Nectar of the gods

To my Dir Ridirz,

Something about arid climes makes for good melons. There's not a lot of rain here, in Turkmenistan, or in Uzbekistan, especially in the summer (yesterday's freak rain and dirt storm not withstanding). And I want to tell you about the best melon of my life.

So anyone traveling to Central Asia can tell you that in the summer there are mountains of watermelons on the roadsides. The earliest ripening ones come from Iran and southern Tajikistan, and later come the Uzbek and Turkmen ones. These are incredibly tasty and plentiful. Many families have two a day.

But usually lined up in a humble little line in front of all the watermelons are a row of small melons called "khandalaq." Last night I ate a whole one and started yelling to my host family about how "ridiculous" the melon was. They looked at me dumbfoundedly, and Bakhtior was pleased. They are small and tender and make the ripest honeydew taste watered down. They start off white at the rind and gradually get yellower at the inside where there are wisps of soft, yellowy, rich goodness. The consistency is like a bosc pear and I devoured them.

Dad, they are the best food I have ever eaten, and I'll try to send home an unripe one. cross our fingers.

Okay, off to get a crash course in Tajik.

Charles