wherein there was pork!

There was an employees only party at the base last night. Sort of an end of Ramadan party. Amazingly, there was pork in one of the dishes being served. This is a first. Previously, everything served at parties and the canteen in general has always been halal. Also, I am not capable of matching our local guys drink for drink. This is hardly shocking, but can be a source of much learning.

delicious dates

Several weeks back, I wrote about the tree planting that was done. When the day was over, I snagged an extra pack of some delicious dates that had been out as a snack. I wanted to bring them back to the U.S. to share, but they suffer the double-whammy of being a fruit and a product of Iran. Regardless of their origin, I am finding them to be a very tasty snack, albeit a slightly messy one since they are so sticky. I have had dates before, but it's just not something that was a common part of my diet.