There are those who eat to live, and there are those who live to eat. And then there are Arabs…who eat to answer life’s major questions. Just look at our proverbs and how they are seasoned, so to speak, with food.

1. “He who inserts himself between the onion and its skin, will only gain its smell”

“يا داخل بين البصلة وقشرتها ما بينوبك غير ريحتها”

In other words, don’t interfere in other people’s business, because if you do you are going to stink for days!

2. “Eating bread will make your shoulder wide”

“الخبز الحاف بيعرّض الكتاف”

This conventional wisdom may not necessarily check out but it haunts your thoughts when you’re in the middle of a carbs fest, so it does that trick! 

3. “Eat according to your own taste, but dress according to people’s taste”

“كول على ذوقك والبس على ذوق الناس”

Problem solved, ladies. As long as you’re dressed to kill, you can eat as much as your heart desires on your next dinner date.

4. “Marriage is like a watermelon”

“الزواج متل البطيخة”

You’d be hard pressed to find a better way to explain the institution of marriage: you don’t know how sweet, smooth, bland or flat the marriage is going to be until you’ve cracked it open and dived in.  

5. “Rice has it all… and so the poor burgul hanged himself”

“العز للرز… والبرغل شنق حاله”

Arabs value rice so much more than burgul and consider it to be fancier. It’s what your friend would say to you if you favor someone else’s company over theirs.

6. “Do you want the grapes or do you want to fight the guard?”

“بدك العنب ولا بدك تقاتل الناطور؟”

Another way of saying “cut to the chase and don’t make mountains out of molehills.”