After a tedious search, I finally found Damascus Bakery, an Arabic food store that made my food, samboosa. I made my way to the shop in Brooklyn Heights excited, ready to get a taste of home. Actually getting to the shop was an experience I could never have expected. Damascus bakery was like a portal to home. Walking in, I was hit with the smells of Mbarikiya, a market back home. The blend of spices in the air could not be found anywhere else, and I was taken aback by it. Walking around Damascus was like being a little kid in a candy shop. I was ecstatic to see the most basic foods from back home, the Arabic text on the packaging, the native Arabic speakers that surrounded me. Overall, the experience was overwhelmingly comforting.
When it came to my actual food however, I was left a little disappointed. The samboosas were pre-made, so they did not have the hot freshness that they do back home. It just wasn’t the same. Nevertheless, the experience of going to the bakery made up for it. I never imagined a piece of home could exist in Brooklyn, New York.
