Live Food

Today, I walked out beyond the town wall, through the sand and climbed a couple of dozen feet up one of the sandstone cliffs. I went out with Emiline, who has been so quiet and reclusive. She’s here doing the same thing as me and Bailey, but I felt as if she was not feeling like part of the group. So we trekked out together and talked about rocks and goats and camels and peace. We sat up on the cliff in silence, admiring the village. It’s so small. Completely surrounded by the same red concrete wall that encloses all the properties within it. From up high like this, it looks like a labyrinth game. Anyway, there aren’t any trees AT ALL except for inside those walls. Again, it looks like something else from up high, like a seedling tray or a Chia Pet. I find our house in the maze by retracing our steps. There are camels set free to graze and roam with unlimited freedom and a herd of goats being chased back to town by two Bedouin girls. I wave hello to them and they smile and wave back. On our way back, we pass through a field of death. There are goat hides turned inside out, legs, jawbones, and even a perfect little goat head just laying there, scattered around this one area. I guess they leave that stuff there for the scavengers after the slaughter. I feel like I’m in a Jurassic Park movie. That, combined with the monstrous groans of the camels can feed a fertile imagination!
Speaking of food, I’ve been eating so well here. Mostly pita, hummus, rice, chicken and all sorts of vegetables. There’s no cookies lying around or boxes of anything for that matter. The vegetables are stored in crates and stacked up on shelves under the kitchen counter. In the fridge, there is a plastic bag with a furry leg sticking out of it. I just hope I’m not here when they decide to eat the contents. Maybe I already have, though, and just don’t know it. The family bought the goat alive a few weeks ago, kept it a few hours, then they took it out and killed it, bagged it up and now it’s in the kitchen. The whole family went out together for the event. I guess you have to desensitize the kids early! I’m not sure it’s something I want to participate in, to be honest, even if it would make good blog food. Thank God they don’t eat the camels. They have the sweetest eyes and the longest lashes, even if they do sound like creatures from the deep.
Back at home, Emiline and I cut up tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley for a salad and Leila, the mom, cooked the most delicious smelling rice mixture. We spread the rice around on a giant platter and poured the salad on top. Everyone got called into the back room, we plopped down around the tray and ate with our bare hands, squooshing the rice in our hands before popping it in our mouths. All veggie this time around. No goats for me right now, Shukran.