Kebab

This may be highly unusual, especially for someone who had previously spent a total of 9 1/2 months in Europe, but I had my first kebab in mid-October 2007 or so.

I was suspect of kebab and I guess I resisted it, because I was a vegetarian for six years. I still am, but no where near as strict as I used to be. It took Herr Niggemeyer (Also known as Schröder) to introduce it to me and convince me it wasn't evil. My first kebab was the most amazing experience ever and I must confess, I do not expect to find any kebab the quite compares to the one I have now mastered in Warsaw.

Now, I must give into the divulge the details. Schröder had been searching out kebabs, because we were attending the same orientation session for foreigners at Collegium Civitas. One lecturer was introducing us to Polish lifestyle, customs, and speech and told us that the best kebab was located across the street and there over. I suspect that we never actually went to the place she told us to go to, but I'm glad we did not. Schröder told me he thought he had been to the place she recommended, but was disappointed so he brought me to another place he had tried and enjoyed. It was Green Bar and is so amazing I've included it in the Wikitravel guide to Śródmieście. In we walk and we discover the cook speaks English. Again, I was vegetarian and hesitant about eating meat, but I decided to ask if the meat was halal. This surprised the cook and he told me yes. I assume he didn't lie to me so I agreed to having a chicken kebab. He asked if I was Muslim. I told him no and went on the explain why I asked if the food was halal when I was not Muslim. He set about cooking and preparing the kebab and handed me the finished product, which was nothing short of delectable.

In the ensuing days, I became increasingly obsessed with the delicious kebab. So much so, that Schröder and I covered another six or so kebab shops in about three or four days. Nothing compared to this first kebab. I eventually kept going back to Green Bar and negotiated with the cook until we discovered my preference for the spicy sauce. He was worried when I told him I wanted it three times hotter than the hottest he had ever given me. He copped the idea of using the base for spicy sauce without diluting it. Let me tell you, it can be profoundly hot and spicy depending on how much I ask him to use.

By this point, I had introduced another American I go to school with to Green Bar and had him hooked. I even have a few Irish students hooked. Now, when I walk in Summer (the cook's name) and I exchange greetings (I usually greet him first with the Arabic greeting) and he redundantly asks "The usual?" Like I even need to respond... I've become so addicted to kebab, I'm now in three times a week, if not more. I'm trying to ease myself off, but I haven't succeeded, yet. I'm even beginning know Summer a bit more than I know my own family members! For example, Summer is from Baghdad and I invited him to my new years eve party (he would have been V.I.P.).

The sick thing is I've experienced many, many kebabs in Warsaw now and Summer's kebabs simply do not compare to anything anyone has ever had. Now, unfortunately, his coworkers don't speak English well enough to get my order as great as Summer has it down. I'm actually a tad worried about what will happen when I graduate and need to return to the U.S. I'm thinking of trying to convince Summer to come with me. I'd set up shop for him in Dearborn, so he could be in the Iraqi community and I'd take weekend trips out to eat kebab.

I know this is probably one of the craziest blogs you've ever read, but, truth is, Summer's kebabs are amazing and I need to tell the world to get one when you're in Warsaw.

Photographs will follow someday and hopefully one day in the future I will be able to upload the flavor. Talk about Web 2.0.