“I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen?”
On Friday, March 14, I had dinner with a lovely husband and wife. Tim was an India-born America, while Eileen grew up and moved around in the States. The two met when they were in the peace corps.
They’ve traveled and lived in much of the world, including six years in Istanbul, scuba diving off the coast of Egypt, and now working out of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Basically, they’re super cool.
We ate dinner at the famous Dutch Hospital center, at a restaurant called Ministry of Crab. The place was founded by a well known Sri Lankan cricket player.
We had shrimp, the largest I’ve ever eaten. I thought they were lobsters at first glance.
Then we had giant crab.
Interestingly enough, we eat everything with our hands, even the rice and vegetables. Sri Lankans traditionally eat with their bare hands and look at it as cultural preservation. On the other hand, Indians look at it as backwards, and prefer to use utensils at restaurants.
Eileen and Tim occasionally referred to “The War,” which was the Sri Lankan Civil War from 1983-2009. It’s incredible to see the country’s current status, less than five years after the war. Eileen said that people were just beginning to stay out past dark, and that it was still odd seeing people out beyond 10pm. The Dutch Hospital area was barricaded with machine gunners just a few years earlier.
Afterward, we walked down the coastline, hearing the waters crash against the sand. A good night with good company.
Tim and Eileen have been met, but I wonder… how many people have I looked at all my life and never seen?
Andy Cheng 