Global Village
So I went on Saturday to a "barbecue" at the home of friends of Annie and Ahmed to celebrate her graduation. It wasn't a barbecue - it was more of a casual party in which we got to meet a lot of their friends which was really nice. And as I was sitting with this Egyptian/Palestinian/Iraqi group I noticed something. They were all mostly well-off; dentists, doctors, real estate moguls. They all drove nice cars and the home I was at was absolutely breathtaking. However....unlike "Americans" they never mention their wealth, never mention things they've acquired with their wealth and never really make distinctions about class. Which is so strange, since it's so huge in the countries of where they come from. Now, is this because they think it's un-American to do such things? Which would be ironic because I've found Americans to be so rude in this department. People think nothing of comparing what they have to what you have to see if it gets a response from you. Or is it because they are more polite than the average American? Just an observation/pondering.

But all in all, it was a really nice gathering. It was nice to see the people who care about A-squared and see them all together. For me, any time I can have Middle Eastern food is a good thing - everything was delicious and I always relish (no pun intended) in being able to try something different. With desserts there's such a focus on honey and semolina rather than chocolate and cake. It was so neat.