Makanuba looked like Eukanuba

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Today was a very exciting day. One of the Doctors, Dr. W, works in the hospital. He is an Iraqi civilian. Dr. W was born and raised in Iraq, his family left when Saddam took power in the 1970s. He moved to Montreal, Canada to escape the oppressive government. He lived in Canada until 2003 when Saddam was removed from power. Dr. W returned to Iraq to work with the new government and help his people. He has been assigned to work in the hospital as a liaison between the Iraqi people and the Americans. We treat more Iraqi civilians, Iraqi police, and Iraqi Army than we treat our own soldiers. Dr. W is really trying to make a difference and is dedicated to taking over so American Soldiers can return home. To welcome our unit to Iraq, Dr. W scheduled a traditional Iraqi meal for the Command and Staff. We went to the Turkish worker dining facility and had a great sit down meal. The tables were adorned with silk table cloths and were covered with many types of food. There was a cold salad similar to coleslaw without mayo made with a pickled cabbage, tomatoes and boiled eggs. Another dish was a type of seasoned bean. It looked to me like pinto beans with some cooked onion mixed throughout. Soon after we sat down and chatted a while waiting for the main dish to arrive. I was really lucky to have a seat right next to Dr. W. He explained many aspects of Iraq culture and cuisine. He said that you can often tell where someone in the Middle East is from just by watching what they eat. Since the Middle East has been occupied by colonial empires throughout time many tenants of Middle Eastern cuisine come from the occupiers. For instance if an Arab is drinking tea they are Iraqi (British Occupation), if they are drinking coffee they are Lebanese (French Occupation).
The main dish finally arrived - Makanuba. I joked that it looked like Eukanuba. Makanuba literally translates to “turned over.” It was a dish made with eggplant, garlic, and meat of some sort, onions, and assorted vegetables (a stew by American standards). Dr. W said it would be similar to babaganush. I ate my fill and more but what I didn’t realize is that in the Middle East lunch is the big meal and they were pulling out all of the stops. Once I cleaned my plate the server brought a lamb kabob. The kabob was like a mini-meatloaf made of lamb; it was seasoned with spices and roasted on an outdoor grill. The kabob was long and slender and served between two pieces of pita-like flat bread. The bread was warm and fresh - delicious. I was so stuffed I could not eat another bite but there was more; watermelon for desert. I found it interesting that the Americans were picking out their seeds but Dr. W ate the whole watermelon, seeds and all. I had a great time and really enjoyed myself. I wrote Dr. W a thank you note (I think that no one else did), a trick I learned from Mom, Dad, and ML. He was shocked - later in our conversation he said that he would take Mark and I to Abraham’s well. Abraham’s Well (bible Abraham) is on Al Asad and considered quite sacred. Americans are not authorized without an Iraqi escort. Hopefully this will lead to another great story.

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Comments

[ML]

Thank You
Thanks for the mention in this entry. It sounds like a wonderful time and a thank you note certainly was in order. Sad that it isn't more common. Manners must be a lot like sense, not so common! Miss you lots.