Acrum and Sara's Seafood

Betsy spent about six months in Amman about a year ago. Therefore, she has a number of friends and contacts in the area. One such contact is Acrum. Acrum invited Shadea, Betsy and I to have iftar with him at Sara's Seafood in downtown Amman. We decided that it would be a good cultural experience to share iftar with a Jordanian in the city center. First, however, a word about downtown Amman: Downtown Amman is properly referred to as "wasd al-balad" or "center of the country." For short, downtown is called the "balad." The balad is the cultural center of Amman. This is where the souqs (markets) are where the typical Jordanian shops for everything from clothing to furniture to spices and everything in between. Additionally, as the cultural center of the city, the balad is more conservative than other parts of the city.

The Balad

The Balad

Now, on to Acrum and Sara's Seafood.  We met up with Acrum in an alleyway across from the balad's famous Hashim's restaurant. Acrum had already ordered food for us before we arrived. We were lead up a staircase and out onto a balcony overlooking downtown. After sitting down, we were able to engage Acrum and find out a little more about him. Acrum is about 24 or 25 years old. He graduated from the University of Jordan where he studied engineering. Currently, he works designing armored vehicles. Importantly though, he considers himself a social activist. Beyond this however, Acrum is a very animated, interested and interesting individual.

Dinner (But before the last two dishes came)

As is required, we waited until after the Adhan (call to prayer) before eating or drinking, essentially before breaking the fast. I was a little wary about eating at a seafood restaurant in the balad but at my first bite any previous hesitations vanished. Everything was wonderful! First, the waiter brought out a plate of fried fish followed by a plate of cold salads. This along with the almost compulsory bowl of pita would have been enough for the four of us. But the food kept coming! Next, the waiter appeared with a plate of roasted potatoes and then another dish of baked fish topped with cheese and olives. Finally, we were delivered a platter of rice mixed with spices. So much food- too much for the four of us to even attempt to finish. We ate our meal slowly enjoying the people watching and the cooler night air. As we left, Acrum paid the bill. We all realized what a small fortune he must have paid for our meal. How generous he was!

After leaving the restaurant, Acrum asked if we would be up for a "spin" around downtown. For clarification, by "spin" he meant "walk" or "stroll." Acrum deftly guided us through the crowds of people and down the streets of the balad. The bustling souqs were in stark contrast to the streets we had seen only a couple of hours earlier before iftar. Acrum pointed out different buildings and explained to us their significance and history. He was able to answer any questions we had. Truly, this is the best way to experience a city. Later, however, we reflected that this we a rare experience for us. As I mentioned, the balad is one of the more conservative parts of Amman. The balad is a place to exercise particular caution as a foreigner and as a woman. Therefore, to be in the balad at night was probably an experience we could only get with a Jordanian man as our guide. 

On our walk back to get a cab, Acrum stopped at a juice stand to introduce us to sugar cane juice. What is sugar cane juice? It is exactly what you think it is. A corner stand had a large juicer and an ever larger pile of sugar cane stacked next to it. We watched as a young man fed sugar cane rods through a hole the size of a tennis ball in the front. He continue feeding the cane through until there appeared enough juice for the four of us. Sugar cane juice is a little hard to describe. It is obviously very sweet but it retains an earthy taste. At my first sip, it reminded me of fresh, uncooked corn. I could only drink half.