I had dinner with a friend the other day down in Dearborn at Sheeba Yemini restaurant. We went to the newer restaurant in West Dearborn, not the original one in East Dearborn. I know that Middle Eastern food and all the variants that come with it from Egyptian, Iraqi, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Yemini, etc. aren't uniquely Detroit. I know by now lots of other metro areas in the country have restaurants that serve Middle Eastern food of some variety, from one of the aforementioned countries. But no other region has it as good as we do. We have such a plethora of amazing Middle Eastern restaurants from so many different countries and regions in that part of the world. Throw a rock across the street in Metro Detroit and chances are you'll hit a building or strip mall that has a restaurant serving faatoosh, falafal, ghallaba, shwarma, tabooli, and so much more. We really are spoiled around here with some amazing ethnic cuisines from around the world.
In the case of Middle Eastern food, I barely even think of it as that anymore. I think of all of those foods as just American and Detroit staples. I want a chicken or lamb shawarma for lunch as much and as often as I'd want a burger or a coney dog.