When Soup Tastes Better than Steak

There was a knock on the kitchen door the other day around 4:45 PM.  It was Joe (not his real name) our Egyptian building super.  We exchanged Arab greetings and pleasantries by my front door and then he explained the purpose of his call.  He and his family wanted to bring us supper.  Of course [...]

Amman turns . . . 100?

Anyone who has paid any attention over the last several months knows that 2009 is the year marking Amman’s centennial.  Banners, flags, and special events have pointed to this fact all year.  2009 also happens to be the 10 year anniversary of HM King Abdullah II’s ascension to the throne, so all-in-all it truly is [...]

Ramadan Breakfast at Hashem’s in Amman, Jordan

Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, ended last weekend with the annual multi-day festival and holiday of Eid Al-Fitr.  I don’t really have much to blog about that right now, but I do have a Ramadan related post that’s been sitting around for a couple of weeks waiting to get polished up for “publishing”.  [...]

Haircut at Fawzi’s Saloon, a Ramadan Tradition

A year ago tomorrow (is that a phrase?), I wrote about my desperate need to find a local saloon.  Not for a beer, which would be haraam (forbidden) normally, but especially during Ramadan, but rather for a haircut.  As I explained a year ago you’ll find saloons all over Amman – a strange sight in [...]