Date Syrup, the Ocean, and Nuts

دِبْس

root: د-ب-س / noun / definition: syrup, molasses

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It’s a blissfully slow morning.

I roll out of bed and into my rocking chair. I send off a funding application and set up a new website. I make a plan for the day.

I still need to send some emails, prepare work for my supervisor meeting on Wednesday, and make notes on a book. But, right now, I can’t help but take a moment to appreciate what a blessing it is to live an unrushed, quiet morning and ease into the day.

Maybe it’s the feeling of being in control of my own time.

This is the first year in a long while, I’ve realised, that the winter blues haven’t drowned me.

(And speaking of blues and drowning, I’m reminded of Six Arabic Words for “Ocean” or “Sea” and how—for some reason beyond my understanding, but to my sincerest delight—this collection of synonyms has consistently been one of my most-viewed posts…)

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Oh, and after years of avoiding nuts due to my allergies, I’ve got solid confirmation that I’m not allergic to peanuts and pistachios.

That solid confirmation, for reference, was the result of a foolhardy decision that I can’t describe in case someone follows suit and I get sued. Unfortunately.

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Last week also marked my return to Akkadian class, and—as is often the case—this was accompanied by a series of Arabic-language discoveries which I’ll write about in a separate post. Isn’t it a joy when, as a linguist, you make a discovery about one language when studying another?

Try not to burst with excitement until then. Deep breaths.

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I’ve had many reasons to smile recently. And one of them is sitting right in front of me:

Yes, it’s Iraqi date syrup from Basra, دبس تمر البصرة.

What kind of person, you may ask, gets happy over date syrup?!

Moi. Thank you and goodnight.

I bought this in the gift shop of The British Museum’s Silk Roads exhibition. Now, you already know I’m slightly obsessed with Iraq, but I’m also obsessed with Central Asia—a fixation which started around the time I began learning about Turkic languages a few years back.

So to meander through the exhibition, admiring artefacts and scenery from Central Asia and beyond, and then leave with an Iraqi product was a real treat.

We’ll ignore the inconvenient truth on the label that the date syrup was actually produced in the Netherlands. But—according to the exhibition—the Netherlands and Iraq were actually linked by trade routes… so there.

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I’ve realised by now that the title of this post sounds like a fantastical recipe but I like the images it’s sent whirling around in my mind.

I’ve also realised that this post doesn’t sound too relaxed with me jumping from one topic to another, despite my restful morning. Perhaps after many hours in the barren soundscape I’ve existed in for half a day, with only the sound of my fingers tapping on the keyboard, I felt like having a chat with you all. Don’t forget to chat back.

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And if you fancy some more chatting (plus Arabic resources that are not on the blog), click on the button below and get members’ access:

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I’ll see you soon for that Arabic-realisations-in-Akkadian-class post!

.إلى اللقاء

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