Friday, September 24, 2004

Chicken Nuggets

A uniquely Kuwaiti "expression" - if you can call it that...

I'm not even 100% sure what it means or how it came about, but I think it's supposed to be a derogatory term that refers to (mostly) young, upper middle class, Kuwaitis who went to foreign schools like A.S.K. or N.E.S. or a bilingual school like Bayan. I think it also refers to Kuwaitis who went to university in the States and Europe, although I know of several Kuwaiti specimens who spent years in America but came back speaking the worst English imaginable, having spent their time there mainly cooking "machboos" and playing cards with other like-minded Kuwaiti students.

I'm also not sure if there's an age limit to the expression. Even I've been called a Chicken Nugget (behind my back) and believe me... I ain't no spring chicken!! I also never went to any of the schools I mentioned; I graduated from a standard government all-boys high school but I did go to college in Washington D.C.

So what do you think it really means? What are its origins? And what's so bad about being a Chicken Nugget?

24 comments:

  1. See me where? ;-P

    Fish fillets are equally vile junk food. Read "Fast Food Nation" or wait till "Supersize Me" is released.

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  2. I havent heard this expression alot but it exists. at least it's "classier" than what was used to refer to kuwaitis who speak english or just even use an english word by mistake when talking en arabe.
    The expression was (and widely still is) "English skool English skool", or more likely (3nglish skool 3nglish skool)- and believe me it's not fun to be reffered to as so, it demonstrates how different you are seen by them from "them"selves.

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  3. Hey zaydoun,
    well i am a chicken nugget, and im not embarassed about it. what is there to be embarrased about?!
    mostly in my experience of chicken nuggets, most uf us have non-arab mothers, such as american or canadian, or venezuelan in my case, and kuwaiti dads. most of our parents met in the USA and we have spent a great amount of time abroad. We feel awkward in a disdasha and a qatra but dont mind wearing a disdasha with sneakers :P
    Most of us talk to each other in English and listen to rock, or techno, but not that much to mainstream hip-hop. we find life in kuwait NOT to be boring, because we always find some mischief to take part in. many of us dont know how to have an intelligent conversation in arabic and will most likely stutter when talking in arabic. diwania is just another place to get together and play playstation or x-box instead of cards, and eat pizza insstead of drinking tea.

    when we study abroad we usually like to get drunk and hangout with NON-kuwaitis, and generaly avoid those who like to spend their time cooking mechboos diyay.

    origins of the chicken nugget phenomena was in my father's generation where their parents would send them abroad to learn english and ASK, UAS and AIS oppened in q8 and kuwaitis where a minority in foreign schools.

    like many non-chicken nugget kuwaitis, we enjoy the chalet but we dont wake up at 3pm. we are usually out and about wreakeing havoc or getting drunk in the morning.

    also many chicken nuggets get critizised for not knowing arabic. but the vast majority of CN's do have a solid understanding of cus words and will always ask their arabic teachers what they mean and say their cousin told them it meant something good.

    To CN's religion class is boring and almost concidered punishment. most CN's i know do no fast, myself included, but will readily devour mechboos at if6ar.

    so far you are right on your assesment of CN's.
    any more questions and just ask.

    also, Crappy_Nappy posted this
    http://hathra.blogspot.com/2004/09/how-to-detect-chicken-nugget-v-10.html

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  4. can someone translate what hesaid? merci!

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  5. Why chicken nuggets, they're greasy, funny looking and I prefer feeding them 2 my dog if I had one. And I think it came from the original Q8ti expression of " diyay makeena" to address the new lazy "troofa" generation who would do nothing all day and expect everything. Personally I prefer being called sushi ?. It has more class ? and tastes yummy.

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  6. Zaydoun
    I think something is wrong with your blog, it is changing my dots to question marks
    Here is a test"in off.word":
    ???????????.
    Another test"directly on blog"
    ............

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  7. Damn, I just realized this topic was covered several times in other blogs while I was away.

    APOLOGIES!!

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  8. I never liked chicken nuggets myself..always thought it was for little kids only....A chicken nugget is not a chicken nor a nugget..and no one can even eat the stuff without dipping it first in some slimy sugary sauce...

    I would like to differentiate between UK born/educated poultry...which should be called the Fish&Chips and the US born/educated ones which should be known as the Buffalo Wings

    As for the rest of us Kuwaitis who never tasted true fish & chippies or chewed on real buffalo wings...we prefer to be called as the (Chicken-less) Mechabees

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  9. One more thing...

    I'm old school...I ate Fish Fingers from Birdseye and like Zaydoun I went to Arabic only public schools here ...and never had the chance to meet any Poultry

    poor moi

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  10. The term chicken nuggets was coined in 1993 by a group of Kuwaiti girls who went to public Kuwaiti high school mainly (i know them by name, i must say). They came up with this term to refer to their cousins who went to (just like u said: ASK, NES, KES, etc..) and the term only spread, surprisingly, recently.

    In Jeddah, the equivalent term (coined by non-other but wasma!) is Non-dairy creamer!

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  11. I hate fish fingers. Why eat that crap when you have the best fish in the world here? ميد وصبور وشيم وزبيدي وصبيطي ونقارير

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  12. If CN's like what mishu1984 said (party animals)I am in like flin

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  13. Rabab, I like the comparison between diyay makeena and chicken nuggets.. makes perfect sense.

    I have nothing against chicken nuggets, but I don't get it when some say they don't understand Arabic. Our filipino maid speaks good arabic with a perfect kuwaiti accent and she's only been here for 5 years.
    My brother is a chicken nugget. He quit his bank job saying he couldn't 'communicate' well with Arab clients. Luv u bro ;)

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  14. Dear Shrouq
    There is no communication the banking sector period, whether you know how to speak Arabic or not.

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  15. I second that emotion, Mosan

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  16. Mishu, You are a multi cultural Kuwaiti, not a chicken nugget. But you will fit in to the CN category for not speaking arabic.

    Btw there was a really fun & funny website dedicated to MC kuwaities called something like multiculturalkuwaiti.com but that URL is not right. If any one finds it please let me know.

    Msabah, I like the term 'non-dairy creamer' because CNs use these kinds of words instead of brand names like 'coffee mate'. Way to go Wasii! LOL

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  17. http://p080.ezboard.com/bmulticulturalkuwaiti

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  18. Shanks mosan, i saw this, but it seems that the website of which this discussion was in, is no longer there :/

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  19. Thanks mosan. i went to taht website and got really freaked out. its mostly people bitching about his and that and how they are *different* from everyone else and that they are *special*. you are not special unless you are retarded! get with the program! its fags like those that give MCs and CNs a bad reputation..

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  20. More stereotypes, generalizations, and labels, how fun.

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  21. For what its worth.

    Multicultural Kuwaiti forum has been brought back from the dead.

    http://forums.thekuwaiti.com/

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  22. hmmm i thought thet were called KEWL DUDES ?!? and chicken nugget meant ayshay ?!

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  23. http://wwwsangambayard-c-m.com

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Keep it clean, people!