When you admire something that your Arab friends or colleagues are wearing, be careful with how you express your admiration, because Qatari hospitality is apparently no joke.
According to the latest Qtip from the I Love Qatar team, compliments can sometimes be confused with desire – i.e., if you say you like someone’s phone, that could be interpreted as you coveting it for yourself.
Such envy, culturally speaking, is something many Arabs are wary of.
Thus, to counter or resolve any feelings of jealousy – and to be kind – the person receiving the compliment may feel compelled to hand over the item in question.
Speaking to Doha News, ILQ co-founder Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon said:
“I’ve given a mobile, iPhone case, little trinkets, a pen, cuff links, and actually I even gave an expat my thobe!”
To successfully deliver praise – instead of inadvertently soliciting a gift – ILQ advises people to “Say mashAllah, say it looks better on you – it’s the right thing to do.”
Have you ever found yourself in an awkward situation due to a compliment? Thoughts?
They should make a piece about how expats don’t give a pooh about how to talk to locals coz neither party cares and how locals don’t care what expats think of them or the other way round coz neither cares…
Maybe a piece on how to navigate renewing your residency, getting out of parking tickets, securing a place for your kid in a school.. Something more useful something ppl actually give a d a m n about
I actually think these videos are quite entertaining :-).
Entertaining .. Yes.. Funny.. Very much.. Useful.. I dunno
Hello A_qtr! I think that your comment about “neither party caring” is really unnecessary… but, by all means, if you feel other content should be online, please create a tube channel. I am sure you will have a good audience, if you do tackle the issues you suggest, and you will get your own followers amongst the winging expat community, as well as people like me, who also appreciate what these guys are doing with Qtip. Good luck.
I think expats do like learn abount the overall qatari culture. Especially the none arab sector… I love these two guys and their great work.
U R WRONG….
I like these guys…more power…hope i can meet them around doha
I was waiting for the green light and a Lamborghini stopped next to me and I told the guy that I liked his car, then it turned green and we drove away. Now I get it, he was chasing me down the road to give me the keys to his Lambo, but I was way too fast for him to catch me. Silly me. 🙂
lol
Reaaalllly?
The other day I complemented a man of Arab extraction on how lucky he was to have such a clever and lovely wife. The doctor says I should be walking again in about six months.
You’re really lucky. Others never walked again.
lol
Did you extract him with the oil?
lol….donti look to my wife…if u look to my wife, i will kiiiiiiil u!
It goes even further. Once a Qatari friend asked me to take a photo of him and handed me his Olympus camera. I said to him I didn’t know how to use it. “Keep it, and learn how to use it,” he said.
The pen or watch they carry cost more than an Olympus camera probably. I complimented your music, where’s my guitar?
I did this by accident when I first moved here. I complimented a woman at the bank. She had a very unique and beautiful watch. I said, “your watch is so beautiful!”. She kept trying to give it to me. I was so embarrassed because I realized the mistake I made.
Tried that at QDC………………
Lol
Both of them are awesome.
I complimented a woman once on her gorgeous shoes. She started taking them off as she was asking what size I was. I insisted ‘no no, thank you, so generous, but no!’ Lesson learned!!
Hmmm.. I just wonder now about how many people will purposely compliment the locals so they can get what they have! haha! Gee Mr Q – thanks for the great hint at how to get the good stuff! LOL … Just saying.. but just joking! 🙂
Getting an evil eye is very common in Qatar, specially since thousands of people stare at everyone on daily basis lol. So in order to avoid getting an evil eye when people compliment without saying Masha’Allah they give the stuff.
I am going to compliment a Qatari on their salary…
I tried complementing on someone having a range rover but should have put more meat into it. LOL