Creating a welcoming environment for your guests - and being known as a generous host in important in Middle Eastern homes.
There is a tradition of hospitality in Middle Eastern homes that runs deep – as deep as the Quran, actually. There are whole passages exhorting believers to be excellent hosts – but not to engage in conspicuous consumption. In short, generosity is a major way to grow in prestige in your community, just as a sure way to lose the admiration of your friends and neighbors in through stinginess.
That being said, there is also an intricate set of manners to be observed on the part of both the host and the guest. When offered food, for example, it is polite to refuse the gesture twice – and then to graciously accept it the third time it is offered. For his part, it is also expected that, when offering food, it should be offered three times, with the expectation that the first two times, it will be refused.
The idea of creating a welcoming environment with comfortable surroundings and good conversation and company is equally important to the whole business of being a good host. As the Syrian proverb says, "Good cooking is only half of hospitality."
The "other half’ is taking the time with your guests to gossip, tell jokes and engage in the fine art of conversation. When you think about it, isn’t this exactly the kind of atmosphere in which to enjoy an afternoon of Mezes and Turkish Coffee…or possibly indulging in some excellent Arak over a heated game of Tavbli?
