Эркинбой Маманазаров – The Uzbek Soul: The Best Traits Worth Knowing and Cherishing (страница 2)

And here is something else I want to tell you, so you understand how deep this sits. Sometimes a family lives poorly. Money is tight, every coin is counted. But if a guest comes, the very best in the house goes on the table. They take out what they were saving. They will not spare the last chicken. And they will never let the guest see that it is hard on them. On the contrary, they will smile and keep putting more on his plate, and more. Because to show a guest your poverty, to make him feel he is a burden, is a disgrace. And to give him the best, even if you yourself have to tighten your belt afterward, is an honor. I have seen this many times. And every time, something rose in my throat.

Let me tell you about bread separately, because bread with us is something special.

Non, our flatbread, is not simply food. People treat it almost like a living thing, with respect. You must not lay bread on the table upside down, bottom side up, that is considered wrong, disrespectful. You do not cut bread with a knife, you break it with your hands, carefully. If a piece falls on the floor, someone will pick it up, and the elders may even touch it gently to the forehead or the lips before putting it away, as a sign of respect. Bread is not thrown out. If it has gone stale, it will be crumbled for the birds or soaked in something, but it will not go into the rubbish. As a child I was taught: you dropped a crumb, pick it up. In bread there is the labor of many people, and the generosity of the earth. When you come to an Uzbek and the first thing he does is break off a piece of flatbread for you, know this: he is sharing with you the most basic, the most honest thing on his table.

And the ritual of tea. It is a whole little ceremony, and respect is hidden in it too. The host pours the guest tea not to the brim, but a little, just at the bottom of the bowl. This is not stinginess, quite the opposite. It means the host wants to come back to the guest again and again, to pour him fresh hot tea, and each time to exchange a kind word. A full bowl is poured for the one you want to send on his way. For a dear guest, the opposite, you pour just a little, so there is a reason to wait on him a bit longer. You see how fine it is? Even in how much tea is in the bowl, you can read a whole message.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «Литрес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на Литрес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.