Which one are you?
Fool is a bean mixture that is very popular here and really cheap! Falafel, also a local favorite, is chick peas, ground up, mixed with spices and fried. Both are served with fresh pita bread. I like the fool, it reminds me of pinto beans, and Franklin likes the falafel; not sure what that tasty little dish would remind you of :o)
Yesterday, at the end of our session, I made the mistake of mentioning that I was hungry... it was lunchtime; but I was just going to make some toast. I've had an upset stomach for a few days and have ate a lot of toast... welcome to Africa :o)
All of a sudden, our language tutor (did I mention how helpful he wants to be?) decides he would make me lunch, which on any other given day would have been very thoughtful; however, I didn't know what he was expecting me to eat. And here... it would be very rude for you not to just eat what's been given to you without any question. So, he takes Franklin and they leave. After a few minutes, they returned. They go into the kitchen for a few minutes and come out with a frying pan full of this bean mixture and some bread! Oh, and Franklin had falafel just for fun! So, I wasn't sure how I was going to eat this and not wish I hadn't later; but as we blessed the food, I said a simple prayer that we've learned... "Lord, if I get this food down, please help me keep it down!"
It was all very good and a lot of fun to learn how to make this local dish ourselves! So far, I feel fine :o)
And by the way, there's a local joke you could tell your friends when you're eating these two dishes... The Arabs know that Americans say at the end of a big meal that we're full. So, when they're finished eating... one Arab would say "I'm so fool" as he's rubbing his stomach and their friend would reply "I'm falafel!" Terrible, I know; but our tutor thinks it's hysterical, especially that he got to tell it to two Americans! :o)