I’m enjoying some excellent fresh pomegranate juice in my favorite cafe in Kabul. I love pomegranates, and the juice is great fresh, or concentrated and put on various foods that are popular in the region (Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, etc.).

And here is a very helpful video from my friend Peshwaz on the best technique to open and consume a pomegranate:

–Dinner in Kabul
–Persian singing and music before dinner
–Coffee and tea break at the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry
–Sour cherries for sale along the side of the road
–Possibly the most delicious cherries I’ve ever eaten
–Lunch in Mazar-e-Sharif
–Lunch traveling from Mazar-e-Sharif to Kabul
–Mangos for sale in Kabul
–A bowl of traditional Tajik Kurtob in Dushanbe

of the GVP….

I admit it. I have a problem with killing living, fearing, perceiving, even thinking and loving things. They are delicious, but …. I don’t like killing them for food. (Or for sport or other reasons, for that matter. It’s the killing I’m not keen on.) Fortunately, capitalism is solving my problem. There are reports of “vat-grown meat,” which I heartily endorse. And the other day I went to Chipotle, which serves tasty food, especially — I’m a bit ashamed to admit it — really delicious pork (which was not raised in horrible concrete pens, but “naturally”). Lo and behold, they have a new vegetarian (technically, vegan) meat substitute, called “Garden Blend.” It was good!

I’m cutting down on my meat consumption. It’s not full ethical vegetarianism. I know that. But I figure I can eat well (and a little less expensively) if I cut down on eating the dead bodies of animals that were killed for me to feast on them. And the new “Garden Blend” from Chipotle makes it easier. Thank you, Chipotle! (Er, I already thanked you when I gave you the money for the burrito. So, instead, expect me back!)

I love pomegranates. They are wonderful. Maybe even my favorite fruit. I just wish that they were easier to eat.

Well, my colleague Peshwaz Faizulla (from Iraqi Kurdistan) and my colleague Austin Petersen (from Missouri) made a nice video showing how to do it. I bought some pomegranates on the road from Jalalabad to Kabul yesterday and today used my wicked sharp Gerber/Applegate pocket knife to do as Peshwaz had instructed. It was great!

My dinner tonight. Hot pot…half Sichuan and half Malay Satay. And it was very, very good!