HOW I FEEL ABOUT WAR

In this newsletter I will not get in the deep politics of why and when
we are going to go to war. Nor debate about if we are going to accomplish anything.
There are higher powers that know so much more and hide so much.
It's like a lawyer trying to defend his client's case without the real facts and evidence.
It's hard.

But I am here to tell you a fact that we all know very well.
And the evidence we have seen studied in the past of the effect of war.
I lived in the war for the first 6 years of my life and now
I can only remember 2 of them.

If you can imagine how your heart raced fast when you almost got struck by a car on the freeway but luckily you get lucky and no accident has occurred but you stop your car you put your hand on your head and the blood is rushing through your mind 300 miles an hour, your heart can't stop pounding, a rush of fear swam through your body.

Imagine feeling this way every 10 minutes of your life. This is how our soldiers and the 5 year old Iraqi kids are going to feel every 10 minutes of their life during the war. Now don't get me wrong - there is not going to be missiles over their heads every 10 minutes.

But once you have had one go by or crash in front of you, or hear it loud from far away, at night - well -
the next day if your little sister drops a shampoo bottle in the bathtub
your heart is going to beat the same way it did when you dodged that car that was close to killing you.

Same for those that missile that was about to kill. Imagine living in fear every minute of your life.
The sad news we heard September 11th that morning on CNN... The feelings that went through our heads and hearts and minds -
pain
confusion
fear
anger.

The soldiers and the civilians there will have the same news
not once a decade like us
but they will hear a tragic story like this on their news channel:

Tragedy Sept 11

again a new one Sept 12

and a new story Sept 13

and again Sept 14.

Can you imagine a tragic story like September 11th happening 5 days a week?

War is like a cancer the faster it spreads the less chance you have of surviving.

I remember when I was young I use to wake up in the middle of the night scared and my heart pounding from the sound of the missiles, when I woke up I was not in my bed, I was laying on the concrete floor in the hallway of our house,

because the hallway offered two walls from each side for protection, sometimes we would be in the same position sleeping in the hallway for 48 hours, where our parents would do a quick run to the kitchen to get water and food.

Now we can never imagine living that sort of lifestyle here in America, which I hope we never do. But I also hope the reason we are living a good milk and honey life is not coming out of other's expense.

Again I don't know the real reason we are going to war and the real politics behind it, I think we know probably 10% of what is going on the rest, only the big wigs know.

Its like a saying...

"The bird is flying over the earth
The foolish man is trying to hunt the bird's shadow
And he runs and runs
Without knowing the bird is flying over his head
And without knowing where the bird is going."

So let's all have compassion and empathy
for each other
no matter color
race
religion or
country we are from.
Remember we do not choose what soil we are born onto, you never know...

Your grandchildren and great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren might be born in a country
that is not as great as our soil. So let's have compassion to all the nations.

"Pity the nation divided into fragments, each deeming itself a nation."

khalil gibran
The Garden of the Prophet

Now on a better note...

Nicholas Restaurant is opening a new Turkish Coffee House & Restaurant. We will offer many more hidden Lebanese and Middle Eastern recipes that have not yet been introduced in Portland.

All this and 10 different types of delicious Turkish coffees with desserts not yet introduced and tasted here.

Our special project is bringing recipes from different villages of Lebanon and Syria (Syria has a big Turkish influence!) where our pride of cooking comes with a signature dish - so even parts of town will pride themselves on having "The best ____" ... fill in the blank.

And that is what our new restaurant will do -
fill in the blanks for you and your friends about real
Middle Eastern food. From real neighborhood cooking we will bring Portland many great vegetarian, and vegan entrees.

So keep up with our newsletter. We'll let you know the exact date of the opening of the restaurant. We are hoping to open this summer.

See you at the restaurant!

Hilda