kuba wa qahwa

I had been worrying that I am in too much of an American bubble to truly benefit from my experience here in Jordan's capital. However, that bubble was pleasantly popped yesterday afternoon when I accompanied a classmate ('A') to her aunt's house (where she is living this year) to make kuba and eat dinner. The three of us (my classmate, another classmate, and I) took a cab to East Amman (which was not *nearly* as bad as it had been made out to be!) to the apartment. Her aunt and uncle spoke very little English, which was a plus as far as I was concerned. Anyway, after sitting around for a bit and chatting, A's uncle came out and showed us how to form the burgul (finely ground, fat-free meat) into hollow cups, put in a spoonful of the filling, close up the kuba, and shape it into a little football. After that, the kuba are deep fried in olive oil, making them slightly crunchy on the outside. Delicious. The process was quite time consuming- I can't imagine making a big batch of kuba (say, for a party) by oneself! However, as the saying goes, many hands make light work. I found the situation almost humorous- A's uncle is (at first sight) an imposing Arab man who speaks strongly and dresses in a thob (the traditional robe for men). However, he was the only one who really knew how to form the kuba, so he hovered around for a bit making sure that we were forming the balls just so, closing them gently and slowly, not too hard. When we ate dinner later and A commented on the decorative crushed mint on top of the lebn wa kheyaar (yogurt & cucumbers), A's aunt jokingly rolled her eyes and said, "your uncle made it." Although quite imposing, A's uncle turned out to be a very nice guy with a sense of humor and a passion for cooking. Overall, the evening was fantastic. I was quite tired by 9pm, in part due to concentrating so much on following the strings of 9aamiiya (colloquial) conversation around me. It was satisfying, though, to have to work hard just for basic social interaction. A's family was so generous and hospitable- truly wonderful people. Plus, I sort of know how to make kuba now! If I had the recipe for the filling, I could do it. Oh! I also learned how to make Arabic coffee (as a note, there is normally cardamom ground into the coffee itself. Excellent indeed.), which is nice because my apartment did come with a coffee pot. Now I just have to go down to Garden Street to the coffee store and get some. Yum.

Ramadan begins tomorrow (well, technically tonight at sunset). I'm excited- it's apparently a lot of fun here in Amman. On the downside, you can't eat or drink in public during the day. However, nights are big. After sundown, families eat a huge meal call the Iftar. After that, people visit with family & friends or go out into the city. Cafes and stores are open late at night; some people sponsor "Mercy Meals," free food set up under tents. Many people put up Ramadan lights, which are like Christmas lights except in the shape of moons & stars (my roommates and I are planning on buying some and putting them up on our balcony). I can't wait!

Now I am off to another classmate's extended family's house for lunch (i.e. an early dinner). More later.