Another Gift from a Passer-by?
While on our morning jog, two guys in a car pulled up next to Houdini and I. One guy rolled down the window and said, "I have some fresh fish." Remembering the guys who gave Houdini and me zaatar pies a few days ago, I got excited and motioned behind me to Houdini, "You mean for my puppy?" The guy looked back expecting to find a puppy dog but instead finding a slightly overweight donkey quietly looking up at him from the end of a long leash. The guy did a double take then looked back at me. He said, "Listen. I said I have some fresh fish."
I then remembered that fresh fish is a delicacy in the village and it would be unheard of to feed it to a pet, so I figured he must be offering it to me. "No thanks, I don't eat meat," I replied, forgetting that "meat" means cow or lamb in Arabic, but certainly not fish.
The guy didn't know what to do with me. He was trying to sell me some fresh fish, and after I asked him if it was for my dog while pointing to a donkey, I then told him I didn't eat lamb.
The driver and he just looked at each other without saying a word and drove off. As they left, I smiled to Houdini and asked, "isn't it amazing how friendly the villagers are?"