The Aleppo Sandwich: Searching For The Flavors Of A Home Lost To War : The Salt : NPR
Fadia
So once again  we put out the call to Syrian contacts around the U.S. And we found  a woman named Fadia .  She  was born and raised in Aleppo and came to the U.S. more than 30 years ago.  She  and  her  husband raised their children here.  She  asked that we not use  her  last name because  she  still has family in Aleppo and doesn't want them to get in trouble if the wrong person hears of  her  participation in this story.
But  her  family â they were our in.
So that's how it happened that one of Fadia's relatives walked in to Syrjeia by the public garden and said  "There's a radio show in New York that wants to talk to you."
A few weeks later  I was in  Fadia 's living room in the New York suburbs calling Imad Syrjeia on an app called Viber that the Syrian government can't track. Imad's father opened the restaurant in the 1970s and has since passed away.
At first  Imad was wary.  Fadia  explained  her  family's connection to  his  and reminded  him  of the person who had come into  his  store talking about a radio show in New York.  She  said it's just a show about food â nothing political.  He  said OK.
When I asked how  he  and the restaurant were doing  Imad insisted everything was great. But  Fadia  said  he  would never dare say otherwise  in case the wrong person is listening.
" He  doesn't know you " she explains. " He  can't even say it to  me . I'm Syrian but  he  won't."
I don't speak Arabic. (Later on I had the recording of this conversation translated.) But just hearing Imad's voice coming out of the speaker in that moment was deeply moving. Knowing  his  voice was coming from a place that the news had told me was destroyed.
As  Fadia  and I said goodbye to him  he invited me to Syria.
"He will welcome you " said  Fadia  enthusiastically. "They're very generous. They welcome everybody!"
So once again  we put out the call to Syrian contacts around the U.S. And we found   [TGT]  .   [TGT]   was born and raised in Aleppo and came to the U.S. more than 30 years ago.   [TGT]   and   [TGT]   husband raised their children here.   [TGT]   asked that we not use   [TGT]   last name because   [TGT]   still has family in Aleppo and doesn't want them to get in trouble if the wrong person hears of   [TGT]   participation in this story.
But  her  family â they were our in.
So that's how it happened that one of Fadia's relatives walked in to Syrjeia by the public garden and said  "There's a radio show in New York that wants to talk to you."
A few weeks later  I was in  Fadia 's living room in the New York suburbs calling Imad Syrjeia on an app called Viber that the Syrian government can't track. Imad's father opened the restaurant in the 1970s and has since passed away.
At first  Imad was wary.   [TGT] explained  her  family's connection to  his  and reminded  him  of the person who had come into  his  store talking about a radio show in New York.  She  said it's just a show about food â nothing political.  He  said OK.
When I asked how  he  and the restaurant were doing  Imad insisted everything was great. But   [TGT] said  he  would never dare say otherwise  in case the wrong person is listening.
" He  doesn't know you " she explains. " He  can't even say it to  me . I'm Syrian but  he  won't."
I don't speak Arabic. (Later on I had the recording of this conversation translated.) But just hearing Imad's voice coming out of the speaker in that moment was deeply moving. Knowing  his  voice was coming from a place that the news had told me was destroyed.
As  Fadia  and I said goodbye to him  he invited me to Syria.
"He will welcome you " said   [TGT] enthusiastically. "They're very generous. They welcome everybody!"