boy o boy
Friday in Afghanistan is the weekend, so I tagged along with Najib on a few social events. First was his friend's wedding party, held in a big hall in Kabul which is actually two buildings in one. Any man who enters the woman's side is killed. (I had pictured something more like an conservative shul, where the screen dividers allow a little peeking. Shows how much i know.)
So the men's side was about 200 of us all sitting at round tables. There was a band, and a dance floor, and Afghans are very vocally appreciative of smooth dance moves as I discovered. I busted a few maneuvers and the crowd ahhhed and clapped. One boy started dancing with me sort of suggestively and my gaydar started bleeping, but then i looked and every boy had taken another boy as a partner. So I relaxed and went with the flow. That's when the shadram, the best friend of the groom's father, grabbed my hands in his and started leading me in a series of foot hops which was sort of like caveman ballet, or over-caffinated tai chi. I kept jumping the gun and leaping to the other foot too early. We spun back to back and my hat flew off. Then he grabbed me around the hips. I know what this sounds like but everyone else was doing the same thing and it didn't feel awkward. Reminded me of my dad teaching me how to dance a girl in our old kitchen in larchmont. Those are still my go-to moves.
The food at this event was something special; there was the usual birinj -rice with boiled raisins - and yogurt and spinach but here with two kinds of meat and cauliflower and some dumplings and a kind of afghan kim chi. Then there was more dancing and then a formal note was passed to the bandleader requesting an 'attan,' a pashtun dance/contest where the dancers twirl and kick in a rotating circle until one by one they drop off exhausted and only one remains. We left soon after that dance and ran into some actors filming a movie. A short guy in a silk yellow shirt and dark sunglasses was falling over and over down the stairs while crushing a can of pepsi in his hand.
So the men's side was about 200 of us all sitting at round tables. There was a band, and a dance floor, and Afghans are very vocally appreciative of smooth dance moves as I discovered. I busted a few maneuvers and the crowd ahhhed and clapped. One boy started dancing with me sort of suggestively and my gaydar started bleeping, but then i looked and every boy had taken another boy as a partner. So I relaxed and went with the flow. That's when the shadram, the best friend of the groom's father, grabbed my hands in his and started leading me in a series of foot hops which was sort of like caveman ballet, or over-caffinated tai chi. I kept jumping the gun and leaping to the other foot too early. We spun back to back and my hat flew off. Then he grabbed me around the hips. I know what this sounds like but everyone else was doing the same thing and it didn't feel awkward. Reminded me of my dad teaching me how to dance a girl in our old kitchen in larchmont. Those are still my go-to moves.
The food at this event was something special; there was the usual birinj -rice with boiled raisins - and yogurt and spinach but here with two kinds of meat and cauliflower and some dumplings and a kind of afghan kim chi. Then there was more dancing and then a formal note was passed to the bandleader requesting an 'attan,' a pashtun dance/contest where the dancers twirl and kick in a rotating circle until one by one they drop off exhausted and only one remains. We left soon after that dance and ran into some actors filming a movie. A short guy in a silk yellow shirt and dark sunglasses was falling over and over down the stairs while crushing a can of pepsi in his hand.
3 Comments:
Wow, that is wild. I want to know what the women were doing. "How to dance a girl".... that's a good one.
I'm picturing a whirling dervish-esque experience here. Just the very thought of such a contest in the middle of eating and drinking seems less then advisable, but who knows maybe its something one can build up a strong enough stomach for.
You know, its funny but in all our little adventures I've never seen you dance (and mosh pits don't count). Once your back your going to have to whip these incredible moves out. I'll expect nothing less then breathtaking kinesthetic.
Were you exaggerating when you said the men would be killed if caught wandering off their designated turf? Seems a might bit extreme, but this is the girl who regularly talks about sex to everyone including her grandmother. I've kind of gotten the impression that my level of exceptable conversation much less activities is considered shocking to most Americans. So really I'm no judge of proper repricutions for socially deviant acts.
I swear to god, if I have to make one more damnible octopus I'll do something truly unspeakable with these evil needles. (well at least my fingers have calised up a mile high by now- Sexy yeah?
I just caught up with your travels to Afghanistan and I really appreciate your perspective. Living in the north country where we perceive ourselves as having extreme weather and economic disadvantage often blinds us to what real extremes are. Just living in the United States we forget that there are other parts of America (South and Central). Reading your description of your experiences builds a bridge of understanding (or at least the perception of understanding) between the cultures.
I have always appreciated your view and approach, so I'm particularly pleased to hear what you have to say about a part of the world I would love to visit but know that I don't have the courage or stamina to undertake. Thanks!
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