The Iraqis are amazingly hospitable. Recently I traveled to a location with some of our agricultural advisors to discuss the formation of a farmer's cooperative. We had about 11 sheihks attend. I was told that each of them represented from 100 - 500 people in their respective villages. Each of these were the "patriarch" of their respective villages, and very much responsible for making decisions on their behalf.
The meeting was held at the home of one sheikh, in a large room that was probably 40 ft x 15 ft. There was no air conditioning and it was around 120 degrees outside. But, he had gone out ahead of our arrival and purchased a swamp cooler. We could see that it was brand new, purchased just for the occasion of our visit. As the meeting started, a couple of young boys came around with bottled water for each of us.
We met with them and explained the idea for forming an agricultural cooperative. After some heated discussion, they decided that it was worth the risk. We then asked them to elect officers. This is a totally new concept for them....democracy in action!! It was interesting to watch them nominate and elect officers. Actually they didn't actually vote, they more or less reached consensus. It was obvious that they were enjoying the idea of having some degree of self-determination, some control over their own futures.
After the meeting, lunch was served! We never saw the women, but it was pretty obvious that some talented ladies had cooked a fantastic spread for us!! A few young guys brought in some tables, and spread plastic lace tablecloths over them. Then....the food was brought in!!! First, they came in carrying stacks of the traditional flat bread. The young guy, probably a teenager, just had these big circles of flat bread laid over his arm. He walked down both sides of the table and more or less just "flopped" a piece of bread at each place, right on top of the tablecloth. Then, someone followed him and placed a tablespoon at each place. Then they brought in trays of meat, rice and vegetables; chicken with vegetables, and bowls of tomato-okra soup.
There were no individual plates, and no chairs. We stood to eat. Each person had their own spoon, piece of bread and bowl of soup. The meat and vegetables were served "family style", you might say....only with no utensils for common serving! The tradition is to just reach in and grab with your right hand...never your left as that is the "unclean" hand. It was sure a little awkward, but one of my friends at the table brought some hand sanitizer with him and we passed it around (as inconspicuously as possible) just before eating.
So, you reach in with your right hand and grab some meat off the dish. The meat isn't cut up, it's still connected, so you just reach in and pull it off. If it resists, you have to sort of maneuver with your hand (only your right) to pull it off. We Americans decided that the best way to eat the rice was to use our spoon and dip some of the tomato-okra soup up and onto the rice (it was still in the "common" bowl)....then quickly use the spoon to spoon some of the rice onto a piece of bread, then eat it quickly before the soup ran down your arm!! I guess the Iraqis thought we were crazy!!! It must have taken all their self-control to keep from falling in the floor laughing as they watched us attempt to eat "Iraqi style"!
The meat: The meat we had was lamb, from their favorite breed of sheep, known as Awassi, also known as "fat tail" sheep. Their body conformation is a little different from the varieties that we see in the States. The fat tail sheep are so named for a reason....they develop a fairly large fat deposit at the base of their spine, just above the tail. This deposit of fat serves as an energy reserve in case they have to go without food for a few days. It's an adaptation that is very valuable in this desert country. The goats of Iraq don't possess that unique feature. So, when the Iraqis put on a big spread, and want to show you that you're getting the best they have, they cook up a "fat tail" sheep, as it's preferred over goat. And, for display, they leave this fat deposit attached to the sheep, just so you can see for yourself that you're getting the best they have!! Look closely at the picture here and you'll see this fat deposit.
After we "men" finished eating, the teenage guys came in again and picked up all the dishes. There was no way we could finish all the food that was on the table, so there was plenty of food left. They picked up the dishes, and our interpreter told us that the women and children would finish if off. That meant that the soup I left in my bowl wasn't thrown out, someone else finished it.
Well, it was quite a meal, and a real cultural experience. I hope these farmers will be able to work together, improve their production methods (more on that later) and continue to control their own destiny.
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