The Language of Baklava

Diana is 13 and the atmosphere between her and Bud is charged with teenage frustration and fatherly panic. She calls it the “Long War,” which started with a bad school report that drove Bud into one of his angry, storming moods. Bud’s frustration at his succession of “stressful, impossible jobs” leaves him “trapped, destitute in the American dream” (181, 182). He takes it out on Diana, even threatening to send her back to Jordan to live with Aunty Aya.

Instead, Aunty Aya visits Euclid. She is a true Bedu with her knowledge of herbal cosmetics and natural medicines, as well as a “bit of a bonesetter, an exorcist” (179). The family reveres her and seeks her advice and solutions, but she is also very practical and down-to-earth. She is stylish and well-dressed, decrying the shabby looks of American women. Her presence has a profound effect on the tension between Diana and Bud. She first calms Diana’s fears that she has come to take her back to Jordan with an herbal tea, the recipe for which is given: “Shaking Tea Infusion (Modern Version)” (184). She then teaches Diana to bake, starting with baklawa, even though both the girl has declared she hates Arab food.