This article is the fifth in a series called “Festival of Flavors.” For six weeks, kids around the world shared the family recipes that most evoke their heritage. Visit this issue’s table of contents to read the other installments!

I was very excited about my eighth birthday because I was finally getting my own cell phone as a birthday present. I invited all of my school mates and park buddies to the party. I wanted to show off my new phone.

It was five in the evening. I was anxiously waiting for Sara, Amna, Aqsa, and Marium. After an uncomfortable hour-long wait, I got phone calls from my friends — one after the other, apologizing for not coming to my party. Some had transport problems and some had other responsibilities. I was depressed. I can still picture myself as an eight-year-old, sobbing in my mother’s lap. At that moment, I hated everyone and everything — the new dress and jewelry I wore for the party, the decorations, and the food.

I felt pathetic. Now, I laugh at myself when I recall crying over a little party. You face bigger problems when you grow older, but for an eight-year-old, a ruined party is a very big problem.

My mother tried to calm me by telling about the new mobile phone I’d get in few hours. I ate some chocolates and dreamed about playing games on the new phone. Half an hour later, my father came home with empty hands, telling me that the phone was out of stock. After more crying, my mother decided to send me to my grandmother’s house.

When I reached my grandmother’s home, she took me to the kitchen with her soft hands and her welcoming voice. She had prepared my favorite dish — khausay — to better my mood.

Khausay is a Memoni dish that consists of spaghetti with gravy and potato chips. Khausay is a very special dish made for special guests. In our society, it is considered a divine dish since it is made with expensive ingredients and takes a lot of hard work. Usually khausay is everybody’s favorite.

I was shocked to see khausay in front of me. It requires a lot of hard work, and I couldn’t believe that my grandmother made the effort to prepare it for me. My grandmother and I ate the khausay with some Pepsi and chatted about my childhood. She told me I was five years old when I first had khausay on Eid, the Islamic festival. She told that she loved it when I made a mess, but my mom hated to clean it up.

Afterward, I realized that friends are important, but family is more so — whether you are an eight-year-old or an eighty-year-old. From the beginning of life until the end, family will always make you happy. It will be a blessing to relive the memory and celebrate my eighteenth birthday the same way. My grandmother has been in the United States since 2010, but I hope to see her very soon.