Lunch at Jalalabad

Probably readers of this blog will eventually become quite weary of my postings of places I have eaten.  I am sorry for that.  It's just that I find the foodways of a culture to be rather instructive and fun.  The restaurant I had lunch at is called Jalalabad.  It is a very traditional Kyrgyz restaurant in food, architecture, and decor.  And to make it even more fun, I am pretty sure I was the only non-Kyrgyz in the place when I ate there.

Not pictured is my delightful Greek Salad with great veggies.  However you can see my Pilaf in the style of Osh (a city in Southern Kyrgyzstan) with rice, beef, spices, and two kinds of carrots.  Also I had the traditional Kyrgyz bread, and a glass of Airan, the national drink of Kyrgyzstan (a sour, yogurt-based beverage).

Everyone in the restaurant was very kind and friendly.  Pictured is my waiter named Tilek.  I was really proud of myself, because I could figure out his name by reading his Cyrillic name tag without my alphabet chart.  Tilek is an ethnic Kyrgiz (not a Russian) who is wearing traditional clothing including the ever-present felt hat worn by many men in rural areas (and a few in the city).