But here are the highlights of this week:
1. I finagled a hot water kettle, and can now have tea in my room.
All of the SDA apartments come with a fully loaded kitchen, dining area, couch, loveseat and full bath, but the Embassy has separated contractors and cordoned them off to the East End. The 8 barracks here are windowless, two story efficiency apartments. Mine is wet, aka, I have my own bathroom, and you can see the pictures, it’s nothing to complain about. But, I did want a blender (to mix my Zuddha shakes) and a hot water kettle for hot lemon water, tea & instant mac & cheese (to balance the cleansing, of course).
I put a simple request for a blender and was denied! I put in a request for a hot water kettle and I was denied! I put in a request for a loveseat and I was denied! Denied! De-NIED! Deee-Niiiied!
State employees & the Third Country Nationals (TCNs-that come here to do warehouse and administrative work for a third of US direct hire & contractor salary) to the Dept live in an SDA and have an infinite amount of furniture, kitchen utensils, and all other appliances at their request, but the State Department will not support the East End for simple amenities. Hmpff!
But, I got a blender, and a hotwater kettle, and an extra easy chair. I can’t tell you how, but it was a highlight of the week--and breakfast, since I’m starting each day with a Magic Mushroom Smoothie and evening, as I’m sipping chamomile, writing to you and reading before bed.
Yes, it’s the little things.
2. I dined at Giolli’s, the new 4-star Italian restaurant –opening soon- in the IZ.
It was delicious!!! This is so tacky, but I will tell you (no friends here, remember T is on R&R) the bill for three of us totaled over $300. It’s a $52 price-fixed menu, yes I know, more than the OG but it’s the new-not-even-opened-yet-4-star-restaurant-in-the-IZ I had to try it because I have to do everything there is to do.
The food was amazing-save the veil-there were moments that I found myself lost from the conversation because the bite in my mouth was so savory I couldn’t think about anything else until I swallowed and washed it down with a sip of Italian red. The rumor is the restaurant will have a 17,000 bottle wine cellar before the grand opening. The wine was ooo-la-laa-amazing.
Now the veil was the fourth course, and the gentlemen I dined with finished theirs, but when the cameriere recited the menu for the evening, all our mouths began salivating thinking of veil in a something, something reduction sauce with capers served alongside….so we were all reminding each other to save a little room after the antipasti (with fresh cheese, cured meat, arugala, mushrooms, eggplant lasagna and bruschetta!), the diced tomato eggplant pasta, savory lamb, and unlimited assorted flat bread basket, olives and multiple dipping sauces. So the veil comes and there are no capers, just small purple olives, eh, and the meat is too tough for my taste. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t the best course of the night and it'd been built it up in my mind.
Then for dessert, the tiramasu was one of the top 3 I have ever eaten. I dreamed about it the next afternoon.
The restaurant is clean, modern and tastefully decorated. The walls are painted soft greens and reds, the chandeliers sparkle and rod-iron wall art hangs authentically to decorate the rooms. We took a tour through the downstairs and grassy courtyard which leads to a new guest house/hotel. There are cozy hide-away rooms off the dining areas furnished with plush couches for cocktails and conversation. When this place opens it will be hard to get a table. Not only was the ambiance, musical soundtrack and meal worth every dollar, this is the new IZ, and as Giolli's opens and brings big business it's a tangible victory.
Oh, how did we get reservations? I made them via email earlier in the week, but when we showed up, and no Saad, who I'd been corresponding with, worked at this restaurant. Apparently, and much to my surprise, there is another “new Italian restaurant in Baghdad” which I discovered once we were seated and I texted a friend who was also planning dinner at the Italian restaurant, I’M DOWNSTAIRS and received a reply THERE ARE NO STAIRS IN THIS PLACE! I made a reservation at another “new Italian restaurant in Baghdad” outside of the IZ. But not realizing there could possibly be two, I was so adamant with the maitre d' that I had been emailing through the week and had even received an email two hours earlier confirming our reservation, that we had in fact reservations, they apologetically, albeit confused, led us to our table. Later we laughed and toasted to the power of the bluff.
3. And I met an Ethiopian.
Though I’m embarrassed to say, all could think about was Starvin’ Marvin. It was so sad. A seemingly nice guy, and I could barely keep from laughing at loud at the South Park episodes engraved in my mind. I had to practice all my self-control not to go on a South Park montage in my mind. As my flow of consciousness continued I couldn’t help but think of the cultural norms that shape our personalities, morals and ideals in the West. And how much more conservative is the side of the world I live on now. Would we have a difference culture if we didn’t have shows such as South Park?
Then the Ethiopian asked if I missed home, and I didn’t hesitate to say yes. The table, 3 of us eating fruit as a mid-afternoon snack, seemed to all lull a moment at the thought of home. And then E added, but it’s winter, so at least you are not missing the cold, and I said, well I live in California. Both of my comrades dropped their fruit and their jaws as they ooooh-ed & awwww-ed. Ah, California.
I miss it a little. mmmmmKAY
