Lesson on Gross Meats and Good Meats

We had some good friends stop by and visit us and our city for a few days. It was a treat to spend some time catching up with them. Thanks for stopping by Justin and Yvette! One box of cereal is already gone, despite our effort to ration!

We didn't want our guests to miss out on any inexpensive and relaxing massages, so naturally we accompanied them to our favorite place we'd been to a couple times. They really do a good job on the foot massage part. When working one foot, the usually wrap the other foot in a cloth so it doesn't get cold. Well, this time they added a cute little bow to the cloth as they wrapped Dana and Yvette's. They were really hoping that the masseuse would give the boy's a bow, but sadly they only tucked.

Here's a random picture below, but we thought we'd give you an idea of what a typical person in this city might sleep on. Still complaining about your Serta mattress being too firm? This bed belongs to our dear friend who invited us to his home for some homemade hot pot. Yummy! He used his rice cooker - good idea!

The world cup was a much bigger deal here than in America. People would stay out late watching the game. Restaurants would put screens or tables outside with some tables for people to enjoy a late dinner. Below is a new shopping mall where they would show the game for whoever wanted to come and watch.

John stayed up until the wee hours of the morning watching the game at a friend's house. Dana was at home sick, but he did come home after the sun was up! Congrats Spain!

Here's one of the birthday parties of last month. John picked the "Gangsta" theme. Anyone reminded of middle school? Dirty.

So here's a lesson on meat. If it's been outside for who knows how long, smells, and has eyeballs on the same dish... don't eat it.

If it is barbecued right when you order it, seasoned to perfection, and you know what meat it is... eat a few sticks of them! We love these meat on a sticks. They are made by a Turkic minority group here in the city, so kosher is good. It's lamb and spicy and delicious and I'm hungry!



We came here for another birthday party. This really is the best way to eat these kabobs. No fumbling with chopsticks! Also good with their "pizza" or "unleavened" bread! (Nan)

We went to the new Karate Kid after barbecue. (It's a big deal to go to the theater here and it be in English!) It was pretty awesome - especially watching it while in Asia! We thought they did a great job with a lot of the cultural things and Jackie Chan is the bomb.

We're going to meet Dana's family in Seattle on Friday for a 7 day Alaskan cruise. We'll be sure to post a bunch of those pictures in a couple weeks, so stay tuned...