| 1998.oct.01 last updated: 2007.may.20 |
Ya Scandar! | |
circa 1975
The man himself, Scandar, getting kissed by Payam Adlparvar. On the left (we hope now with an improved fashion sense) is Aly Killidar. Tall student behind is Phillip Arida. Would you like to contribute to our Ya Scandar! tribute? Send us your recollections to info07@bhs70s.com |
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Naseem Quraishi: I remember Scandars son, who was an artist and who sat and painted there in a corner. Everyday me and my friends would come and look at his oilpainting he was making. Each day he had changed something, and it changed shape and colour with time. He used to lend us his colours to write on the wall. I seem to remember the favourite statement being "I was here". At a later age I myself dreamt of becoming a painter. I still think about his ever changing paintings, when I think of real artists. I also remember making my own eggs in Scans kitchen. This gave it all a "homely" feeling. I learnt to eat eggs with ketchup there, which no one else in Sweden does... Also I remember his wonderful chicken casserole, which he made sandwiches of. I have never tasted any chicken like that afterwards, and I have often wondered how he made it.
Raja Gargour: Scands:The maker of the best sandwiches of the world. Beats any high-Italian or French restaurant in Malibu. My favourite that I still remember is the chicken sandwich in French bread with the chicken sauce and potato squares. Delicious. His favourite saying was "feel it and eat it," referring to the sandwich obviously, hot, big and crunchy. Scands used to give credit. He wrote everything down in a book. Somehow the rich always had a long credit line, sometimes more than what they really ate.. so the story goes. His wife made sure he collects, and made sure he serves smaller servings. At the end of the year, if one did not have enough money to pay the bills, he would take any thing. Pillow cases, bed spreads, jackets, whatever. And besides going for sandwiches, we used to make out bit behind the shop, and hide from the prefects....until we became prefects.
Great food, lovely ambiance, and they take bad credit! Sarmad Al-Wadi: The best sandwich he used to make is the garlic chicken long stick, followed closely by peanut butter and honey in an oven roasted French stick. Dave Reyburn: Chocomax sandwiches, remember those? 50 piasters for half size and 1 lira for full size. Pure chocolate spread in a sandwich. Yum ! Also everyone had accounts and no one had any money so they'd always yell "Al haseb ya scandar" (put it on the account) and Scandar would yell back "pay me you bastard!" and Scandar had that little book to keep tally of who owed him what. Anonymous: To borders Scand's was an oasis of plenty in an otherwise stark desert with no food. Dinner was served at 6:00PM and that would be the last meal until breakfast. At 9:00 PM, after Study, many inhabitants, driven by hunger, would risk the wrath of the Master on Duty by venturing into Scand's territory, climbing the wall to enter through the back way. I recall once running away from Scand's upon hearing the MoD's voice entering through Scand's main doors, making a "suicidal" jump down the wall (I was not particularly athletic). One MoD, Sami Saad (also the Registrar at the time) was a very strict disciplinarian and a staunch observer of the school's curfew on borders. He would wait at the bottom of the wall by Scand's with a note pad and a pen, to write the names of the wretched escapees returning to camp and condemning them to a court martial, awaiting detentions and other punitive measures. When Sami Saad was on duty, only the most hardened of violators would dare cross the boundaries! Tony Na'ameh: I remember very well his great sandwiches and banana filled pancakes. I even trained one of my staff to prepare pancakes like he used to do. I still have them on a regular basis! MaRia Reyburn: Remember how Scanda would be busy making toasted chocolate-spread sandwiches (the famous "chocomax" -- watch out for falling cigarette ash between the bread...) and there'd be four or five impatient students wanting their change which was always stuffed in his trouser pockets--never in the till-- and instead of saying 'reach in my pocket,' since his hands were full, with cigarette drooping from the side of his mouth he'd mumble, (at least to the guys) "tickle my balls! Tickle my balls!" What an outrageous thing to remember! Actually, David reminded me of that one... When I used to get red in the face from playing basketball, and everyone else said I looked like a tomato, old Scanda said I looked like a rose. God love 'em. Scanda's probably up in heaven somewhere, having himself a good laugh at all of us, and ticklin' his balls! Sammy Nagem: on the phone "My favorite Scand's sandwich? Tomato and mayo."... then he put me on hold while he went and made one. -- Debi Cates Frances Hudson Nehme: I was at Brummana when Scandar was a Bint-Free Zone -- sexist times. We used to get our sloppy jello (I think he made a few gallons from one packet and one tin of fruit salad) and 'arous rock and roll by all forms of feminine bribery and corruption. I do remember brave males being sent over the wall behind the Meeting House during class-time to fetch our goodies for us -- and being given detention by girl Prefects when we got power -- Abuse of Insider Information!!!! (When you've done Scandar, try Kanaan's. The amount of organized stealing that went on their to try to get our money back! Also quite a bit of our partying went on in the hotel.) [For those of us who's Arabic isn't what it used to be -- or ever was really -- "Bint"="girl".] Anonymous: One of his traits that I remember vividly is the way he'd cuss us out: "You fuckin!" That was it. Never "You fucking asshole" or "You fucking bastard" or "You fucking anything." Just "You fuckin." I still use that, and chuckle when I do. Danny Nagem: Scandar always seemed to know when each student was 'over their personal credit limit'. On pocket money days when he would see me out, he would yell across the street "When are you going to paaaayyy???" When I looked back across the street, he'd have a big grin on his face, knowing I'd be broke again. Joey Nagem: Oh I'm sure everyone knows of mine and Scandar's financial dealings, but to tell you the truth I can't remember my high balance with him. My favorite sandwich? Labneh with tomatoes. Hussein Gomaa: I remember well how tasty his food was. I remember him playing this fatherly figure for all of us, yet his jokes were of our age. I remember he had a number of Flipper games which we all enjoyed playing with and they would never actually work when you put your money into them, but only when Scandar would come up to the machine and kick them, did they actual start operating. But what I remember the most was how we all used Scandar as a hide out. Every type of student in BHS used Scandar for that purpose. We would all jump the wall and not go through the proper gate. The funny thing is that everybody (school staff) at BHS knew how the student were manipulating this phenomenon, yet no one did anything to stop it. Scandar will always remain as part of my memories of BHS. He was our Godfather. Payam Adl Pavar: He was something special. He called me his little flower in the desert! Come to think of it, I think he called a lot of people that !? Debi Cates: Lunchtime was crazy! All kinds of kids and all kinds of sandwiches and everyone in a hurry. I remember often grilling my steak sandwiches myself, right behind the counter with Scandar and half a dozen other kids -- Scandar much too busy for things we could do ourselves. I still wonder how did he keep track of anything in all that confusion and noise? Mmmmm...the sound and smell of sizzling slivers of steak, lathered in garlic and onions. Transfer to split french bread, elbow my way to put the whole thing in to heat in that blackened hinged contraption. When it starts to smoke, time to remove and smear thickly some mayonnaise. Finished sandwich in hand, grab a cold triangle of pineapple-orange drink. Pay (a few of us did, you know) then slip to the back, weather permitting. Leaving the deafening din to eat in peace and maybe time for one secret smoke before returning to afternoon classes. Ahhh, a perfect lunch for growing scholars. Anonymous: A footnote about "you fuckin!" - You might add that he said that to the non-Arabic speakers only. To those of us who spoke Arabic, he modified it to a more native-sounding "ya fuckin!" The distinction is subtle but meaningful. Also, it was usually preceded by either PAY or BAS (Arabic for STOP). In whole, the expressions that go down in infamy are "Pay ya fuckin!" and "Bas ya fuckin!" The former speaks for itself as to context. The latter was usually prompted by a patron sneaking a few extra potato cubes to throw into his chicken sandwich... One final note... I'd venture to assert that no female patron was ever on the receiving end of any such utterance. Scandar was simply too much a gentleman for that. Love, french bread, chicken breast, potato cubes, chicken sauce, and the world's most exquisite garlic paté...
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