Tea - a rather pointless monologue

Let’s talk about tea for a moment. I can hear John laughing already, but I have no cans of tea for you to sniff at the moment, just a few observations about tea as a culture. I have been in many tea drinking societies around the world, a couple on this trip already, and they all do things a little differently. Possibly to improve the world’s understanding of me as a person, I think I should share some of the positives and negatives I have experienced when it comes to tea. First of all, I strongly agree with the Persian tradition (also Turkish, Kurdish, Iraqi) of serving tea in clear glasses. The beautiful amber color of properly brewed black tea should be enjoyed by the imbiber through an unadulterated glass vessel, period.

As long as we’re talking about black tea in the Middle Eastern tradition, I have to say that the Persians do it best, followed closely by the Kurdish. The refreshingly sweet addition of cardamom to the black tea is delightful, and the occasional addition of saffron in Persian tea just makes it a step more regal. Turkish tea is nice, but it dulls in comparison to its Eastern neighbors. The Turks do a fine job, however, on the apple tea that is also prevalent on the Anatolian peninsula - it’s similar to a hot apple cider though, and can hardly be classified as tea. The best thing about tea in the Middle East is its relationship to hospitality and relaxation. In the regions I have mentioned, it’s virtually impossible to live out a day without being offered or invited for tea numerous times. Sitting back and enjoying this hot golden beverage with a healthy dose of sugar just feels right in this atmosphere. Drinking tea helps lend a pace to life; it’s time to converse, time to negotiate, time to soak up the sights and sounds. It’s much easier to complete a major purchase when you and the salesperson are both sitting back with a tea in hand, as is so often the case. It puts both parties on equal footing in a relaxed situation - the exchange of money and goods becomes secondary to the sharing of tea.

Tea in the “Western” world tends to be a major disappointment. Nothing was more disappointing than ordering a tea at the Ritz-Carlton in Istanbul and being served a bitter, over-brewed white cup of brown nastiness. It took four packets of sugar just to overcome the tangy bitter flavor of scalded tea leaves. The British like to combat improperly brewed tea (ok, sometimes properly brewed too) with milk and sugar. This is the bland man’s attempt to emulate the perfectly balanced Masala Chai of their former colonies in South Asia. Masala chai is supposed to be a blend of sweet and spicy with a touch of milk or cream to help bring balance to life. It’s an incredibly pleasurable beverage, but it is very different from the Middle Eastern tea beverages and a proper role-model for British tea lovers. In America, we’ve been overwhelmed with trendy new tea shops that offer every imaginable blend and flavor under the sun. I’ve fallen in love with many of these establishments, but a tea purist would find many faults in their offerings - that’s ok, I’m a moderate tea lover at heart, so I’ll take advantage of their fruity blends and bastardized versions of tea staples from around the world.

I had in mind to continue my tea lecture with writings on my experiences in Japan and the fine green teas of Asia, but instead, I’ll end things here with the option to continue when I make it to China and might be confronted with more tea traditions or tea travesties. Time will tell.

Iraq in a nutshell - Pistachio probably

The Main Gate of the Erbil Citadel

The Kurdish flag flying in the old Erbil Citadel

Fish grilling to perfection

The finished product
Eating ice cream with a former Kurdish body builder
The Erbil Citadel
Kurdish Textile Museum
Enjoying Arguileh
Some big Kurdish Guy
Lazgin and our "ninja"


What exactly did I get while I was in Iraq? Probably lung cancer, possibly some new business opportunities, definitely a desire to go back and spend more time. My time in Iraqi Kurdistan was very brief, but it was full of priceless experiences and the incredible hospitality of the Kurdish people. I have nothing but good things to say about the Kurdish people and the enormous strides they have made towards creating a stable and prosperous region in a very turbulent part of the world. The welcome I received rivaled that of my own champions of hospitality back in Lebanon, and it was one of the very few places in the world where I actually felt completely comfortable being an American.

My friends in Iraq are definitely very well-connected within the Kurdish regional government, and I had the great pleasure of meeting some of the movers and shakers of the region and learning more about the Iraqi Kurdistan. I have many interesting and entertaining stories from my short time in Iraq, but I don’t feel that it is appropriate for me to share many of the details in an internet post. I will, however, give a brief explanation of how I spent my time in Erbil.

As the guest of some successful business people in Erbil, I was lucky enough to be able to visit some of their stores and offices and to learn more about business in Kurdistan. I was able to sit in on a meeting with two Swedish Kurds that are trying to develop the film industry in the area. I enjoyed many glasses of perfect Kurdish tea that reminded me very much of the warm glasses enjoyed with Mansour out at Willow Creek Inn. Multiple times a day we would sit back and smoke some excellent Arguileh (aka Hookah or Shisha) with various fruit flavors, sometimes even with the tobacco packed into some fresh fruit. The thick sweet smoke felt icy against my face, and the Shisha we get in the states or Europe pales in comparison. The food was all excellent, although most of it was transplanted from an area I am very familiar with, Lebanon. One night, amongst some very important company, we enjoyed some local fresh-water fish, grilled to perfection by an open fire. One evening, we negotiated our way into the historic Erbil Citadel right at closing time, and wandered the ancient streets and visited the Kurdish textile museum.

The most important thing I can say about Iraqi Kurdistan is that it is a wonderful place, where I felt very safe and very welcome, and with any luck, I will be returning soon. The opportunities available in the region are innumerable, and I sincerely hope that I can find a way to take advantage of them. Next time, I hope to spend a great deal more time in the region and explore some other parts of the area, particularly the mountains. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even bring a tour group with me one day. Many thanks to the people of Kurdistan!

Iraqi Kurdistan - First Impressions

07 JUN 2009
Arif, Lazgin and I flew together on the Austrian Airlines flight to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. I really felt genuinely excited, and surprisingly (at least to me personally), I wasn’t the slightest bit nervous. Exiting the plane in Erbil, a friend of Arif’s from airport security was waiting for us with a flashy bus with tinted windows. We were taken to the VIP side of the airport, where our temperatures were taken to check for swine flu, and we were ushered quickly through passport control and into a very posh lounge. Apparently, normal procedure prohibits vehicles from driving up to the airport, so usually you have to take a special airport bus to the waiting cars, far from the terminal. It wasn’t a great shock to figure out that Arif’s friends had their bright white Toyota Land Cruisers waiting right outside the door. The not-so-standard procedure that Arif always follows involves a leisurely stop at the office of the head of airport security for a cup of tea.

I felt immediately comfortable in these surroundings, not just because of the special treatment my friend had arranged, but because everyone was very eager to welcome me to Kurdistan, and the laid-back-drink-some-tea-ten-minutes-means-two-hours culture was right up my alley. Laying here at 2:30AM in a fortress like hotel that doubles as the British consulate, I have really seen very little of Kurdistan or even Erbil, but I’m very content and really like the place. I met for juice and arguileh with some of the guys in the early evening, and then a large group of us went out to the beautiful restaurant Marina in the Christian district of the city. The food was great, the live music was moving (they even played my favorite Iraqi song, Khuttar), and the company couldn’t have been better. On the way into the restaurant, though, everyone had to pass through a security check including a metal detector. Funny thing about it, they started to search my camera bag, but Saad told the guard, “he’s American, he won’t blow himself up,” and I was sent on through. We did note, however, that the metal detector wasn’t on, and they didn’t search any of the other guys because they didn’t have bags - we’ll give the security team a D+ for putting on a good show.

Driving at high speeds along the European highways suddenly pales in comparison to flying 100mph down the seemingly endless straight roads of Erbil in a Toyota Land Cruiser, the windows of which are tented so much that it is practically impossible to see outside in the dark, slowing down only to gently hop over the occasional speed bump. Tomorrow, the real exploring begins.

Austrian Airlines Premium Class Meal: Assorted appetizer plate including Hummous, Moutabel, roasted vegetables and fresh bread, Prawns in a creamy parmesan tomato sauce served with buttered rice and sauteed spinach, assorted Arab sweets and hot tea for dessert.