April 2004

Asana Mohamad • A Little Respect

Last week, Mommy and Daddy sent us $100 each because “We just miss you girls so much.” So, Fuseina and I decided to do something fun together. Unlike a lot of college students, we don’t drink, so we made plans to go to dinner at the Coral Ridge Mall and then see Barbershop 2: Back in Business. We went to the food court and got Chinese food, then decided that some dessert was in order. We’d had our eye on the chocolate delicacies at Mondo’s Bread Garden for a while, and it was time to try some.

After much deliberating, we both settled on chocolate mousse cake. Fuseina sat at the table and watched our stuff, while I gave the lady behind the counter our order. She hesitated and then said, “Well, I don’t know if you’re Muslim or not, but I just wanted to tell you that the mousse cake has some alcohol in it.”

I was so pleasantly surprised! Even though Muslims are not supposed to consume alcohol in any shape or form, it wouldn’t have mattered if we hadn’t known. I smiled and replied, “Oh, well. Yes, we are Muslim. Thank you for letting us know. Is there anything here that doesn’t have any alcohol in it?”

Fuseina and I settled for the chocolate cheesecake instead. We thanked the nice lady for the cheesecake and her kind concern, then we sat down to eat our delectable delicacies. Needless to say, they were exquisite. Not just because of the silky, creamy, rich chocolate-cheese blend interrupted by crunchy nuts. But also because someone who didn’t have to decided to honor and respect our beliefs. I just hope that one day when the shoe is on the other foot, I have the courage to speak up.