Sobhiyeh: Morning Coffee With Friends and Neighbors - Lebanese Arabic
"Five o'clock" strugglers vs "live in the moment" tribe
The morning hours are the favorite period of the day as a glorious symbol of humans’ struggle for productivity. If we were to build a statue of success one day, it would undoubtedly be a man doing a workout before sunrise.
The first hours of the day, a new beginning to anything. The last day lived is behind; a new one is open, like a blank, white page to write a new story. The body is in its most vigorous and energetic phase, and the mind is calm and peaceful, fully prepared to create and experience the new journey.
Lately, a rising number of articles and books on how to "become a 5 o'clock person" are written as an essential trend and key to ultra-productivity.
I have no objections to improving our way of life and reflecting on how we might make the most use of our short time on Earth.One can get up before sunrise to write the books one wants to write (as Herman Melville did, writing before going to work so he could write novels like Moby Dick and the novella Bartleby, which I adore); to exercise; to take a brisk walk at dawn; to watch the sunrise; or for any other "authentic" reason.
My only objection is to the shrewd brains who misuse this will in order to further exploit people's limited time and effort, to double their working time, and to use them like a machine that does not rest. Let's get up early; let's be active. I have no objection to that, but let's be alert and aware of why we are doing it. As we need to behave in every situation.
Be conscious of the real reason, the answer to “why,” while doing anything.
Deliberately, know why you are doing anything.
But I must tell you that there are people in the southern lands of the world, who spend their mornings more pleasure-oriented. This week we travel to one of those, to the Lebanese time of sobhiyeh.
Sobhiyeh refers to coffee in the morning, usually with neighbors or friends. Unlike fika in Sweden, is not a coffee break at other times of the day. Sobhiye comes from the term "sabah" which means morning, so it occurs in the morning.
Sobhiyeh is a social ritual of Lebanon that after breakfast, after everyone has gone to school or work, neighbors gather at the house of one of their community and chat, usually over Turkish coffee. This is also a tradition in Turkey. Although this ritual has been shelved in recent years due to the high proportion of working women, the tradition of morning coffee is still practiced among the lower classes, or converted to a coffee break in the office. However, in Turkish it is called morning coffee, and there is no special word for it like in Lebanon. It is a time of joy. A time that women look forward to.
The difference in the way different people live the morning hours tells us a lot about their ways of life. While one sees minutes as currency and seeks to utilize every moment with efficiency, the other is a master of living in the moment. At this point, we cannot forget the dolce far niente, or even carpe diem, of our Italian friends who are artists of life.
As for me, I am always after balance. As a passionate morning person, how I spend my mornings is very important, but I lovingly accept some of friends' offers for breakfast or morning coffee. Pleasant conversations are food for my soul. We see proof of social life’s positive effects, with the example of Roseto's happy people who live longer with the power they get from socializing, which Malcolm Gladwell talks about in his book Outliers. But even better are the longevity masters of Okinawa. Not only do they produce, but they also maintain a strong and resilient life with a tight social bond, and more importantly, they live a fully satisfying life.
Sobhiyeh sounds great, and so does fika. How about trying them more often? I would be very happy if you share your experiences about your social times by simply leaving a comment.
Wish you have the greatest week ever!
Till next week,
— Gulsun
Thank you for taking the time to accompany me in the story of a new word. Every word of the world’s languages is also ours, belonging to humanity while giving us an essence of the culture in which it was rooted.
We are made of stories—that is, of words.