Instanbul in Kabul?
I know what you’re saying… I just blogged the other day; why am I so chatty? Just had to share some photos from the Turkish Restaurant here in Kabul Sunday night. We went for a farewell dinner for two of our coworkers. The meal started with baskets full of fresh bread, or Naan.
Naan (Persian, Pashto, Urdu Persian: نان), (Hindi/Punjabi: नान, نان ,ਨਾਨ) is a leavened, oven baked flatbread. It is also among one of the most popular varieties of Indian breads and is particularly popular in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, and Indian restaurants and Pakistani restaurants in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Influenced by the large influx of Pakistani, Afghan and Indian labor, Naan has also become popular in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. It is considered a typical bread of the northern Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan. (I didn’t write that; but I ate it… and ate it and ate it and…)
It was missing something so I asked for hummus. It’s not on the menu so they explained it would take a few minutes… to make, apparently. Wow. Greatest hummus ever.
They brought drinks out on a cart. We’d use it to buss tables; they had it chock full of warm sodas.
So, the restaurant was great, the food was good/interesting/different (a bit suspect of the “beef” on my mixed kabob plate—but I survived.)
We had a leisurely dinner followed up with Turkish coffee and baklava and then headed back to the ‘Ville.
I brought a kilo (yup, that’s the measurement) of baklava back for the guys in my work section. Yhey don’t have the freedom to visit local restaurants like we do and I always try to bring them something when I do leave.
I miss my friends and look forward to having coffee, catching up and sharing stories. In the meantime, lets’ pretend.