Here’s the thing. I never expect much from people. As a matter of fact, I don’t expect anything. It’s just easier that way. Safety first, after all. People always disappoint so if I don’t expect anything, I won’t get disappointed.

Call it the cowardly route. It probably is. But we all do what we have to. Disappointment can sprout from the most unexpected sources. The close ones always hurt the most. That’s not to say I think all people are bad and out to get me. I do still hope for the best. I still hope that people live up to their promises and my expectations. But people being the frail creatures they are, sometimes fail to deliver. A best friend with a hidden agenda, an envious uncle, a treacherous neighbor, are all possibilities. I’d like to think improbable, but possibilities nonetheless. You seem nice, but if someday, somewhere you screw me over, I won’t be surprised. I hope you don’t though because it will make it even harder for me to trust people. It’s a tight rope walk between hoping for the best and expecting the worst.

A few days back I posted about Benihana opening up at the Avenues and yesterday night I decided to pass by with Nat and try it out. The service wasn’t too bad for a restaurant that’s just been open for a few days and the staff were really friendly. The restaurant itself is made up of islands and bars with a grill in the middle of each one. You sit around the grill and the chef will come to your table and prepare the food right in front of you which makes things entertaining. It’s actually why I prefer sitting at the bar in Japanese restaurants in general, since you can talk to the chef and watch them put your dish together. The problem with my experience last night though was with the food, it was disappointing to say the least.

We ordered beef negimayaki for starters followed by an Orange Blossom maki and a Hibachi Chicken. The negimaki arrived looking good and was probably the best thing we had there even though I prefer Maki’s negimaki which has a richer teriyaki sauce. The Orange Blossom was very ordinary, wouldn’t order it again. Now the Hibachi chicken which is basically grilled chicken, that was the worst. The chicken was very chewy (I could swear it was undercooked if not raw) and tasted terrible. Even after I had the chef add some more teriyaki sauce in hopes of improving the taste it didn’t work. I tried to dip it into the sauces that came with the chicken but it was hard to figure out if they were actually making things worse or not. Nat only ate one piece of chicken and left the rest while I needed my protein since I’m on a strict diet and forced myself to eat my whole plate (I can do that) but the after taste was really bad. Even the rice and the veggies that came with it tasted bad AND were under cooked. Once we left I considered picking up a frozen yogurt from Pinkberry even though I hate frozen yogurts but I just needed something to get rid of the aftertaste. A few moments later we ended up at Chocolate Bar ordering the gooey chocolate cake (bye bye diet).

I shot the two videos [video one and video two] above of the chef preparing our meal. Benihana are known for the live shows they perform when preparing your dish so I was expecting to see [This] but ended up with the above. Would I go back to Benihana? No I wouldn’t. Their sashimi and maki’s are pretty cheap (KD1.5 for 5 pieces of Salmon sashimi for example) but there are two other Japanese restaurants at the Avenues, Wasabi and Maki, and I would prefer either one of those to Benihana.

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The above post is a reproduction of Mark Makhoul’s original post on his blog 2:48AM.

Mark, a blogger living in Kuwait, is now the subject of a $18,000 lawsuit filed by the Kuwaiti franchisee of global Japanese restaurant chain Benihana. Mark’s crime? Posting a mildly critical restaurant review on his blog, 2:48AM. A frank but even-handed review, even if negative, does not warrant legal action and that this is not how global brands like Benihana should engage with bloggers.

Despite a massive outcry on blogs, social and mainstream media, both Benihana in Kuwait and Benihana of Tokyo, the New-York based franchisor, have steadfastly refused comment and the court case is, as of the time of writing, still set to commence on 8 March 2011.

Benihana in Kuwait first deleted critical comments from its Facebook page and then blocked anyone who had been outspoken against them. Benihana of Tokyo has not replied to a single request made using the contact form on its website, despite a promise to return comments within 24 hours. Neither has it responded to calls on this from bloggers and journalists.

We are defending bloggers’ rights to freedom of expression.

We believe that suing a consumer for expressing an opinion is totally unacceptable. We believe that a company arrogant enough to ignore the very real expressed concerns of thousands of consumers is arrogant enough to think it can press ahead with this suit – one which would set a very worrying precedent for Middle East bloggers. We want to send a clear message out – that today’s consumer has the right to express an opinion online – whether that be satisfaction or dissatisfaction – without fear of bullying and litigation from companies.

Consequently, today, 14 February 2011, bloggers are posting a copy of Mark’s original My Benihana Experience post to their own blogs and Facebook pages.

In an effort to highlight both Mark’s predicament and Benihana’s apparent keenness to sue bloggers, friends of Mark and fellow bloggers around the world can join us in re-posting a copy of Mark’s original Benihana post today. They sued him – will they sue all of us?

It’s not too late to join us! The day is young…

I don’t know about the rest of the Lebanese but I am really getting sick and tired of my country being a football field for whoever feels like imposing power and settling old scores.

I have an idea to ensure peace in Lebanon once and for all…

So to all neighbors near and far I say: Find somewhere else to play political football.

kthxbai.

Note: All images were loosely traced from various web images.

“It’s not too hard to notice what’s not going well. But noticing what is? That’s a challenge.”

This past November, I took part in the 30 Days of Gratitude Project for the second year in a row. The project, created by Annie Zirkel, LPC author of You’ll Thank Me Later ~ A Guide to Raising Grateful Children & Paul Taubman, AllAboutGratitude blogger, invites people to post their daily gratitudes throughout the month of November on the project website http://www.30DaysofGratitude.org .

Many of us (myself included) are guilty of being jaded, overly sarcastic and taking for granted all the good things we have in life. We easily get caught up in the things we still want and don’t have and we get very frustrated when things don’t go according to plan. It’s easy to forget the good stuff. Gratitude is a feeling, but it is also a practice. It has been my experience the more grateful you are for the good in life, the more good will come to you (still working on the billion dollars though). I have to confess, I don’t feel that grateful most days. That is why I loved this project. This is my second year posting my gratitudes and reading what others are grateful for, and it was truly inspiring, heartwarming and humbling. It was a reminder to remember the good things in my life and be truly grateful because you know what, I do have it good. Actually, I have it great.

So here they are, my 30 Days of Gratitude:

1. I am grateful for my strength. The past two years have been the hardest I’ve ever experienced in my life, but I made it through the hardships and came out a stronger person.

2. I am grateful for my cousins. I am very lucky that I grew up with people who understand my unspoken thoughts and who I can have a great time with no matter what we are doing.

3. I am grateful for the knowledge I have been blessed with. There is no greater bliss than being one with all. JGD

4. I am grateful for my body and my health. Even though I don’t take care of it as I should, it still gets me through life.

5. I am grateful for my parents for providing everything I need and want in my life.

6. I am grateful for old friends. We grew up together and went through a lot. I’m glad you are still in my life.

7. I am grateful for the travel opportunities I have in my life. Though I can never get enough, I realize that not everyone is able to travel as much as I do. Seeing the world is a great blessing.

8. I am grateful for my renewed sense of acceptance. I recognize that some things are within my control and some things are not within my control. I am happy I am recognizing the difference and accept whatever happens.

9. I am grateful for my brother, who knows me and always has my back. I love you bro!

10. I am grateful for the person who lifted me up, lightened my heart and eased my worries. I am blessed with your love and light.

11. I am grateful for the amazing weather we’re having. I love being outdoors enjoying the sun.

12. I am grateful for my car. It gets me where I need to go AND it’s red.

13. I am grateful for the beautiful homes I have and will have. Truly a blessing when many have none.

14. I am grateful that I can pamper myself when I need to.

15. I am grateful for the abundance of delicious food I am blessed with.

16. I am grateful for all the wonderful memories I have of growing up, of great people, and the good times.

17. I am grateful for this vacation as it allowed me to recharge, reflect, and spend great times with my family and friends. A great reminder that life is good.

18. I am grateful that I am surrounded by wise people who are willing to offer their time, help, support, advice, and guidance.

19. I am grateful that God always reminds me how lucky I really am.

20. I am grateful for my resilience. I am glad I can bounce back after hitting rock bottom.

21. I am grateful for the great deep sleep I have been having lately. It really is helping me accomplish more.

22. I am grateful that I am Lebanese. Even though our country is crazy, it has made us face the world’s challenges easier than others.

23. I am grateful for the children in my family. It’s a joy to have fun with them as they view the world as a wondrous place and they are full of unconditional love.

24. I am grateful for the creatures in the world, especially dogs.

25. I am grateful for my loved ones, who never hesitate to lend a sympathetic ear, words of kindness and inspiration. They always remind me that things will be ok.

26. Though we haven’t always seen eye to eye and it took me a while to admit, I am grateful for Kuwait. I was born here and lived here all my life. It has allowed me to get a great education, be close to my family, travel and experience the world, grow and evolve, and meet amazing people who have become my lifelong loved ones.

27. I am grateful for my mom who constantly pushes my personal and spiritual growth. I love you mom.

28. I am grateful that my problems seem quite big but are actually small compared to what others face.

29. I am grateful for technology which opened up a new world with amazing people and knowledge. I never would have met them otherwise or know the things I know now if it wasn’t for technology.

30. I am grateful for the 30 days of gratitude project. It is important to be grateful for life’s blessings and obstacles. It makes us who we are. 30 DAYS OF GRATITUDE

Airports have got to be the busiest places on earth. You are literally surrounded by swarms of people from across the globe. And yet, airports can be the most isolating places on earth. Surrounded by people, I feel alone, isolated, cut-off from everything I know and love and some things that I hate.

We have it easy. You are one button away from reaching anyone, anytime, anywhere. I can’t imagine how the earlier generations must have felt. Thrown into a new world and existence. Cut off. Forced to retreat back to square one. Starting from zero. Trying to make it in a new world as an alien, an outcast. Being ignored, or worse, being insulted and ridiculed. Maybe I’m over romanticizing things. Maybe it wasn’t so bad.

My experience as a Lebanese expat has not been easy, but it wasn’t hard either. After all these years, what I am left with is that I have no home. Not really. I mean I love Lebanon to my very core but is that enough? To love from afar? This is the ultimate curse of the expats. We are always the circle trying to squeeze in the square. And it never fits. No matter how bad we want it to. No matter how hard we try. We are always the outcasts. The outsiders. We just make the best of it to survive, and hopefully thrive.