by Omar Hagras (YES 2024-25, Egypt, placed by Greenheart in Casper, WY)

I recently decided to try something new and step out of my comfort zone by learning how to cook! I never cooked back home in Egypt. But since I arrived in the United States, I started learning the basics of cooking as I helped my host family make dinner by doing things like chopping onions, which eventually made my eyes tear up. Step by step, I started making dishes like pasta for dinner with the help of my little chef, my 12-year-old host sister of course. It tasted very delicious.

So, one day, after a fun day at school, I decided to share my culture with my host family and built up the courage to make the famous traditional Egyptian dish: koshari! I was afraid at first since my cooking skills are still at a beginner level. I really wanted to make it good and take my host family on a trip to Egypt just by tasting the dish. So, I found a recipe online and went to work!

It took me a couple of hours as it is a complex dish. I started by frying the onions first, cooking the noodles, then the rice and lentils, and last but not least made the mouthwatering tomato sauce that accompanies the dish. After cooking all the ingredients, it was time to assemble the dish.

I taught my host family how to eat it by adding the rice first, then the pasta, then the lentils, and then topping it off with tomato sauce and sprinkles of the slightly burned (oops) fried onions.

Thankfully, it tasted delicious, just as it is in Egypt, and it took me back to Egypt as soon as I tasted it. I was super proud of myself for trying something new, learning a new skill, and sharing my wonderful culture with my host family through food. I will definitely be making more Egyptian dishes in the future, so consider me a chef!