When talking to some friends about the lack of options for eating out around here, it was mentioned that there was an Egyptian restaurant, with a belly dancer, in the nearby town, known as the watermelon capital of the world.
While we have many restaurants, the variety is slim. You can count on BBQ, Fried Seafood, Chinese, Mexican, some Southern Cooking and the usual franchises. Most of it all blends together. So sometimes a road trip to an interesting spot, for dinner, is in order.
This nearby town of around 10,000 seemed like an unlikely spot for such a restaurant. We thought if the meals were disappointing maybe the South Georgia redneck belly dancer might be entertaining enough to make up for the food. Or visa versa.
Hubs and I drove the 45 miles to see if we could find this spot, if not, we knew there was a Chic Fil A and Cracker Barrel in the town.
We found it!
We walked into the Cafe Harika and found a room that had been tranformed into something that town, nor ours, has seen before. There were your typical table and booths, but along one wall were a few low tables with cushions around and folks lounging (in their camoflauge) chatting away.
We made our way to a booth and then the music changed, and out came the belly dancer.
I have a friend from India, and we were invited to her sister's wedding (here, not there). They had hired a belly dancer from Atlanta, and well, she was more of what I thought I might see in South Georgia. So I was surprised to see someone more fitting of what I would imagine a belly dancer to actually look like.
A couple of times she invited the children out to try their hand at moving their bellies.
I truly enjoyed the Mediterranean appetizers and the shish kabobs I ordered. Hubs decided to go the safe route, or so he thought, and ordered from the American section- country fried steak and onion rings. Mine was MUCH better, second generation from Pakistan did a wonderful job with the dishes they are accustomed to.
As I was listening to the music and watching the dancer, I was taking in the colorful rugs and the blingy lighting, I glanced out the window across the room . . .
Nothing like throwing something foreign into the mix of Southern Culture.
Y'all come back, ya hear . . .
5 comments:
That was sp entertaining to read. I am sure it was interesting to everyone. Did you try to dance?
Oh that sounds like a fun change of pace. That last image just cracked me up though.
I hope it succeeds. We had a Mediterranean restaurant with belly dancers here for awhile, but they went out of business when the economy tanked.
Ha! the word verification is vaddyi, certainly an exotic sounding word, maybe Persian or Pakistani? LOL
Go for it, why stick with the tried and tested. That way boredom lies.
I liked your description of a southern belly dancer, but belly dancing and kids? Was this daytime eating?
Not that I'd mind, but it makes it sound less exciting.
I love trying new foods & exposing my kids to other cultures! Great job on both! How much fun!
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