(speaking Spanish)
- Hi, my name is Michael and I'm Palestinian.
- Hi, my name is Sheryl and I'm Mexican.
- And today we're going to be swapping meals.
- What did you pick for me?
Cause this is a lot of meat for one girl.
- Today you're going to be eating something called Sfeeha,
which is a meat pie.
Usually sfeeha comes in smaller pies,
but this place obviously loves large portions.
And then you're going to be eating shawarma.
- The dish I chose for you, it is called tclayuda.
It has cabbage, beans, quesillo which is what
we're known for like a huge long string cheese.
It's the best part, honestly, of the tclayudas.
And I also ordered you a Taco Al Pastor.
So I'm really excited for you to try it.
- Alright. Let's get into it.
- This is a shwarma, how do you say it?
- Shawarma.
- Yes, you go it. You sound authentic.
- This is so big. How do I even start eating it?
- I mean, honestly, you have options.
You can like fold it up and bite it.
You could use a fork,
like whatever you're most comfortable with.
- Like this?
- I like to fold it up and bite it.
- Are they typically, like, this big?
(Michael laughs)
- It's not usually that much meat.
That seems like a pretty large portion.
(soft music)
- It's really, like, flavorful.
So I know, like, they marinated this, but it's really good.
It's like sweet.
- When my family and I go back to the Middle East,
my mom's always like, "Got to get some shawarma spices"
and you know, we get them vacuum sealed
and we take them home and she'll throw it in the freezer
and she'll use it to make her own shawarma at home.
- I went into the store and I'm like,
these spices look so good, like how?
How can I not have these spices in my life?
- And also shawarma typically is cooked on
like a vertical rotisserie.
So there's a large history of Arab immigration
to Latin America specifically.
So you'll see a lot of Arab influence
in a lot of Latino dishes.
- Mexicans got inspired by that and actually took, like,
cooking their meat on the stick.
And that's how we have al pastor tacos now.
- Me and my Latinx friends have always kind of bonded over
the similarities in our food and our culture
and just like our love for music
and like our love for parties.
We love a good party.
- Yes!
- And I'm eating this taco al pastor
and I'm like, this is so good.
Especially with the salsa.
Oh my God, it's so good.
The tacos al pastor actually do resemble shawarma to me.
They kind of have a similar taste and a similar texture.
All right, let me finish this taco
and then I want to try this tclayuda so bad.
- I would say I'ma finish this, but I'm not.
It's too much.
- I just love tacos.
- That was a lot of meat, I need to drink my rose drink.
(top pops)
I've never had rose drink.
I feel like just, the name is pretty.
I just envision myself like in my bathtub with rose petals.
I don't think this is the same, like me drinking
my bath water.
(sips drink)
Oh my gosh, it's so sweet.
I'm just going to finish it. Okay I'm done.
- Our countries and our regions that we're from
people really know how to like,
use the land and like use the resources available.
As like a lot of other cultures do
but it's not in my experience as common of a thing
in like in America to like drink rosewater, for example.
People know rosewater exists
and like they will use the toner.
I use the toner.
I need to drink my horchata.
(Sheryl claps)
- Yes.
So it has cinnamon, it has milk.
It's sweet. It's refreshing.
- Smells like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
- So it's like a good, it's agua fresca.
So the name means like fresh water.
So it's supposed to like refresh you.
And it's so good for the summer hot time.
(speaking Spanish)
- I love things that taste kind of like cereal.
So me making that connection like really,
really just elevates it for me.
(sipping drink)
- Mm-mm.
- I need to take a break cause I'm about to finish this.
(Sheryl laughs)
- We need to get to the tclayuda
because that is gonna be a beast to even get through.
It's like a huge pizza.
And I don't know if they cut it into like slices.
- You know what?
I think they technically did, but I'm going to grab a knife.
Zing!
(knife cutting)
I love tortillas.
I think a crunchy tortilla is, like, a godsend.
(heavenly music)
- I love the beef and the chorizo flavor.
The quesillo is good.
Avocado, I have like a strange relationship with avocado.
It's complicated.
Y'all got to get you a tclayuda, because this is good.
Especially with the salsa.
(romantic music)
- I'm going to try this sfeeha,
which is also known as a meat pie.
And I already love it because I love thin crust
(food crunches)
So much flavor! I love that.
It's not super greasy either.
And then we have onion and tomato and meat.
I love meat.
So anything with like a bread and meat, perfect.
I always eat the same thing
because I'm afraid of new things.
But I think when you take a risk
and like learn about different cultures.
Now I have so many other food choices to choose from.
- My heart. I absolutely would eat a tclayuda again.
And now I know a spot where to get tclayuda.
And I'll honestly probably tell my friends to get some, too.
- Y'all can share.
- Yes. I'm going to need to share with them.
This is huge!
(Michael chuckles)
(upbeat music)