When I was in Syria 9 years ago, I used to meet with my family and my uncle’s family at my grandmother’s house in Yalda.  Our homes were next to each other.  We used to meet every day and spend a good time with my grandmother. She would tell us beautiful stories. 

We had the most beautiful time in the afternoons because it was time to prepare lunch.  My grandmother made a delicious dish called Harraq Asbo.  It is a lovely dish, especially in family gatherings, and after we finished eating, we used to prepare a cup of tea.  My grandmother liked to put a squeeze of lemon in her tea cup. 

In my grandmother’s house there is a garden around the house, with fruit trees.  There was an apricot tree and a pomegranate tree, grape vines and little cucumbers called baby fingers! During those afternoons my mother and sister picked the ripe fruits, washed them and served them to us.  They were beautiful days.