Memories of Hummus
2.5
at Royal Jordanian Crown Lounge (Queen Alia International Airport)
-Zizya-
solo
Mission to Jordan, Day 6 (see previously 6.158 Chicken Shawarma Sandwich).
In Amman. Arrived Tuesday. Wednesday thru today, I participated in a workshop to support countries in strengthening their legal frameworks to restrict the marketing of junk food to kids. Departing tonight, arriving back in Manila on Sunday evening.
At the business lounge in the airport, I enjoyed a final taste of hummus*, which I’ve eaten daily throughout my stay here. Creamy and hearty, light and healthful, the ultimate dip/sauce/condiment to everything from raw cucumbers to falafel to grilled meats. Love it.
*From a previous life, my sole memory of hummus dates back to 2002, when I was working at LRK, when LY was living in an apartment right across the street, and we went there to make ourselves lunch — the only occasion that I can recall doing so — and she whipped up a batch of hummus from scratch (can’t remember what I contributed, though salmon rings a distant bell). I didn’t much appreciate it, not because it was bad, but because I hadn’t yet learned to recognize the beauty of the dish.
For dinner, I’d attempted to eat at a Korean restaurant, intending to make Amman the 20th city in the 13th country outside of Korea where I’ve tried a Korean restaurant (see previously 5.342 Crocodile Meat…). However, when I got to the general vicinity, as indicated on the map, the establishment no longer seemed to be there. Oh well.
A couple blocks away, I ran across a shopping mall and went inside, hoping to find a casual Jordanian restaurant for dinner. Alas, nothing but a food court with a few shawarma stands.
Not a complete waste of time, the mall had a large supermarket, where I acquired a few local ingredients that I’ll try out back home.
By the time that I got back to the hotel, no time to eat a proper dinner.
Although the individual meals during this trip were inconsistent and forgettable, the overall dining experience confirmed that Arabic/Middle-Eastern cuisine suits my palate, as I’ve begun to discover in Manila (see for example 6.137 Mixed Grill + Tabouleh).
awwwwww those were fun days! i made hummus with some regularity in those days (ingredients on hand to ship up a batch on the spot) but have not made it in a long while. another item to try to make in the near future. so easy to make, so delicious.
good times in that apartment, random additional memories include : management telling us/me that neighbors were complaining about loud music (“Love Is the 7th Wave” by Sting, specifically), RR destroying my sashimi knife in cutting up a tuna that he’d caught, Sex & The City DVD collection under your TV, showing Kathy (was that her name, the totally hot secretary? i really should’ve pursued that one; also J’s wife — whatever happened to them?) how to add color to a dish with ground paprika, walking your mom back to her car and Alan getting jealous (if that’s the right word).
so many memories i had forgotten! her name was Kelly and i think you didn’t pursue her bc she had a school age daughter; j’s been divorced for many years now and remains single; and walking my mom to the car probably felt like Allen’s duty as my boyfriend which he felt like you stole from him so maybe not jealous but mad. ah the memories. rr hasn’t fished for tuna in a while (or if he has he hasn’t shared it with me).
listening to sting today in your honor..
Kelly. i do remember she had a kid. maybe that kind of thing would’ve stopped me back then.
wonder what j’s ex is doing these days.