In the heart of Watts, where the sun bakes the sidewalk and sounds of laughter, Spanish rock, and hip-hop blend with the daily hustle of life, there is an unassuming house behind red drapes on Grape Street. Its front yard is home to Mid East Eats (MEE).
On that lawn, a recipe of chickpeas, herbs, and spices is fried into perfect golden falafel, a dish that has been passed down through generations of resistance, and just one of nineteen meatless menu items that offer a taste of historic Palestine in Watts.
Inside, Mid East Eats is lively and colorful, decorated with cultural art, and a painting of two people wearing keffiyehs at the door. Sumer Durke, the founder of MEE, was born in Maryland to Palestinian parents.