Last Saturday the threat of rain vanished and gave us a mostly sunny day to ride from Walnut Creek BART to our favorite Afghan restaurant, Khyber Pass Kabob in Dublin. We originally planned to ride to Dublin BART as well. But since we all wanted to do the full monty and ride back to Walnut Creek, we nixed the final mile after lunch to Dublin BART and just headed back the Iron Horse. Things always slow down in the club during the winter. Whether it’s the colder climate, holiday madness, or the winter doldrums, only Roy and Jim joined Roger and me for our easy gambol. What a gabby group! I can’t remember a Social Ride where there was as so much nonstop jabbering, which was perhaps abetted by being on the Iron Horse Trail where we could easily ride two abreast and free of car noise. We were all warmly dressed given the chilly morning, and we weren’t going very fast so it took longer to warm up from the effort. Regulars will be disappointed to hear that despite the tête-à-tête sized crowd we did not gossip about you (well, except for the Den Daddy)—not that your personal lives aren’t of interest to us but our personal lives just took precedence! Topics of lively interest included the advantages and misgivings of a Midwestern upbringing, why Thailand is so “hot”, what to wear on the bike when it’s cold, fabulous Japanese food, bikes we’ve had stolen, and many sundry digressions. So there!
Every time we go to Khyber Pass Kabob the food keeps getting better or so it seems. It’s in a slightly dumpy strip mall in Dublin, and recently their sign fell down and was propped in their doorway so now it looks even more down-market. But the family owners are as welcoming as ever and their food is incredible. We got there just after noon (how’s that for timing a ride!) and were the first customers. But before long it was nearly full. Roy had eaten there with us before so only Jim was the newcomer. I hewed close to habit and got the chapli kabob, a sirloin kabob spiced with green onions, cilantro and coriander whereas Roger explored a new dish to him, aushak, which is ravioli-like dish stuffed with leeks and topped with beef and yogurt. Roy ever watching his diet opted for borani kadoo, pumpkin sautéed with tomatoes and garlic while Jim went for the sabzee challow, chicken smothered in a spicy spinach sauce. We all shared a huge plate of freshly made Afghan bread, bolani, which was ten times better than the dreck you get at Costco.
Suitably stuffed we waddled back to our bikes and strolled back to Walnut Creek BART. Needless to say the ride back wasn’t at a breathtaking pace but it definitely aided our digestion!
The Chain Letter 