Seldom Was Heard a Discouraging Word,And Nary a Chicken Nugget Reared Its Processed Head

Our first dinner at Souq Waqif was at a Persian (Iranian) restaurant called Isfahan.  This is an opulently decorated place with traditional foods.  They are used to and very kind to Western visitors.  We chose to go all-out and have our dinner on the floor.  Here are some photos.

The entryway, with ceiling and walls covered in small mosaics of mirrors. 
Hannah: "Very glamorous!"

The view from where we were sitting.

Our dinner area.  Hannah only tried to dance on the table once...

So guess what?  Iranian restaurants in a Qatari souq DON'T SERVE CHICKEN NUGGETS, HOTDOGS, or GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES.  That means the Small roustabouts are suddenly thrown into an "eat or starve" situation.  And no, Mammy, the kitchen staff would not have understood if I asked them to boil 4 pounds of noodles for Hank. :)  

We asked our waiter for traditional foods.  What you see here is the salad/starters portion of our meal.  That green stuff that looks like salad was actually fresh herbs--mint, basil, and maybe something else.  It came with cucumber sticks, olives, and radishes.  On the right were three vegetables--one was spinach, one was eggplant, and I'm not sure about the third.  They were cooked/mashed into spreads to put on the flatbread (or you could eat them plain).  We also had a traditional salad--small dices cucumber, tomato, and onion with a little salt and lemon juice...one of the freshest bestest things you ever put in your mouth.

After this (and not pictured), we had a mixed grill, which was skewers of chicken, lamb, and beef, as well as a stewed lamb and rice dish.  Everything was heavenly, and the boys actually ate quite a bit.  Hannah's drink (the green one) is fresh lemon juice blended with a little water, sugar, and fresh mint leaves (thus the color).  Hank's drink--closest to the camera--is fresh squeezed watermelon juice.  Heavenly!

The waitstaff, all Filipino women, fawned over Hannah all night...

In fact, people all over the souq fawned over Hannah.  One family took their photo with her.  It's the blond hair and general demeanor...but the pink cowboy boots probably contributed, too.  People were very sweet and respectful, some just gently touching her head (like a blessing) as she passed.  

This was all very sweet and interesting--it didn't disturb her at all.  In fact, she thought all the attention was downright well deserved.  By the end of the evening, her head had swelled to the point of commanding me: "Mama!  Go get me a lollipop!"

My reaction?  Of course...I rolled my eyes at her, told her to go her own freakin' lollipop, and then found a candy store and bought her one.  Sigh. 

It was, after all, an alternative way of keeping her quiet...