[slipperyelm]

I need to know what low carb foods I might find in a Pashtun Afghan home and restaurant.

Oh, man, I've got a little problem and hope someone knows Afghan food well enough to give me some advice. I've been developing a friendship with a Pashtun Afghan family and they like to offer me food every time I am at their house which is about once every two weeks. Recently I have spent time with one of the adults and the four year old she sometimes takes care of during the day. The four year old loves me. It is mutual!

Their food is delicious! I've tried to eat only token amounts because as a Type 2, I am very insulin insensitive and the food has been high carb and high glycemic index. I even explained the first time I was there that I must avoid many foods due to diabetes. They expressed understanding and even said they wished their own diabetic auntie would pay such attention to her diet. However, in trying to learn a few Pashto words and cultural guidelines, I read this advice: Do not claim health concerns as a reason to decline food hospitality. Things like allergies, fat calories, and I supose diabetes are cutlturally not understood to be reasons not to eat.

I wanted to explore Type 2 diabetic safe (low carb) foods at an Afghan restaurant, so last night I went on the internet to see what is local. It turns out that there is only one Afghan restaurant in my city and it is named after the four year old who has become my little friend! His parents, whom I have never met, are the proprietors! So if I go in there to sample the menu, I surely have to tell them that I am the woman their little boy has been talking about. And I'm told he does talk about me.

As restauranteurs, I'm sure they are willing to cater to people's food idiosyncracies. But I'm afraid I will be in the murky area of customer/family friend when I go in and, in friendliness, they will bring me many wonderful but high carb dishes to try. I really just want to find the lower carb dishes, especially vegetable dishes and light soups. Meats including kebabs, I've had at their house. Rice, noodley-beany-lentily-carroty soups I've had. Wonderful breads I've had.

Does anyone know some low carb Pashtun dishes I could specifically request? I'd like to be able to go in with my heart set on something famous and low carb so that my rejection of high carb does not appear as rejection of their food in general. Vegetable dishes and soups especially. Does that makes sense?

[Chewy]

Hi Slipperyelm,

That's an interesting dilemma. I kind of like the cross-cultural challenge of it all. I can certainly sympathize because I've been in similar situations before where it's very rude to turn down food for whatever reason. No matter what happens I think it's always best to remember to avoid the direct "no". You probably know that already.

Is it possible to ask them what ingredients they use to make the high carb foods they offer you? That way, you're not really being rude, but rather curious/enthusiastic. Have you searched the internet for the names of the dishes? There should be Pashtun/Afghan forums out there.

Good luck.

[jvetter18]

Slip,

Cultural differences aside, if these people can't understand that you might lose your legs or your vision by eating their food, then maybe being friends with a 4 year old is not the best choice. Often times you have to be blunt about what it means to be a diabetic, and the ramifications of eating high carb foods, in order to break down these cultural walls.

Do you test after eating these dishes? You should...