Above, the dinner guests for my evening in Mary. The plov and other elements of the tasty meal are on the table. The main dish was Turkmen plov, a mixture of lamb, rice and some shaved carrots. I noticed that everyone else ate out of the platter while I was given a dish with my plov on it. Serdar later told me that he thought I might object to eating from a common dish.
People here are sensitive about how their customs are perceived by other cultures.
Mekan's father put some carpets on the platform and we sat on them. On the edge of our group a neighborhood youngster perhaps twelve years old was listing to each detail of the conversation and staring at me. About 11 PM we decided to get some sleep. We slept on pads placed on carpets and used blankets in sheets for covers. It was comfortable but too warm for me.