Yet another Eid away from friends and family. One thing that's a positive within the negative is that Kharkiv is finally getting help. "Finally" may seem hyperbolic to some but this frontline of Ukraine has been suffering for a long time. Now that's there is international focus on the city, it is receiving a better load of help, aids, and attention. In fact, since a long time the suffering was huge and help didn't come easy. The requests for help and aids usually went unheard but now there's attention. Which also means vultures are also trying to be vultures, the same ones that used to curse my beloved city. This eid I prayed a lot for Kharkiv. Spent more time talking to friends and colleagues who are still there.
Eid is always supposed to be a happy celebration. In fact it's the only occasion where we are barred from fasting and obligated to celebrate. But how? I don't know. Nothing seems to bring joy anymore.
Nevertheless, put on some nice fresh clothes. Got a nice hairstyle. And took a train to the beautiful Hague.
While a lot of friends and families posted their new outfits, grandiose meals, outings, and celebrations, I couldn't even say I felt like buying new clothes. But it was nice and shiny in the Hague.
A colleague recommended an Afghani restaurant by the beach for eid. Decided to make a last minute reservation and head out to the mega Dutch city. And it was worth it.
I'm sort of trying to normalise...life. One of the ways of doing that is cultivating traditions and enforcing back cultures that seemingly disappeared. The Muslim community among Ukrainian refugees is extremely small do trying to organize something is close to impossible...at least for now. So I usually try to go celebrate with Afghani food. A cuisine I first fell in love with when I was an early teen.
Luna was recommended to me by a colleague for the last eid, but I never ended up going there. It is a beautiful restaurant right next to the beautiful Scheveningen beach. Elegant and comfortable inside. I wish I had come here earlier. The other Afghani place I frequent for celebrations is much smaller and farther. Luna also had nice middle Eastern love music and sufi style songs.
You cannot go to an Afghani spot and not enjoy their exceptional excellence of meat. Afghanis are proud and very good at preparing meat in various ways and styles. Grills are their expertise. And ovens too. So bread, meat and even rice dishes make in ovens.
Went for the chicken samosas which are made end to end in house to start with. A plate of mixed grill with pulav rice for everyone to share. The icing on top was the aubergine grill. Wonderful! And the iconic lamb rice. A chunk of melting lamb with fragrant rice with carrots and raisins.
These dishes are maybe redundant now. I always posted Uzbekistani Plov on my blogs and grills. Every country in the region has their plov/pulav/pilav. Also shorbas and soups. But every one has a slight difference.
For dessert, a classic ferni. Something that I have at every Afghani spot. It is a sweet dish made with milk, rice, and sugar. Simple, yet filling and properly delicious.
Wishing everyone safety, peace, and happiness!
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