Jordan: Thursday, September 16

 Thursday was an off day.  We hung out with relatives for most of the day but did drive into Ammon to view some of the Roman ruins and to get ice cream. 

The Nymphaeum (Public fountain)

The Roman theater in Amman

Dinner that night was mensaf, a traditional Jordanian dish made from meat and yogurt.  This one was made from lamb. The men ate in one room and the women in the next. First a sheet of plastic was placed on the carpet. Then a large tray of rice with lamb was placed on top. Several bowls of mensaf  broth were placed around the edge. The proper way to eat it was to dump some of the broth and chicken on a patch of rice on the tray and then pick it up with a piece of bread. The Americans used plates or bowls . Sometimes we used cutlery, but mostly we used a hunk of flatbread to pick up food. The family had figured out that Kristen and I were vegetarians, and we had our own tray of veggie food. 

The veggie tray: felafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, tomatoes--the gigantic, fresh flatbread isn't shown.

The Mensaf: The tray is considerably larger than it looks. About 10 people sat around it on the floor.