That's not Ham.

Last night we went to a great performance at the National Drama Theatre. It combined a bunch of different types of traditional Mongolian performance art: dance, singing, instrumental music, etc. I liked all of the performances, but I think my two favorites were a dance that involved contortionists and Buddhist mask dancers, and a rendition of "O Sole Mio" by an orchestra, a tenor, and a throat singer. The (rude) people behind us were laughing when the throat singer took up the tune, but I thought it was awesome. If you've never heard Mongolian throat singing before, try to find a clip online or rent Genghis Blues. It is a crazy sound.

The Mongolian love affair with meat is always present. A few nights ago we went out to dinner with our friend Sunmin and I ordered a "grilled ham and cheese sandwich." I asked them to please make it without the ham -- just grilled cheese. It arrived with meat on it.

I said, "I asked for it without ham."

"That's not ham," the waitress replied. "It's bacon."

What can you do besides laugh? (And pick off the meat)

In other news, I may or may not have met the Emir of Kuwait at the state department store today. I spotted two men by the elevator, one in a traditional Arabic looking outfit. They spotted me too, and I could tell they were wondering where I was from. After a brief meet-and-greet, when it was established that I was from the U.S by way of India and they were from Kuwait, we all went our separate ways. When I came home and told Jaspal, he gasped and said that the Emir of Kuwait is in Mongolia right now, to discuss the purchase of some hunting falcons (really).

A final note about our latest obsession -- "Arrested Development." I have been a huge fan of the (sadly cancelled) show since it premiered, and we found the complete series on DVD in China for a mere $15. Now Jaspal is more into it than I am. We even found ourselves in a situation that reminded me of the show: on our return flight from Beijing, we were traveling with at least 30 Bangladeshi men. I asked one of them if they were a team, and he replied, "Yes."

"Why are you traveling to Mongolia?" I asked.

"Exercise. Conquest."

CONQUEST??? I was extremely nervous on the flight. Who were these men and what type of conquest were they after?

Once we landed, they were greeted by an envoy from the Mongolian military.

Today on a news website, we read the headline, "Military from U.S., Bangladesh in Mongolia to Participate in Khaan Quest 2007."

Oh. "Khaan Quest" (as in Genghis Khaan). Not "conquest."