Afghan Horseman

Last night we had dinner with some friends at The Afghan Horseman, a local restaurant that's been serving traditional Afghani food for 34 years. The walls were filled with 40 year old pictures of Afghanistan and bits of recent history: the war against Britain, the Russian invasion, etc. Our booth was covered with colourful cloth and gauze, the food was delicious: lots of sauces, brown bread-like pancakes and tender portions of lamb with hummus.

For a country invaded by the U.S. more than once in the last twenty years, you would think I'd know more about Afghanistan by now. It's a shame that this restaurant is my first experience with the culture. It would be great if--before we invaded a nation--we as a country had to sit down for a short civics lesson. It would increase the humanity of the enemy and perhaps give us perspective on why we're attacking. Yes, I agree with the war against the Taliban and Afghanistan's relation to the 9/11 terrorists. But there is so little I know about a nation we have intersected with so often.