I have remarked a few times recently how normal my life seems now. I am fully aware that my definition of normal is completely different than it was 6 months ago – I never saw livestock on the sidewalk in Herndon – but I have settled into a routine and I have gotten accustomed to things here. And then, there are those occurrences that remind me just how far away from my “normal” I am.
The other day, I was sitting in the family room with my host mom, my host sister Shams, one of the other sisters who doesn’t live with us, Aysel, and her baby; eating yummy lavangi and actually having a conversation in Azeri with them. A nice lovely bonding moment with the host fam.
Shortly into the meal, Aysel’s husband and a friend come in with a live duck. A live duck! They deposit it in the family room, and let it wander around, quacking away. The baby was quite interested. I think the rest of the Azeris were more interested in my expression of shock. I mean, come on, never in my life have I had a live duck in the family room before. It was something of a spectacle. And, kinda awesome. After a few minutes of entertainment, Aysel’s husband took the duck to the hammam (bathroom).
A few minutes later, I got up to take my dishes to the kitchen. The door to the hammam was open, so I peaked in to see the cute, funny duck. And there he was - not so cute anymore, and definitely not so awesome. He was still moving, but he was headless.
That’s right. My host family killed a duck in the bathroom. And ate it for supper.
Yup. I am definitely not in the same normal anymore.
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8 comments:
I think I'd have a problem with meeting my food before I eat it. Besides, shouldn't all poultry come in a nice, sterile package from the grocery store?
Yikes. Poor duck.
For the record, I have had a live duck in my family room before. TWO ducks, in fact.
All that stuff about Christmas and New Years was fun to read and all, but a duck? In the damned bathroom? Seriously?
Almost forgot: Merry Christmas and happy new year!
A duck . . .
I think the thing that gets me is that they let the duck run around and play for a while before they chopped its head off!
was it at least a tasty duck???
did you eat the duck? otherwise it would have been killed for nothing, right? sorry heidi!
Jane
I'm happy to explain you all life situations in Azerbaijan which causes incomprehension for you :)
Fuad.Aslanov@gmail.com
Baku, Azerbaijan
2 shannon
They cook very tasty ducks in Lankaran, even if they killed them in hammam :)
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