the problem with reading this book is that any other book that intends to be funny/clever pales in comparison. this is the sort of book that will ruin your appetite for other books by virtue of making you a gourmet of the clever-funny-and-yet-intelligent eternal punchline.

the question is: how can someone write clever phrase after clever phrase for more than 200 pages?

anyway. would this qualify as an introduction to the middle east? yes. in fact, a friend of mine says she read it by pure coincidence before a long trip to israel and it couldn’t have been a better encounter. go figure.

one of my favorite phrases by the owner of the restaurant: “someone’s need for structure is in direct proportion to the amount of chaos inside of them”

in quoting out of my head so don’t sue me.