Its a Small World

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In Pakistan BBQs fill the streets and alleys with their sizzling sounds, superb smells and seductive smoke. Every cook we walked past was extremely welcoming and wanted us to try their fare. They weren’t pushy salesmen, quite often we were offered the food for free or another diner would pay our bill without us knowing. That Pakistani hospitality.

In this instance the cook hadn’t yet noticed there were foreigners at his stall. I had my camera in hand, ready to capture the smoke and sizzle. Knowing that I like to take candid photographs (not always easy in Pakistan as most people wanted their photo taken and wanted to assume what we called the ‘military pose’; looking straight at the camera without a smile or much emotion), my brother quickly said “Now! Take it” and I quickly framed as best as I could and clicked. The smoke is there, you can almost smell it. The food is cooking, you can almost taste it The cook is relaxed, he knows his craft well. The grit and grime from countless cook ups is there and no doubt is still there in alls it glory.

After the photograph we took our place sitting on the ground in the dirty alley and tucked in to some BBQ goat with flatbread. Delicous! The meal, like every activity in Pakistan, was made even better by the atmosphere and the locals we sat and ate with.

So what is the topic of conversation at these BBQs? Pretty much the same as at an Aussie bbq; family, friends and cricket. Its a small world after all.