Maamoul cookies

Homemade maamoul

Easter time means eating kaik maamoul. It's an arabic pastry made of semolina, dashed with rose water, orange blossom water, and filled with pistachios or dates. And they represent the crown of thorns (round with a hole in the centre) and the sponge with which vinegar was dipped and given to Jesus on the cross (the oval shaped one). Pretty significant cookies.

I've been having severe asthma attacks for the past 3 nights - mainly because of the broken septum in the left nostril. I realised I can't breathe at all with the left nostril ... and the blood and mucuous that flow down my windpipe cause the asthma. I need to sit up if I must breathe. Now I dread going to bed every night - it's a nightmare.

Maamoul at Rossini's

But this evening I had a good laugh with my friend Firas from Bethlehem ... we chatted on the phone as usual every evening. He also can't breathe with his left nostril and needs a surgery to correct it ... like me. But he wants a total makeover - to correct his flat feet, his problematic stomach ... I realised he's got the same health problems as I. No wonder we're such good friends ... we suffer from the same illnesses!! Anyway we're competing to see which of us would get our nose surgery done first.

Well it makes eating maamoul more significant these days, I guess .... like every night it's my crown of thorns and sponge of vinegar.