Obscurity is Hospitable

Rice Pilaf had never meant anything to me. In the United States, it's an inauspicious side dish. You can buy a fairly popular boxed version of it in any grocery store. However in Central Asia, pilaf or "plov" as it is called locally, is ubiquitous. From market stalls to private homes, one can hardly go a lunch in the region without seeing a steaming, cast iron pan full of the popular meal. The fragrances of cumin, paprika, and coriander waft through the air during lunch hours. It bares out the region's once pivotal position in the spice trade.

By the time I had reached Tajikistan, the last country on my journey through Central Asia, I was plainly tired of plov. It had been almost two months and it seemed like all I ate was plov. "Why couldn't they come up with anything else to eat?", was my usual thought as I picked my way through julienned carrots and hunks of stringy mutton. Often times the rice was crunchy and overcooked too. Most regions have their own rendition of the meal, but it became very dull for my palette.

This changed when I was invited to the first day of raucous wedding festivities in the Pamir mountains. It's a custom in Pamiri culture that just the groom of the couple goes to the first day of celebrations. There he receives some nice clothes and a haircut. He is also given well-wishes from his family and friends. Then there is traditional dancing, drinking of vodka, and eating.

After embarrassingly and awkwardly gyrating my hips and shoulders to traditional Tajik wedding music, we settled into two rooms for guests divided by gender. There, a new suit was given to the groom to wear on his actual wedding day a few days later. My expectations grew high for what kind of culinary spread I would see. Cheeses, meats, fried doughnuts and fruits were arranged for us as we sat on the floor. Then much to my chagrin, I saw the plov enter. However, this time I began to have a different take on it.

Travel can't always be about avant-garde fine dining or street food. I learned that when people who have very little, share a meal with you, it can't be bad. As I said in my toast to the groom's family and friends, "not in my country could a stranger be invited to a wedding celebration, sit at the head of the table, and break bread with the wedding party. Your hospitality is unrivaled and it is a trait that I wish my country would learn from you. I wish you health and happiness." Two days later, the Tajik military laid siege to the region.