Today's menu
Food!
Every day. Often twice a day.
It can be one of the highlights of the day; What tempting morsel is waiting for me today, what palate titilating delight is lurking behind the corner?
But at the same time finding a suitable eatery and ordering can be one of the more stressful moments of the day and the resulting food; what on earth is THIS!?
Sometimes the menus are in English, but even that doesn't always help, if you have no idea what for example a Kibbeh is. The most common methods of ordering food are 1) point at something that looks good (but there's not always something to point at), 2) take something that you recognize even though it may be a bit of an obvious choice (like kebabs in Turkey) or 3) take pot luck. Quite often you are reduced to number 3 anyway, since other options are not available.
In countries like here in Syria, where a different alphabet is used, taking pot luck can be even more potty. For example on one memorable occasion in South Korea, I thought I had possibly ordered something with rice or noodles and bits of veg&such, when a plateful of baby octopuses drowned in brown gravy arrived - staring up at me accusingly, but oh so tasty.
Luckily for my first meal here at least there was a menu in English, so I could freely choose between the suggested Perfect Starters: Raw Meat, Crushed Wheat with Flesh or Lamb Spinal Cord. After these suggestions, I was hesitant about ordering a Roast Kibih on Stick. I had an image of them carrying in some medieval martyr, burned at the stake.
Well, this morning's sudden rain storm has stopped and blue skies are coming out again, so I'll be off for a spot of lunch!
Every day. Often twice a day.
It can be one of the highlights of the day; What tempting morsel is waiting for me today, what palate titilating delight is lurking behind the corner?
But at the same time finding a suitable eatery and ordering can be one of the more stressful moments of the day and the resulting food; what on earth is THIS!?
Sometimes the menus are in English, but even that doesn't always help, if you have no idea what for example a Kibbeh is. The most common methods of ordering food are 1) point at something that looks good (but there's not always something to point at), 2) take something that you recognize even though it may be a bit of an obvious choice (like kebabs in Turkey) or 3) take pot luck. Quite often you are reduced to number 3 anyway, since other options are not available.
In countries like here in Syria, where a different alphabet is used, taking pot luck can be even more potty. For example on one memorable occasion in South Korea, I thought I had possibly ordered something with rice or noodles and bits of veg&such, when a plateful of baby octopuses drowned in brown gravy arrived - staring up at me accusingly, but oh so tasty.
Luckily for my first meal here at least there was a menu in English, so I could freely choose between the suggested Perfect Starters: Raw Meat, Crushed Wheat with Flesh or Lamb Spinal Cord. After these suggestions, I was hesitant about ordering a Roast Kibih on Stick. I had an image of them carrying in some medieval martyr, burned at the stake.
Well, this morning's sudden rain storm has stopped and blue skies are coming out again, so I'll be off for a spot of lunch!
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