One of the scavenges is to get yourself invited into a family's home for dinner. We did it! In the late afternoon just before sunset, we stalked our prey of who to go after to invite ourselves to dinner.
We were on the old city section called Pettah, where the busy market bazaars were closing down. We were in thr area, buying school supplies and soccer balls to give to a school. Having gotten the notebooks and pens, we searched for a place to find the soccer balls. We found what we needed in a store, rather than a stall. A nice young man named Farzath waited on us in English and negotiated with us for a discount for a bunch of balls. On our way out, we told him about the Scavenger Hunt and asked if he could also help us by letting us go home with him for dinner. Absolutely! Love to!
It was around 6:30 and we were invited for 9/9:30. We dashed out to have a cocktail at the members only Colombo Cricket Club. This involved not only talking our way in (fast talk about memberships in other clubs, reciprocal, blather, blather, etc.). We got past the door. We entered the bar looking fairly disgusting. We were sweaty, stinky, and carrying a large plastic bag filled with 6 soccer balls, and a heavy tote bag filled with school supplies. Next trick was to actually get served a drink. When the waiter told us sorry, he couldn't serve us, we sidled up to a member at the bar to ask if he would host us (explaining the Scavenger Hunt of course, and paying our own way of course). The club walls are dark paneled, covered with photos of cricket and rugby teams. The names and pictures of the players morphed over time from very white and English in the past to very dark and Sri Lankan in the present. The bar area overlooks the playing field. Players were on the field, practicing under the lights.
We made a quick stop at the hotel to clean up and buy a gift and candy for our hosts. Farzath lives in a third floor apartment on top of a police station in the crowded old area of Pettah. His family is lovely! He and his wife have two little boys, about 4 years old and 6 months. They live with Farzath's parents and his brother and sister. They are Muslim and Christian. While we were visiting, a parade of friends and neighbors carried in their babies to show us. We looked at Farzath and his wife's wedding photo album and at baby pictures.
Dinner was String Hopper Koffu, a dish that resembles fried rice, chicken, lamb and delicious fresh roti made by Farzath's mother.
After dinner, Farzath's 17 year old sister hennaed Christine's finger. She wanted to do more, and to do mine, but it was getting late and we had an early morning the next day. The young girl is an accomplished henna artist. Her work was featured in photographs in the current issue of the in flight magazine for Sri Lankan Air. Both Christine and I had seen the beautiful photos. What a coincidence to meet the henna artist at her home for dinner!
She and Christine sat on the sofa for the henna painting. We were amused by her unusual technique. When a blob of henna was a bit too big, she wiped it off with her finger (fair enough). But, to clean the paint off her finger, instad of using a rag or a tissue, she variously used the sofa cushion, the wall behind the sofa, the curtain over the sofa, and her otherwise clean and attractive skirt. But, her work is beautiful. And the henna dries in a half hour, so the smears disappear into the living room furnishings pretty quickly.
The evening was a wonderful, warm experience.