From pages 264/265 of the current version"
“Hi Hammou!” Suki greets the waiter.
“Marhaban bikum sayed John, anisa Suki”
“M`ssa Elkhayer Hammou, jib liya karaa dyal rouge tkon r`khisa, wahed ezzina dyal Diamas D'Isle Oysters , wahed ezzina dyal Blue Point, o wahed ezzina dyal clams khadra ila smehti.”
"wakha a ssi John, yak ma baghi tzid chi hajakhra ?chi kotlit?, ola chi Lobster?”
“hadi chi Baraka had ellila”
"Which Arabic was that, John?"
"Moroccan, I learned it in Casablanca, when I was there for about six months. None of my Lebanese Arabic worked, so I had to learn."
Hammou returns with the order, “hak assi John oanisa Suki”
“chorkran Hammou.”
“Hammou, if the guys at the bar spot us please tell them we need just need quiet time and are not avoiding them? John has been in the hospital all week.”
“Of course Miss Suki and I shall say hello to Big D when you leave. I will make quiet, as long as you like.”
“Thank you Hammou. Okay John, from your ordering, I picked out the things that are the same across languages, Diamas D'Isle Oysters, these?” She points and John nods yes. “Blue Point Oysters and the clams but did not know they would be raw, something about lobster too. I thought you would be starving for a steak?”
“The lobster was a suggestion from Hammou. If I wanted steak you would be making it or we would be at Morton’s, sweetheart, both of you know what medium rare is,” John smiles and gives his lady a kiss on the cheek. “Let’s see how we feel after this first bottle of wine before we try a second? Not sure how it . . .”
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