Halawet el Jibn or Baklava? We Finally Agreed. Syrian and Lebanese Arabic Conversation

Today it's sweets. Rachel shows me halawet el jibn and baklava, and we each pick one. Rachel picked halawet el jibn, which surprised me, because she doesn't really like cheese. She finds it lighter than baklava, even though she isn't a big fan of Arabic sweets, and she'll barely eat one piece. The word she uses for that is إنجا, and it's very Lebanese. When I hear it, I know the person is from Lebanon. I picked halawet el jibn too. I love soft sweets that melt in your mouth, and I love cheese. It's even better with ice cream on the side, which Rachel says is my own invention. In Syria it sometimes comes with a plate of muhallabiyeh. Then baklava, and when people eat it. In Syria we put it out for guests any day, no occasion needed. In Lebanon it comes with almost everything, weddings, births, engagements, graduations, Eid. Most people outside Syria and Lebanon think baklava is one sweet. It's a whole family, every shape has its own name, and most people just walk into the shop and ask for a kilo مشكل. For once, Rachel and I chose the same thing. The full library, 400+ videos in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic, organized by level from Super Beginner to Advanced: https://arabicallthetime.com Hear from other learners, or share your own story: https://arabicallthetime.com/reviews Arabic Journeys podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60ofkXI... Timeline: 00:00 – Highlights 00:26 – Intro & the game 01:44 – Halawet el Jibn vs Baklava 02:30 – Rachel's choice 04:05 – Hasan's choice 04:55 – Serving with Muhalabiyeh 06:01 – Baklava occasions 07:46 – Baklava varieties & names 09:27 – Ordering a mixed box 10:23 – Lebanese word: "Inja" 11:46 – Learning to love Baklava 12:38 – Agreement & outro #LearnArabic #LevantineArabic #LebaneseArabic #ArabicSweets #ComprehensibleInput