Hanan The Beauty of Food PDF EBook Free Download The Beauty of Food | Page 6

FOREWORD
Beauty Secrets From Persian Princesses
default, a devout Muslim—just as, I would soon come to know, she
thought everyone from Texas looked like Clint Eastwood before her
arrival.
“I’m not a Muslim,” she replied, again laughing with an infectious
smile that detailed her happiness of just being in the moment. “I’m
just a girl from Iraq. Have you never seen that before?”
“No, I haven’t. I just assumed… sorry. So, no camel, either?” (Of
course, that a thin attempt at wit. Sad to say, I actually believed at that
time there were as many camels in Baghdad as there were horses in
Texas. It had to be true. It was on the news.)
Hanan was now laughing loud enough to draw the attention of her
none-too-happy boss. “Camels? Are you serious? There are no
camels in Baghdad!”
I could see I had quite a learning curve ahead of me, assuming
this beautiful creature would give me the chance at a worthwhile
conversation.
She did just that.
Hanan and I have spent a lot of time since that awkward first
meeting talking, living, growing, and, frankly, suffering. That
certain “something” I felt at our first encounter was her unique
combination of outer beauty and inner strength—a strength I have
yet to see matched by anyone in my life. It’s a strength that would
see me through a serious illness, and help us form an intercultural
relationship that has stood the test of its fair share of trials.
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