Bidan Ziman

Jenni Boyle, Tom Nance, Sami Al-Jammal, David Ferguson, Jordan Haddock

Ah, seeing as how it is the weekend finally, and my brain has melted from studying Arabic a group of us decided to go out shopping tonight and then to go out to eat. Well the shopping was fairly lame, it was just a bunch of cheap knock-offs of the real thing, and I didn't see anything that really interested me. However, the food we had was amazing.

The ride to the restaurant was very interesting. It started off with us trying to get a cab which is considerably more difficult during peak times and on the weekend. So after we finally waved down a taxi that was free, we got in and told him where we wanted to go. Well, he decided that he was going to rip us off, so first he started driving in the wrong direction. Then after he was going the wrong way he decided he was going to stop for gas and let the meter continue to run. Then after we were going in the right direction, he decided he was going to stop for some coffee real "quick" while the meter continued to run. Following the coffee, and about half way through to our destination, the driver decided that he would light up a cigarette, which is somewhat normal here in Jordan since everyone smokes like a chimney here. However, in our case he decided to blow all the smoke into the car, which was super annoying. Anyways by the time we finally got to the restaurant the meter had reached about 2.20 JD. The ride should have only cost like 1.30 JD to 1.60 JD. This is where the story really gets exciting. When we got to the restaurant, one of the other students, who was sitting in the front seat told the driver that he wasn't going to pay him the whole price, since he had wasted so much time running his personal errands. As a result he told the driver he was going to pay him only 1.50. So we got out of the taxi at the restaurant, while the other student got progressively more annoyed at this driver and continued to inform him that he was only going to pay 1.50 for the ride, and that was being generous.

By about this time, one of the valet drivers at the restaurant came over to see what the problem was. At first word he was siding with the driver telling the other student, Jordan, who I feel I should mention is in the army and about as broad as a bus, that he needed to pay the 2 JD. For about a minute there I was pretty sure that things were going to turn south super fast, especially since the taxi driver decided to get out of the car and continue to insist that Jordan pay him 2 JD, while being right in his face. I thought for a second I was going to see an Arab die. Anyways, after explaining how the taxi driver had ripped us off, the valet driver/usher at the restaurant sided with us, and took us into the restaurant to be seated, while the taxi driver was ushered away. Once we arrived inside the restaurant, which from the outside looked like a freakin' desert palace, we realized just how fancy and hi-class this restaurant was. We walked into a 100% legitimate Arab restaurant which was all located outside, which fountains, brick oven, tent covering, Arab musicians, and so on.

The food in the restaurant was hands down, the best Arab food that I have had since I got here. We started off by ordering 2 sides of hummus, baba ganoosh, arab salad, and then a couple of other things that I don't remember the names of. All of this came with baked bread which was heavenly, similar to naan (the bread at Bombay House). So we ate heartily from these sides, and then our main dishes came out. For a main dish we ate an authentic Jordanian dish of munzaf, which is essentially rice and lamb, with a cream sauce over it. As with most foods in Jordan, all of this was eaten by taking the bread and breaking/tearing it apart and using it as a utensil to eat the rest of the food. Just one of the ways that the culture here resembles the latin culture, and is making it really easy to adjust to being here.

After the meal was finished, we all realized that we had eaten too fast, and purely as Americans eat. What we should have done was sat there, and eaten a little, and then talked some. Then we should have eaten a little bit more, and then talked some more. And then after several hours of sitting there and eating, and after we had finished our meal and were finished visiting, then and only then would we have asked for our bill. That is one of the small things that Arabs have got down. An evening out at a restaurant, cafe, club, etc. doesn't end quickly. Rather it will continue all night with the servers continuing to bring you more of whatever you would like, until you are good and ready to leave. Truly the way that eating out should be experienced. (As a side note, it should be mentioned that when at a restaurant, and more of anything is asked for, the person who asks is always the last person to receive item requested. This is a cultural thing and revolves around the idea that the first will be last and the last will be first. So, if you are really thirsty and want some water, just make sure that the person with water is the one who asks.) The best part of the whole meal, and really any eating out experience in Jordan is that you can get amazingly large amounts of food for an incredibly good price. Our meal tonight which fed and filled 5 men and 1 woman cost each person only 6 JD (about $8.47 USD).

After our meal was over, it was time to find a taxi back home. This turned out to be a bit more difficult, considering that taxis don't really stop at this restaurant because it is off a smaller road that is essentially an exit from the main road. So, in the spirit of all good things, we began walking home. After walking down what would be the equivalent to I-15 in Utah, we were finally able to get to a spot with enough traffic to catch a taxi. Over all the experience was fun, hilarious, delicious and rather exhilarating.