Zereshk, Halva, and Pomegranate Paste... oh my!

Yesterday my co-worker suggested I try this "good, but sketchy looking" gyro place nearby. I drove the five minutes to get there, parked, and got out of my car... and what did I see right in front of me? A small Persian restaurant with a grocery store in the back! WHAT?! So close to work... and I didn't know. I walked in, the cashier (owner) welcomed me in Farsi, and I just strolled the aisles in awe. I felt like I had to buy something, so I bought two bags of "Pari" rice, which my mom has told me is a very good brand. I bought two bags, because it was "Buy 1, Get 1 Free," although I have to say that for $22, I didn't feel like I was getting much free. :)

Then I went to the gyro place, only to find that they didn't take credit cards like my colleague had assured me they do. Then something very strange happened. The guy said, "Don't worry. Come back another day and pay." What? Was I in the US? It turned out that I had enough cash on me in the end, but I was still surprised. Turns out he was from Libya, and he said that it was how they did business back home. They just write it down in a corner, and you pay once a week or month or whatever. He said he does this with customers here all the time. I have to say... the trust his statement showed felt WONDERFUL. I will be going back, especially because the gyro was good too! Maybe next time I'll just have it put on my tab.

As he made my gyro (with this really yummy bread), he asked me if I worked at the bakery next door. No. Why did he think that? Because I look like somebody who works there... it's a Persian bakery! He said it's quite good, and he buys something there almost every morning (must go try it out myself). So now there is a Persian grocery store, a Libyan owned gyro place (complete with two guys sitting in the back just hanging out and chatting in Arabic), and a Persian bakery all on the same block? How was I so lucky to fall upon this little corner of the Middle East in Lake Forest Park, WA? It doesn't really matter, I guess. All I know is that I came back to work, ate my gyro, super thanked my co-worker for the suggestion, and had a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

Today, I went back to the grocery store today where I was welcomed warmly, and I did some proper shopping. I have a grocery bag full of goodies to share with my mom when I get back home. :)