Goat Meat

There's something special about the way people socialize here. A sort of affection built into the culture that we in the US don't have. Its not uncommon for two men to walk down the street holding hands. Greetings are much more personal, often accompanied by an affectionate pat on the shoulder. When you enter a room you greet everyone with a handshake and a hello, even if you don't know them. I've noticed this closeness more than once when traveling outside of the US. It seems especially noticeable here, perhaps because of the many years of war.

Lately we have been going out to eat at a few of the many roadside grills around our housing. There are many places within walking distance that serve tea with ridiculous amounts of sugar and dehydrated creamer. We usually get "fool," or Egyptian beans, sprinkled with cheese and eaten with bread. We did splurge a few nights ago and got some goat meat along with our fool:



Its all eaten with your hands, and shared with the whole table. Something about eating with your hands is more satisfying...

If you look around you'll see many people drinking tea, eating together, and lounging in the shade to escape the heat. That, mixed with the smoke and noise emanating from the various generators makes for a pretty interesting scene.