For the first time (and certainly not the last) Dan met a visa customer in real life. Thankfully, it was someone to whom he had given a visa but given how many people he turns down that too may be inevitable.
The national dish of Jordan is mansaf. When you go out for Arabic food in the Middle East (or in Washington DC for that matter) what you are actually eating is Lebanese food - all those little mezze appetizers and then grilled meats is Lebanese food. But the entire Arab world realized that for the most part Lebanese food is the tastiest middle eastern food and so when you have "Arabic food" it is most typically humus, baba ghanouj, tabbouleh salad, etc. But Jordan also has one dish from its Bedouin past - mansaf.
Mansaf is served mostly at special occasions. This week, I had visitors (why is this week like every other week?) who were invited to have dinner at the home of the head of Jordan's flight school. The director also invited me and Dan to join them. Dan doesn't normally come to my evening work events (and honestly I don't try to go to too many of them) but Dan hadn't tried mansaf yet and this was his chance. Mansaf is a rice dish with lamb and reconstituted yoghurt. Imagine you are a bedouin - you do not want to carry your heavy, wet, spoiling yoghurt with you - so you dry your yoghurt (I don't know how this is done) and then it is reconstituted as needed. Anyway, the mansaf was delicious.
Back to the visa...
Dan and I arrive at the director's home and we are introduced to his wife, his daughter and his son who right away says to Dan "we met at the Embassy. I am a pilot for RJ. We talked about movies." Dan then remembers the conversation and is visible relieved as he realizes that this is someone to whom he issued a visa.
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