The American Way

I spent most of last week in our nation's capital. The purpose of the trip was for a conference at the Council of Foundations, but I also managed to sneak in a couple of excursions and activities along the way. I quickly remembered how awesome Washinton D.C.  the disctrict (what all the locals refer to it as) is and my visit refueled my patriotism. The fact that next week is the Fourth of July, one of my favorite holidays, probably helps too.

Anyhow, upon landing in DC, I threw my stuff down in my hotel room, caught the shuttle to the metro and the metro to the National Mall. I then did the most American thing I could think to do next. I ordered a hot dog and a coke and sat on the lawn of the Smithsonian overlooking the Capitol and the Washington Monument. It was glorious.

I was able to spend a few hours in any of the museums that were open late and free. This included quick tours/walk-throughs of the National Museum of American History and the Natural History Museum. Both were fantastic. I spent the rest of the time walking from one end of the mall to the other and taking in all the different sites. By the end, I realized the perfect ending to my time on the mall was a nice, tall glass of freshly squeezed lemonade, which I drank while trying to figure out how to get back to the Metro. Pure Americana.

(Of course I didn't take this picture. This one is way better than the one I took, which basically didn't include the top 30% of the monument.)

As I got back to the hotel room, I realized I was starving and looked to see what my dining options were. Chipotle, no. Chili's, no. McDonald's, absolutley not. (I haven't eaten there since 1998 thankyouverymuch.) What I was craving was something different, something that would allow me to taste the true culture of America.

What I found was Kabob Palace, a lovely Afghan restaurant where I devoured a chicken kabob, garbanzo beans, spinach and some delicious bread. The waitstaff was extremely sweet, generous and helped me order off the menu. This was my first Afghan dining experience and I look forward to many more.

Next day I sat in a conference with staff from about 60 community foundations across the nation. What we learned was significant but following the session, I went with my new friends to a sushi place near by. Now I typically stick with California rolls or Vegetable rolls at sushi restaurants but I figured being so cultured from my Afghan dinner, I should try a real sushi dinner. So I ordered spicy salmon and tuna rolls, which were great but I even tried fresh salmon, courtesy of said new friends. Not too bad, but definitely not ordering it in Waco anytime soon.

I spent all of Thursday again in an all-day conference but agreed to go to dinner with some of my "new friends" that evening. None of us had ever tried Ethiopian food so I went along to Hrararsomethingorother. Clearly if I can handle Afghan and Japanese food, I can do Ethiopian fare. (Insert John's joke: "I didn't know Ethiopians had food to eat.")

The food was great, the company was better but more than anything, I left DC this afternoon realizing just how many unique cultures there are to appreciate in our country and how unaware I am of most of them. So next time you're feeling adventurous, check out a random Afghan, Japanese or Ethiopian restaurant.

And, if you haven't been to DC in a long time, go the next chance you get! It is always makes me realize how truly blessed I am to be from the USA and more mindful of how far we've come and how much we've overcame  in the past 254 years.