeing as how Americans are rather close minded when coming to the inner workings of a foreign culture. Not only did the video help to clarify practices in the Arabic world. I also have great respect for those in the video, exposing a sort of intimate viewpoint revolving around practices in the home.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add my name I'm sorry. Brieana Williams 1001
DeleteI thought this was a very interesting video. There are many unfair stereotypes we have about the middle east after more than a decade of war over there. I personaly would love to travel and work over there and see the culture firsthand.
ReplyDeleteAlso It got cut off I would love to try some authentic middle eastern food while I'm over there.
DeleteI thought Albaik was an interesting restaurant, and the explanation behind the segregation by gender was really an opposing view that I have never heard before. Having single men separated from a family section makes sense I suppose from Saudi cultural view point. All in all It really got me to think about my views more.
ReplyDeleteThe video overall was very amusing but I really was intrigued on how geographically diverse Saudi Arabia actually is. To see how someone can come from a flat desert spanning hundreds of miles in every direction with 100 plus degrees beating on your shoulders to the Red Sea where there is a huge coral reef! Seeing that really impressed me because all that one hears on television about Saudi is about how hot and dry it is, but no one ever speaks about the huge amount of aquatic life right next to the country. To me that is absolutely amazing!
ReplyDelete