Hello, Twin Cities.
It's that time of year again,
and we're here live from the fairgrounds with less than 24 hours
until the 151st annual Minnesota State Fair.
And if this year's culinary offerings are any indication,
we're in for a big treat.
Chocolate chip cookie beer, peaches and cream nachos and a deep-fried dilly dog,
which, if I'm getting this right, is a sausage inside a hollowed out pickle
and then deep-fried.
We'll meet one of the faces of the 2010 State Fair, Jibril Hadi.
You might've seen his face on billboards all over town.
This young man has a restaurant right here in Little Mogadishu,
but he's always dreamed of having a booth at the fair.
He's tried five times before to get in,
but this year he won the selection committee over
-with a very unusual offering. -Stay tuned,
because you'll never believe the dish he's serving.
-We're clear. -You should probably lose the gum.
-Welcome to the show, Jibril. -Thank you. I appreciate it.
So, Jibril, tell us what you got cooking up.
Camel-on-a-stick.
Don't tell me you've never eaten camel.
-I haven't. -No.
No? Well, you're missing out, okay?
Let me tell you, it's delicious. All right?
You know what, I'll hook you guys up at the fair.
-You know, speaking of the fair… -Yeah.
…two million people come through every year.
So how much camel meat do you need to buy to feed those numbers?
Not much. Just 8,000 pounds.
-Eight thousand pounds of camel meat? -Yeah.
You're not getting that at the deli counter at Kowalski's.
Well, what are you doing sitting here with us?
-Shouldn't you be cooking? -You're right.
-You get out of here now. -I'm outta here.
Mama, I love you.
This is Randy Zimmer from KNOW 91 FM.
Welcome back. This is KAXD.
Here we are at KQYP with Jibril Hadi, the camel-on-a-stick guy.
Hey. Thank you. Glad to be here.
Billboards, TV.
You've become the face of the State Fair this year.
Here's a dumb question. Where do you even get camel meat?
Believe it or not, Australia.
Australia?
That's where the best camel comes from.
I wasn't expecting that.
You have less than 24 hours to pull this off?
Yeah, that's right.
That's a lot to do by tomorrow.
This sounds like a pretty big swing.
-Good luck. -Thank you.
-This is Jibril. -Hi, it's Pam from Star Tribune.
We only have a few minutes, so I'm just gonna jump in.
How did you even come up with camel-on-a-stick?
I mean, camels are the most important animals in our culture, you know?
They're tough and a pain in the ass.
Just like me.
-Hey, Jibril! -I like that.
Hey!
Jibril!
-Jibril! -I'm sorry.
-Could you hold for one sec? -Hey!
Mohamed, do you not see the phone to my ear?
Your new sign has the flag painted on it.
-So? -So?
You copied my sign exactly!
That's rich.
And who stole whose Chicken Fantastic recipe, huh?
Who? Somali food police. Man, get out of here!
Who sells camel meat on a stick?
You are dishonoring the camel meat.
Hey, man.
Listen.
Okay, I won't forget about you when I'm rich and famous.
What is "rich and famous"? What do we even have?
Go away, you are crazy.
-Is there a Muslim around here? -Everything okay?
You need the scholars to recite the Qur'an to you.
Camels. Yeah.
Did you know that a beautiful woman could command 100 camels
from a potential suitor? Did you know that?
I did not know that.
The Somali community must be so excited about this.
Guess who it is?
-It's Denzel Washington! -I'm on a call.
Is it true that you tried for many years to get into the fair before this?
So, I applied to the fair for the first time about,
like, three years ago with suqaar and chapati.
But the judges were like, "Isn't that just stewed beef and bread?"
-How did you come up with this? -Hey, Jibril. We gotta talk.
Anything on a stick is always a big hit, so I was like, "Boom, mango on a stick."
-I love mango. -Too spicy for Americans.
I can't make it any less spicy and still call it Somali.
It's bisbaas, not salad dressing.
And then went to make what?
Then I said, "Chicken is too boring. Everyone pitches chicken."
So I thought, "What's delicious?
What's not boring? What could be on a stick?"
-Camel. -Most of us have never had camel.
-Yeah, I smell it right now. -Does that taste good?
What? The flavor? Insane.
I, honestly-- I can't wait to try it.
Better than I could've hoped for.
Are you nervous about having to feed two million people?
Am I nervous? Who has time to be nervous?
Well, not you. You've got lots of cooking to do.
Thank you for your time.
And make me look good.
-I don't think that'll be a problem. -Okay. Bye.
What do you mean you haven't heard from him in ten hours?
Jibril. I talked to my cousin.
God willing, he'll be there soon with the meat.
-Relax, bro. No stress. -Relax? No stress?
The meat was supposed to be here yesterday!
I've got 24 hours to cook 8,000 pounds of camel meat,
and you're telling me not to stress?
Find out where the truck is and call me back.
The meat's still not here.
It'll be here.
What is all that?
Ingredients for my ranch dip.
First camel-on-a-stick and now ranch dressing?
Ranch dressing.
Do Chinese restaurants in China have fortune cookies?
No, but they should.
Just don't be like Mo Farah!
Mo Farah?
He's no Mo Farah.
Wait, wait. Mo Farah is the fastest runner in the world.
A champion!
He may not be Mo Farah,
but he's a chef from Minneapolis.
Famous, famous chef.
Who's Mo Farah?
Somali runner who runs for the UK.
So they're calling you a sellout.
I don't think you're a sellout, Chef. You're making money.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we got ourselves the good stuff for the dipping sauce.
We can't serve camel with ranch. It's like putting ketchup on a steak.
Americans like ranch. Somalis like ranch.
This Indian likes ranch.
-Viraj, get this off my counter. -You bet.
Sammy, what's up?
Jibril, my cousin's on the other line.
I will conference him in.
Hey, I've got Jibril on the line.
I swear it wasn't my fault.
What wasn't your fault?
Jibril, not a big deal, but the truck broke down.
What? Where's my meat? What happened to my meat?
It's okay, man.
I got the truck towed to a cold storage warehouse.
-Yo, where are we? -Moorhead.
Moorhead. Where's Moorhead?
-Moorhead? -It's cool, man.
I've got a new truck coming.
I got you a sweet deal, okay?
You just need to pay when the truck arrives.
Sammy…
your truck broke down. You pay for the sweet deal.
I have an extra $1,800?
You want your meat?
You gotta pay.
I get the ayuuto in, like, three months. I will pay you back then.
Hi. Geesi, what's up, man?
I've called you three times, man.
Are you coming tonight or not?
To what?
To what? The semi-finals.
Am I the only one who cares about this football team?
I have to prep, okay?
For what?
The fair. That you work at?
I have no meat. I have no sauce, man. I have nothing.
But who's going to play striker?
Farah.
Farah? Farah. Brilliant.
But then who will play defense?
Hold on, I gotta take this call.
Hello?
Hi. So, I talked to the truck driver.
Idiot forgot his phone charger at his girlfriend's.
Sammy, what is your point? Do you have an update?
He just passed Bismarck, so he'll be there in like six hours.
-Bye. -I told you it's cool, man.
-I got you. -Bye.
-Hello? -It's still Geesi.
What if I move Cawil to forward?
-If I move Cawil, I could-- -Geesi, I gotta go.
-I gotta talk to my brother. -But wait--
Hey, big shot. You still owe me 500 for ayuuto this month.
Already?
Okay, just give me a few days, all right?
My brother's too fancy for ayuuto?
It's Somali-style wealth building.
Ayuuto is simple.
But people have to pay when it's their turn.
You can't jump the order when you want. No exceptions.
I know.
Ayuuto works when everyone pays.
See, Geesi needs this month's money.
To not pay is…
That was social suicide.
Every last cent went into the fair.
Twenty-seven thousand for the camel meat,
2000 for the refrigerator, all this extra stuff.
-What am I supposed to give you? -Take a breath, brother.
You move too fast.
I'm okay.
Why do this?
You have employees,
you have a family who depends on you.
Why gamble like this when you know gambling is haram?
It's not a gamble if I know it's gonna work.
That's what I'm trying to tell you.
I'm gonna put it into my franchise, Boqor Express.
Imagine that.
Sometimes, you think too much like an American dreamer.
You're Somali.
Your success or your failure reflects on all of us.
Idris, you don't think I know this?
Listen.
I won't tell anyone I'm covering your ayuuto.
Change your shirt.
You smell like camel.
Idris, I'm gonna make you proud one day.
We all saw you on TV.
Yeah, what do you think?
Jibril, you didn't know what to do with your hands.
You were looking all around.
Come here.
Handsome like your father.
God willing, you're going to win the fair.
I know it.
God willing.
Yeah.
There's no winning or losing.
I'm happy just to be in.
So modest.
Oh, Jibril, I didn't know you lived here anymore.
I thought you slept on a pile of napkins in your restaurant.
And tablecloths for blankets.
The dryer broke again?
I'll call Ryan.
I have to get to this soccer game.
Why do you look worried?
It's nothing.
Pitfalls of being a mogul. Yeah?
I should go. Geesi's helping me get my meat.
Lift up your pants. I can see your underwear!
You can't look this way in public.
-It's just a soccer game. -Is everyone there blind?
Keep laughing at me.
Okay, see you.
-You don't know how to defend. -That's your side.
They are attacking us from your side.
Get out of here.
Now get the ball.
Over here! Over here!
Sammy? Hey, Sam, what's up? What's happening?
The truck will be there in an hour.
I told you-- It's cool, man.
-Did you get the money to pay the driver? -Hey!
I'm getting it from Geesi right now.
If you want my ayuuto money, you have to play!
Come on, man!
I'll be there.
You're rich.
All right. Let's do this.
You're gonna make all this meat by tomorrow?
Sure will.
-You need help? -Thank you, Noah. Yeah.
All right.
You're crazy.
Yeah, so, I'm gonna need $36 for gas and snacks.
If we don't respect the music wheel, we have anarchy.
Spin the wheel. Who's up?
Noah!
Come on, Noah. Let's see what you got!
I got this.
Go.
Let's get this thing done. All right, guys?
All right.
Oh, yeah. Come on.
I need a break. I'm about to fall over.
No, we can't stop.
If we don't cook all night, we won't make it, okay?
Jibril, I can't even see straight.
We've literally been working since yesterday.
We have to push through. This is just the first batch.
No.
My camel meat.
-Open the door! -Get it out!
-Fan it! -Hani, grab the…
Shit!
Jibril, the sprinklers!
Go, go, go.
Shit. You got that?
Shit! Cover my meat!
I'll get to the sprinklers. We can shut them off.
-Cover the meat! -Grab some.
-All of it! -Here's a blanket.
I got this side!
Noah, get that one open!
Turn the sprinklers off!
How do I turn these off?
-God, come on! -I'm gonna lose the meat.
Jibril.
Are you all right?
-Oh, my God. -Just cover the damn meat.
Okay.
Come on, let's get these covered!
-Help me get the meat out. -Get towels, cover it!
You guys cover that side.
We saved most of the meat.
By the time we clean the kitchen--
It doesn't even matter.
It's over.
Just get some rest. You never stop.
I haven't even slept in--
I don't even remember when.
Or eaten.
What happened?
Did you burn your camel-on-a-stick?
My…
My kitchen flooded.
We're out of commission.
Say what you want to say.
By God, I'm sorry to hear that, brother.
I'll bring an order of sambusa on the house.
I'll have the Iskudheh Karis.
Iskudheh Karis.
The one everyone talks about.
And a mango juice.
Okay.
As soon as possible.
Man, it's Geesi again. Pick up! Are you avoiding me?
I was thinking about the Championship Game.
You like the idea of Yassin as right midfielder?
Think about it. That speed?
Just like Abdi Bile.
Call me.
Here.
Real Somali cuisine.
Enjoy.
I gotta admit.
It may be even better than mine.
It is better than yours.
Why are you running yourself into the ground over this fair?
You have a successful business.
Not as good as mine, but you do what you can.
I was nine when the civil war broke out,
at school in front of the whole class
doing a presentation about the solar system.
And then it was like an eruption.
Idris and I just started running.
We ran for three days until we reached the camps.
No idea where our parents were.
And from there, to West Virginia.
And from there to here.
I never stopped running.
You're the first Somali brother
on the billboard for the Minnesota State Fair.
You got close.
Let me finish my prep here.
You butter me up with your refugee stories,
but you have an angle!
It's not like that.
-People always have an angle! -I don't have an angle.
Do it for your Somali brother from another mother.
I have an angle, too.
Yeah?
I take a cut of what you make at the fair.
-Okay, let's do it. -And--
I want you to take the flag off your sign.
-You'll need to kill the flag. -Okay, you have the flag.
Do you really think
my Iskudheh Karis is better…
Yo, in your dreams.
In your dreams yours is better.
Yeah, right.
Today is the day, folks.
This is a first at the Minnesota State Fair.
Camel-on-a-stick.
Now, we are here with this young man behind me, Jibril Hadi.
The Imagineer behind the Boqor booth, and we are so excited for him.
It took this one great idea,
and that is to serve camel to the folks of Minnesota.
The question is, are people gonna love this?
This is camel-on-a-stick,
and I'm gonna try it for you right here, first time ever.
And, folks, I promise I'm gonna tell you exactly what I think.
Okay, here I go. Wish me luck.
Tastes almost like chicken.
This is good. Get in here, folks.
This is going to be a hit.
All right. Come on in. Let's do this.
Coming right up.
Thank you. Hi. There you are. Here. One more.
Thank you.
Shout out. I appreciate it.
Yeah.
There you go.
These are great, man.
-You okay? -Yeah.
-Camel-on-a-stick coming up. -Who wants some camel?
So what do you think?
Yeah. It's great.
Okay.
My son, the star.
You make me proud. So very proud.
You'll like this idea.
You play forward striker.
I'll fill in Cawil's position.
I'll make Cawil play right wing.
Farah can keep his position.
No one will stop us!
Hey, welcome to the family, Camel Guy.
What do you think?
Jibril, you okay?
-Call 911. -Jibril?
-He fell right there. -Jibril!
Wake up, man.
Jibril! Wake up, man.
We need a medic by the Ferris wheel. Do you copy that?
-What happened? -Anybody know how to do CPR?
Jibril.
Wake up, man.
Jibril.
Can you hear me?
Do you know where you are?
Easy.
You're gonna need an X-ray.
I just gotta get to my booth.
I got it.
Bro.
It's a hit! You sold out.
Folks love them some camel.
You did it.
Thank you.
That's nice, that's nice.
That's six burgers. Six burgers.
-Six burgers heard? -Six burgers, chef.
-Come on. -Table three is ready!
-Behind you. -We need to get it going.
-No, I haven't dished it. -Coming up. We got your plates.
-All right. Take it out. -Okay.
Where are my waiters?
-Spice is ready. -Waiter!
-Let's get this plating. -You're doing great.
-Anybody got the herb? -Plates!
Hello. Thank you for coming.
Excuse me.
-Wow. -Wow. Thank you.
Enjoy the meal.
Do you think we could take a quick picture with you?
-Of course. -I can take it.
Thank you.
Come on.
That's my baby brother.
Hey.
Thank you.
Brother.
-You look tired. -No, I'm okay.
A camel at least stops when they find water.
So many people.
I'm going to Mohamed's.
It's too loud in here.
Stupid.
Check it.
Are you crazy?
In what world is that a good move?
Hey, Mr. Big Shot!
Too boring for you across the street?
I try not to forget about the little people.
Mohamed, why are you serving these guys expired bananas?
I save the good ones for my good customers.
Man, you could've played the five.
Amateur hours.
Deal me in!