Even a blind pig can find an acorn sometimes

Today I wandered to a residential part of the city about 30 minutes from my apartment in order to eat at what people have been telling me is the best noodle restaurant in the city.  The restaurant is named Faiza and it's in a location far from the city center where the restaurants with English language menus and English-speaking waitstaff are located.  I am embarrassed to admit that I haven't really been studying my Russian--busyness, laziness, working in an English environment, a tired old brain, excessive reliance on plenty of willing, English-speaking Kyrgyz, and the dyslexic feeling I get when trying to decipher the Cyrillic alphabet have been the primary obstacles. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a shot and visit Faiza by myself and put the feeble and pathetic Russian that I have managed to acquire to the test.  First, I encountered the menu.

I decided to order the "Boso Lagman," sixth item from the top of the menu.  I also had to explain I wanted the large size with beef, rather than lamb.  And I wanted a bottle of water with gas.  The wait person seemed to understand what I was saying, but with my linguistic skill I wouldn't have been surprised if I had been served a yak steak paired with a cheese omelette.  After a few minutes, I found out the result:

Exactly what I thought I had ordered.   I was served Boso Lagman with beef and a bottle of mineral water with gas.  As I began to eat, before I got too proud of myself, I thought of the old expression that I figured really applied to me today, "Even a blind pig can find an acorn sometimes."  Well, this blind pig enjoyed his meal and one rare moment of overcoming language barriers.

Interior of Faiza Restaurant