Por Theo Okafor — Alimentación y mercados
Not speaking the language stops more people from eating well than it should. In Beirut, pointing gets you a long way — but a few basic Arabic phrases get you further, and people notice the effort.
Learn “I’d like…”
Baddi… (BAD-dee…) is the simplest way to start an order. Say it, then point at what you want on the counter or the next table’s plate — the phrase plus the gesture together read as far more polite than pointing alone.
Learn “what do you recommend”
Shu btinsaḥni? (shoo btin-SAH-nee?) said to whoever’s working does more than any menu translation. It signals you trust them, and it usually gets you whatever’s fresh or popular that day — often better than anything you’d have picked yourself.
Pointing is still fine as a backup
If something at the next table looks good, point and smile — completely normal, and it gets the message across when the vocabulary runs out. Just lead with a phrase first if you can; it changes the whole tone of the exchange.
Know how to say allergies clearly, if you have any
This is the one phrase worth actually memorizing precisely, not gesturing through. Everything else can be improvised; this one can’t.
Translation apps are fine as backup, but leading with them turns a human interaction into a transaction. A couple of phrases, even mispronounced, get you further and usually with a better meal at the end of it.
Related reading: How to Order Like a Local at Any Street Food Stall · Top 5 Street Food Rules Worth Knowing · The Complete Guide to Eating Well When You Travel