Hashim's: Dining Like a Jordanian

Yesterday, it rained. Who am I to say that the day of prayer on Thursday didn't bring about the favorable weather? At the very least, however, the rain was a most needed coincidence.

Today was the first day of the Islamic New Year: 1432 AH to be exact. Schools, banks and government offices were all closed (Qasid included). So, with my day off, I went to the gym. And for the first (and only) time in my life, I was asked if I was an Olympic athlete. So here's how that story goes: I was doing my thing at the local women's gym to which I am a member when one of the trainers approached me. She asked, "Where did you train before this?" I wasn't exactly sure what she was getting at so I asked for clarification. She said, "What sport, what country did you train at before coming here? The Olympics?" She was quite earnest in her questioning so I tried very hard not to laugh outright. Instead, I let my jaw hang for a solid 3 seconds before telling her that I worked out at my local gym in the United States. This seemed to be the answer she was looking for because she nodded her head several times and said, "Oh, yes, the United States." I am still unclear as to whether she understood my answer to mean that I simply enjoyed working out (as I intended my answer to mean) or if she took it to mean I was an Olympic athlete for the United States. At any rate, I have never been so flattered in my life.

After my gym excursion, Betsy, Shadea and I headed to the Balad to get food. But not just any food. Hashim's. Hashim's has quite the reputation. It is known to have the best falafal and hummus in all of the city. It is on the list of "must eat" locales in Amman (along with Al-Quds for falafal and Shwarma Reem for Shwarma). Hashim's is clearly a popular destination because any time I want to go downtown, I simply direct my cab driver to Hashim's. The restaurant is located in a rather inconspicuous alleyway. There are plastic tables and chairs set up in the alley and in one garage-like covered area. Upon being seated, paper mats were placed in front of us and a piece of pita was placed on the mat. Now, for the menu. Hashim's serves a total of 3 or 4 items. We ordered hummus, falafal, foul and potatoes (aka French fries) along with tea. I was not disappointed. The food was fabulous. I absolutely stuffed myself. After my experience there this afternoon, I will gladly perpetuate the restaurant's reputation and "must eat" status.

In other news, Mossad has been accused of perpetrating the shark attacks on tourists in Sharm-el-Sheik, Egypt. This BBC news story gave me a good laugh: Shark Attacks not Linked to Mossad says Israel

صلاة الاستسقاء

Prayer for Rain. 

Perhaps this is the best way to characterize my last two weeks. 

Jordan is unbelievably dry. So dry, in fact, that today has been deemed a day of Salat al-Istisqa' or Prayer for Rain. Thousands of Jordanians communed at several places across the country in order to perform the Islamic prayers asking God for rain. The Minister of Islamic Affairs urged Jordanians to increase their prayers and charity work so that the land might be blessed with rain. Additionally, in preparation for today's day of prayer, the Ministry suggested fasting for the three days leading up to today. Jordan's situation as one of the most water impoverished countries comes in stark contrast to America's profligate attitude towards water. A Jordanian friend was talking to me about the very real question that faces many Jordanians of my generation: will there be enough water in Jordan to sustain myself and my family in the future? In many places in the country, water isn't being delivered to houses because there simply isn't any to deliver. For more information check out this Amman News article: Thousands of Jordanians Pray for Rain

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It was rightly pointed out to me that after the conclusion of Jordan's parliamentary elections last month, I failed to post anything on the outcome of the elections. In an attempt to remedy this, I will relate a few of the more important election results. First, Jordan's main opposition party, the Islamic Action Front, boycotted the Jordanian elections because of unfair election laws. The Islamic Action Front (IAF) is unofficially affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. There were still some IAF candidates that ran in the elections except under the guise of being an "independent" candidate. The absence of the IAF in the elections has a number of important repercussions for the elections. Most importantly, Jordan is considered the most democratic society in the Middle East. However, with the boycott of the major opposition group, this claim falls under considerable scrutiny. For, how can any elections be free, fair and democratic without a challenger? 

In all fairness, the election laws in Jordan are unfair. They favor the rural population and subsequently the people that are most likely to support the monarchy. While, the laws assisted in making the elections less than fair, another equally important factor is Jordan's patriarchal society. Clans in Jordan run at least one (often multiple) candidate for Parliament. Members of the family are then practically bound to vote for a fellow clan member. Sometimes, this is because family members legitimately believe that having a clan member in parliament will benefit them personally (this can be a safe assumption). Other times, members are bound by family loyalty and honor to vote for their clan member. Additionally, and most unfortunately, there is often a lot of vote buying that goes on during the elections. That is, candidates will agree to pay you if you take a picture with your cell phone of you voting for them and then simply send them the picture. Only exacerbating all of these factors is Jordan's new system of sub-districts. This is probably the most difficult point of to explain because I (nor any other Jordanian I've talked to) can explain the system. Essentially, however, the sub-districting created substantial voting distortions. For example, in sub-district 1 of district 3 a candidate might win with 2500 votes but in sub-district 3 of the same district, a candidate with 4000 votes might lose. Beyond this general unfairness, the drawing of districts and sub-districts are nothing less than the definition of gerrymandering. These are but a few of the problems that plague the election system. I could quickly become prolix on the subject of inveterate discrepancies in the election system but I think that I will leave that to a research paper or other forum.

In other election information, Jordan's parliament employs a system of quotas. Seats are set aside specifically for Christians, Circassians and women. Important in last months election was the success of female candidate Reem Bedran who was able to secure a parliamentary seat that was not a female quota seat. Reem was highly praised by everyone I spoke to about her. She is a well-educated economist and also the daughter of a former Prime Minster of Jordan.

Additionally, on election day, there were outbreaks of violence around the country. For a good account of the days events in this light I highly recommend reading Live Updates of Jordan's Parliamentary Elections written on the most well known Jordanian Blog: The Black Iris.

I will be happy to field any additional questions about the elections to the best of my abilities. You know how to contact me.

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Thanksgiving. What a wonderful holiday! The Fulbright House organized a pot luck Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey and pumpkin pie. Everything about it was wonderful. I think, though, that my favorite part of the evening was just gathering with fellow Fulbrighters for no other reason except to celebrate Thanksgiving. Apparently, the wife of the director has been hoarding pumpkins for months in order to make homemade pie for all of us. From firsthand experience, it was wonderful.

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Last weekend, the Columbia University Middle East Research Center hosted an Iraqi Maqam concert. Maqam is a specific type of Arab music. Iraqi maqam is a category in and of itself and is considered by some to be the most perfect form of maqam. A traditional maqam concert includes a singer, a santur (zither), a djoze (spike fiddle) and a tabla (drum). The concert was well attended by an audience of (from what I could tell) wealthy, educated Iraqis who would sing and occasionally sway along. I was one of perhaps 8 westerners in attendance. I think the best way to describe Iraqi maqam would be to just tell you to go to YouTube and find a sample. Truly, it was a unique form of music.

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Finally, I will address the question: why does today's day of prayer characterize my past few weeks? The answer is this: I feel as though I have been working so hard for the past weeks (and months) and I am just waiting, hoping and praying for the downpour. I am waiting for the actualization of my efforts. I am fully aware that any answer to my prayers won't come in the form of a torrential downpour nor will it come in the form of over-night fluency. Most realistically, I probably won't fully appreciate what I am learning everyday until I am years removed from this experience. Every day I learn a little more but concomitantly I am reminded of how much there remains for me to learn. 

God, send the rain.