Two of the fascinations that we’ve come to appreciate about
the Middle East are the friendships that we have built and the foods that we
have tasted and discovered. Through our work with the school, our fellowship
with the church, and living in our apartment complex, we have come to
appreciate so many more nationalities than we realized in the US. Growing up in
small town Illinois, most people were divided into three groups: whites,
blacks, and Chinese. I recall one boy of Mexican descent, but I can’t really
recall much more than that. There were more groups in college, including
several that came from foreign countries. Over time, living in Pittsburgh
enabled us to meet more diverse people, and over time, through travels,
conferences and the like, we came to meet many more. But none of that was like
what we have experienced in Qatar. Our small student body is made up of folks
from 40 different countries alone. Additionally, we have visited several
different countries. We have great friends who are New Zealanders, British,
Pakistani, Jordanian, Palestinian, Egyptian, Turkish, Indian, Sudanese and many
more.
Along with that, we’ve come to appreciate foods from various
places. While we still eat at a lot of American chains, our most popular place
is French. We’ve come to experience several different places and types of foods
at the Souqs. We’ve been introduced to most
of these by friends. We regularly eat at a Turkish restaurant. But other
favorites include Syrian (Damascus), Persian, Italian, and recently Yemeni.
The best combination is when good friends introduce us to
new foods. This week we have had two dinner opportunities that introduced us to
totally new foods. Good friends took us to lunch to experience Moroccan food. The
husband is Bahraini and the wife is Moroccan. They ordered in advance, so that
when we arrived at the restaurant, a dish was ready for us that takes a couple
of hours to prepare. Each meal covered an entire plate, and was presented to us
covered, so that when the lids were taken off, steam poured off of the dish.
The meal had the aura of a stew, having been slow cooked and included chicken
on the bone, mixed vegetables and various spices. Our drink was a ginger drink,
which was potent. Combined with the hot meal, I found myself removing my suit
jacket, outdoors. The meal was healthy, but tasty. We ate it with Middle East
bread, which is a type of thin, almost flat bread that is light. Lunch was
followed up with an assortment of Middle East desserts. I was particularly fond
of a type of pudding that included fruits. The company and the food together
were delicious.
The next night, our driver, a man from India, named Noushad,
asked us if we would mind if he took us a home a different direction. We had no
problems, but the different direction was simply a few blocks off of our daily
route. A new world was opened up to us. We discovered all sorts of small
restaurants and stores of various nationalities and ethnic foods. He ordered for
us chicken from an Iranian take out place, which was wrapped in a tight bread
wrap, so that it almost appeared as a wrap or gyro. He insisted that we eat the
food hot, in the car, so that it would not cool down. It was extremely tasty.
On top of that, he picked up bread that were like large pizza crusts, minus the
cheese and meats. The meal was simple, but especially delicious.
We have discovered that it is through friends sharing with
us ideas of foods and opportunities that we have been opened up to new and rich
experiences. I mentioned to Edna that the places that we experienced are barely
off the beaten path, but being unaware of them, we’d have been tempted to eat
at the nearby McDonald’s had we been hungry. There is nothing wrong with
McDonald’s, or other fast food American chains, but they do not begin to
compare with the foods that we experienced with these two opportunities. And we
experienced these new foods because of the rich friendships that we have come
to know.
Hospitality is a central tenet of the Islam faith. Once the
people know you, they do everything within their power to provide hospitality
and protection. Interestingly, that is also an aspect of the Christian faith
also, as demonstrated especially in the Gospel of Luke, the book of Acts and
the New Testament letters. Unfortunately, it may be neglected in the day to day
practices of many Christians and churches, because we have become so busy and
too individualistic. We would be wise to reemphasize that aspect of our belief
and praxis.
Over Christmas break, we spent three weeks in America. Different
friends asked us about our safety over here, and wondered how safe we really are.
The news is frightening. There are wars and acts of violence in many places in
the Middle East or this general region. Our answer is generally followed up by
a response of either that we are being prayed for, that we so brave, or that
they could never do what we are doing. Obviously, none of us know how safe we
really are at any given moment. We’ve had friends from this part of the world
express sorrow and horror at the news of shootings in Orlando, San Diego, New
Jersey and other parts of the US. People in this part of the world, mostly
Muslims, genuinely care for and about America and our friends and family in the
states. One of my high school friends expressed to me that we have lived an
exciting life! God certainly has been and continues to be very good to us. But
as beautiful as the lands and sights are that we have experienced, it is the
people who have befriended us introduced us to new opportunities that have made
us fall in love with this part of the world. The people and the foods are just
a part of our experience of tasting God and experiencing that He is good. His
creation is also good; very good!
Blessings and Happy New Year,
Bob & Edna
Go Steelers!
Go Pens!
