It runs in the family: Saiem and Saad Nasir

Saiem and Saad Nasir, director of operations at the tantalising food joints Scream and Hoagies, give us a taste of their childhood. From knocking each other out at home to fighting each other’s battles on the football field, these brothers truly make a remarkable duo!

What’s your first memory of each other?

Saiem: Playing cricket and making him bowl numerous deliveries to me. Obviously I was not allowed to get out. We grew up playing sports, and we still do till today.

Saad: Saiem has always been a troublemaker, so my first memory of him is just trouble. Breaking something, fighting with someone, running away – the man beamed with pride when I first laid a right hook on him and knocked his tooth out!



What is the craziest thing you have done together?

Saiem: We stole all the patio furniture from a Starbucks in Orange County once. That’s the only kosher thing I can think of. Others, I am sorry, I cannot mention.

Saad: Countless crazy incidents and wild run-ins! Definitely cannot be put on paper. A lot of firsts with the older brother, that’s for sure.

What did you get punished for the most as a child?

Saiem: Oh god, literally everything. I was the kid who was sent to the principal’s office for any incident. Sometimes, yes, the cause was valid, but by default, it was always me. My parents, however, never punished us for anything. They’re the coolest.

Saad: I was very stealthy with my misdoings, and I would usually get away with a lot, as Saiem was classified as the mischievous one.

If you could only wear one piece of clothing for the rest of your life, from the other’s closet, what would it be?

Saiem: Saad’s socks. Only because it would annoy him so much.

Saad: Saiem buys clothes saying, “Oh if this doesn’t fit, you can have it!” It’s a win-win situation for me, if it doesn’t fit him, I wear it, and if does fit him, I still wear it — perks of being almost the same size!

If you could swap places with each other, what’s the first thing you would you do?

Saiem: Clean his room and car.

Saad: Enjoy the feeling of no stress.

What is the one thing you love about your brother?

Saiem: His composure. He is always calm and composed, whether it is at work or during a match. It really calms me as well.  He truly is ‘Mr Cool’.

Saad: Saiem abides by the ‘only-I-am-allowed-to-mess-with-him’ rule. He is a very protective brother, even though he doesn’t always show it. He is always ready to fight my physical battles for me (one might call him my body guard). This has been tried and tested on many occasions on the football field.

If you are fighting with each other, how do you make up?

Saiem: We stay silent until we feel like talking to each other. We’re men!

Saad: We used to fight a lot, which toned down as we grew up. Normally we don’t ‘make up’, but after a certain period of time we just become normal again.



What is the one secret talent your brother has, that you wish you did too?

Saiem: His ability to play pranks. Trust me, it takes talent to be evil in a funny way!

Saad: Saiem is extremely talented. He has a creative eye and makes everything unique. Also, he’s got the music gene whereas, I can only wish I wasn’t as tone-deaf.

Describe your brother in three words:

Saiem: Saad is intelligent, calm and athletic.

Saad: Creative, passionate and indecisive.

Which fictional character is your brother most like?

Saiem: No one does evil and funny better than him (like Mojo Jojo) and he also loves gadgets (like Inspector Gadget). So he would be a hybrid of Mojo Jojo and Inspector Gadget! He would terrorise people by destroying their iPhones, or exposing Whatsapp conversations.

Saad: Michelangelo — always hungry, always down to party.



How are your personalities similar?

Saiem: We have different personalities and our brains function differently, but we relate to each other on most things. We share a common love for music, movies and competition.

Saad: We are only two years apart and have spent almost our entire life together, playing sports or hanging out with the same group of friends. So naturally we are quite similar. We have the same taste in music, clothes and apparently, we talk like each other too!

I can’t live without my brother because…

Saeim: Without Saad, I would lose a teammate for life. His calming influence has played a huge role in determining who I am and who I am becoming.

Saad: I can’t do what I do without Saiem. He might not know it, but he brings out good morals in me. Without him I’d probably be lost.