Dan and Audrey are friends we met in Prague. Audrey contacted me via email after seeing an article I had written in Transitions Abroad (back when it was a print magazine, RIP). When they were checking out new places to live, they met up with us in a Prague pub for dinner. As I remember it, we had a great time, even though I spilled beer all over Dan. When they chose Prague as their new home, they stayed in our flat for a while, cat-sitting Sotek and hunting for their own flat while Chip and I traveled home for Christmas.
Within a couple of months, they had found one place and then another, and they already knew way more people than we did. They both have a way about them that encourages easy friendship and good companionship. We spent many an enjoyable evening at their place or ours or at one of Prague's many fine restaurants for brunch or dinner. And they didn't even drop us when we complicated our life by having a child. Instead, they made continued fellowship easy for us by coming to our flat and cooking for us. What a sweet deal! Oh, and they once made me eat anchovies, and I liked it.
Dan and Audrey remained in Prague for a couple of years after we left but then embarked on an amazing adventure that they are still experiencing. As of today, they have been on the road for 843 days, bringing their special brand of citizen diplomacy everywhere from Turkmenistan to China to, most recently, Guatemala. They are truly exceptional people, and I'm proud to call them friends. (And I now realize that I totally should have written this post last week to drive traffic for their nomination as the Lonely Planet's Best Travelogue, which they should have won but were robbed of. Sorry, D&A!)
Here's Dan's Hummus, the recipe for which they shared with us and many other friends in a little cookbooklet they sent out at Christmas in 2004:
Dan's Hummus
They write in their cookbook, "Affectionately referred to by a friend as "kick-ass" hummus. This is quick and easy to make, especially if you have a hand blender."
2 c. canned garbanzo beans/chickpeas (keep juice in a separate bowl)
1/3 c. tahini
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
3 cloves garlic, halved
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. paprika
1 t. minced fresh parsley
1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and spices in either a blender or a deep bowl (to use with a hand blender). Blend until smooth. To adjust the thickness of the dip, add 1/2 the juice from the first garbanzo bean can to the dip mixture and continue to blend.
2. Scoop the resulting dip into the smaller bowl, drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle with a pinch of paprika and the parsley. Serve with triangles of pita bread.
Hints:
- If you don't want it spicy, don't add the cayenne pepper.
- If you are lazy, just blend everything, including the fresh parsley, right into the dip. No one will mind.