I like being back at Al Haramain hostel in Damascus, great people here, but adjacent to the common area is a bathroom with a gap at the top for ventilation, meaning excellent acoustics, meaning I can hear everything going on in the bathroom. I like getting to know my fellow travelers, but not who needs more fiber in their diet and who needs to lay off the street food.
![fuul](http://thedromomaniac.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/fuul.jpg)
I don't bother to ask anyone at the hostel if they want to eat with me. 'Hey, let's go get a bowl of beans for dinner!' tends to bring down a room, but this stuff is fantastic. It's 'fuul' or fava beans with chickpeas, a liberal amount of lemon juice, and an assortment of sauces. Eaten with flat bread. $1.10.
![hummus](http://thedromomaniac.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/hummus.jpg)
Classic hummus. Ground chickpeas mixed with some tahine, which is ground sesame seeds, plus olive oil and other goodness. $1.10.
![mountain o' sweets](http://thedromomaniac.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/sweets.jpg)
The per kilo cost for the four towers of sweets that have price tags are, from left to right, 300, 500, 350, and 250. (46 pounds = $1.00.)
![abou shaker!](http://thedromomaniac.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/abou.jpg)
I missed the infectious smile from the son of famed Abou Shaker, Damascus fruit juice maestro.
![abou's mixed fruit juice](http://thedromomaniac.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/aboujuice.jpg)
A regular mixed fruit juice. $1.65 for this, or only $.90 without the Carmen Miranda addition.
![orange phone](http://thedromomaniac.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/orangephone.jpg)
I might need this phone to call a doctor. I'm sick.
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Love the great photos of food! I’m glad you’re enjoying Syria; it was by far my favourite Middle Eastern country when I was there. I’m also glad to see that it’s still pretty cheap. I remember spending considerably more money in 10 days in Israel than in a full month in Syria.
The presentation of the food is hilarious, but I love that they get creative with it!