Shaslike on the rocks

One of the things I was told to try in Osh was the Shaslike, like Turkish kebabs.  I saw lots of them being made, and seeing people sitting out in areas that looked distinctly unhygienic reminded me of eating something similar and very tasty in Senegal   but I landed up eating cake from the Turkish semit shop instead.(All former weight lose probably made up on one week's access to cake)    However, last night having found that there were tourists in The Ashu I had dinner there, but was a bit surprised when told something that seemed to suggest I was not to receive all the courses.  Sitting muttering to myself over this, both the relief that I would not receive 4 courses that I would nevertheless feel obliged to consumer on account of their tastiness and the justice of this from the point of view of saving the Foundation money, I nevertheless also felt sadness because I was now clearly being treated differently to the other guests suddenly.    But as I left the restaurant I spotted the owner and his fishing mate hunched over hot coals on some raised bricks.  Immediately I was invited to join them eating Shaslike.  I went in search of but failed to find my vodka to make a contribution (my trunk is so full of belongings I cannot find anything) and headed back to the fire, where we sat and consumed the most wonderful meat and vodka under the stars.  So very yummy and a good reminder of all that is best here and perhaps why I had been stopped from over indulging earlier.

Today the internet worked briefly as 6 am but has now stopped again and so this is being written on the dongle which is also only working sporadically, and the power cable for my computer keeps failing and we have had a power cut but it is a beautiful hot and sunny day so I have abandoned trying to work, as I need the net or power for that, and have started reading another excellent book provided by my former colleague: called Eastern Aproaches by Fitroy Maclean. it is a depressing account of Soviet Russia in the 30's but also a fascinating account of what places like Kyrgyzstan and Kakhstan were like then. Made me wish I had got to Kazakhstan in fact. Some things very different now (freedom) some very similar (mud, vodka, food, traditional festival clothing, wonderful apples).

Everyone in the village seems busy today tidying up their plots(except for removing the actual rubbish) ready I guess for planting  and they are burning this garden rubbish which is mainly stubble and garden cuttings. Again I wonder whether this is the right thing to do whether the soil would benefit more from the stubble etc being turned into compost. But I am not a good enough gardener or well informed enough environmentalist to know. So can anyone out there tell me should things like stubble be burned or turned into compost? Also (is it just reading about the show trials of Bukharin et al that makes me so suspicious) I am just wondering where the truck load of debris from the re-building has fetched up. I know that the Ashu does seem to have a system for its rubbish disposal, but quite what it is that I do not know.