Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Amman: Food and Friends

The best experiences I had from visiting Amman were not the tours or the old ruins, but just sharing life and great food with friends. The two guys above are excited about Kunafa, a sweet dessert, from the most famous Kunafa restaurant in all of Amman!

I am convinced that Jordanians have some of the best food in the world, and Hashem famous among Amman restaurants. Hashem is known for its excellent hummus, foul (mashed beans), and falafel. If KAUST had a restaurant half as good, I would never eat anywhere else!

My stay at the smoky little Cliff Hotel was really enjoyable - mostly because of the manager. This man treated all customers like grand-children and he was never short of stories or good humor. As a Christian Jordanian with Palestinian roots, he had a unique perspective on the history and politics of the region.

My Jordanian hosts were terrific. In many ways, hanging out with these guys in the evening felt like hanging out with my old friends back in the USA. Being on the KAUST compound has a much different feel from driving around a big city like Amman. We went to restaurants and malls, and even took one evening to play video games against each other! Thanks guys for such a good time.

2 comments:

  1. Wow, this post made me "homesick" for Syria. It has amazing food, hospitality and PEOPLE, too!

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  2. yup, it definitely had a much different feel than Saudia.

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