Hospitality (AA)

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In the Land of Fate, generosity brings honor, while stinginess spawns contempt. As a result, Zakharan hospitality is unrivaled. According to Zakharan ethics, a man must offer food and drink to anyone who appears at his doorstep as a friend, no matter how poor the host may be. In her husband's place, or when receiving female friends, a woman must do the same.
If a guest comes to the door at night, a host must offer lodging as well as sustenance. A wealthy host may also offer entertainment, such as the dance of a talented servant, and perhaps even a gift. The obligation—and desire—to offer hospitality is as compelling as any personal need. A nomadic tribe whose foodstuffs are nearly gone may avoid a busy oasis even if their water stores are equally low. The tribe would rather know thirst and hunger than be unable to offer hospitality to the strangers at the oasis.
A host assumes responsibility for the well-being of his guests. Whether a man lives in a goat's-hair tent or a lavish house, his honor depends on how well he treats those who place themselves in his care. For this reason, guests can expect safety as well as sustenance—even if they once were the host's enemies. Arsenic and other toxins are easy to obtain in the Land of Fate, and poison is a common way to eliminate foes.
Nonetheless, once foes become guests—and share the bond of salt—even they can eat heartily, expecting the host's protection as well as his friendship. In turn, the guests are expected to act as loyal friends, never overstaying their welcome, and never overstepping the bounds of good behavior.
==The Bond of Salt==
The salt bond epitomizes Zakharan hospitality and the mutual responsibilities of host and guest. When a guest ingests salt from a host's table, their bond becomes formal. Presumably, the salt remains in the guest's body for three days. Until those three days elapse, the host is responsible for the guest's welfare. By offering the salt, the host vows to protect the guest from harm for the duration of the salt bond.
The guest has his or her own obligations. By accepting the salt, a guest agrees not to bring harm to the host. Furthermore, a polite guest should leave with the coming of dawn if the family's stores appear to be lean. If the family protests heartily, the guest may stay for the entire duration of the salt bond. No matter what the host may proclaim, however, it is impolite for a guest to remain in another's house for more than three days. Thereafter the welcome is gone, no matter how much salt is consumed. Furthermore, a guest knows that it is impolite to ask for hospitality of any kind; he or she must wait for the host to offer it. Since it is the host's duty to do so, and it is an insult not to accept, a guest is rarely disappointed.
The rules of hospitality come to light in Scheherazade's famous tale, "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves." The poor woodcutter Ali Baba discovers a treasure trove in a magical cave, which belongs to a band of robbers. Ali Baba takes some of the treasure, which is clearly centuries old.
The robber captain discovers Ali Baba's identity and vows to kill the daring woodcutter—but not before Ali Baba is severely punished. In the guise of a merchant, the robber goes to Ali Baba's modest home. The kindly woodcutter fails to recognize the robber and graciously offers a meal. The "merchant" does not wish to accept. He claims to have special dietary needs. When Ali Baba insists, proclaiming that anything can be prepared, the robber feigns embarrassment and says he can eat no salt. Even this unscrupulous man—a thief and a murderer—will not violate the laws of hospitality. If he were to consume Ali Baba's salt, he would feel honor-bound not to harm the woodcutter or his family.
Ali Baba serves his guest unsalted meat. The robber chews the fare, and he schemes, imagining how he will humiliate and destroy his gracious host when the meal is done. Before his plan can take effect, a clever servant girl enters the room. She dances magnificently, bending to and fro while brandishing a scimitar. For the finale, she plunges the blade into the chest of the surprised robber.
The robber is dead. Ali Baba is mortified. He believes he must kill the girl as retribution, because the merchant was his guest. The girl hastily reveals the merchant's true identity, and explains how the robber purposely avoided the bond of salt, so that he was not really a guest after all. Everyone lives happily ever after (except the robber, of course).
In another well-known yarn, a thief is pillaging a home when he comes across a small box. Inside it is another little box, which contains a fine white powder. Thinking it's sugar, the thief touches it to his lips. To his horror, he discovers that it is salt! Immediately he leaves the house, taking nothing. Like the robber in the tale of Ali Baba, he is willing to steal. Yet he cannot bring himself to violate the bond of salt, even if the bond was forged by accident.
To most Zakharans, actual salt is not required for the bond of hospitality. Even guests who merely drink water or unsalted coffee can expect no harm from an honorable host.