If You're Ever In ... Amman

		LATEST COVER STORY Asia's Tomb Raiders  Spirited Away  How to Raid a Tomb  Moving the Loot October 20, 2003 Issue Past Covers Bali Remembered Oct. 13, 2003 ----------------- What Went Wrong? Oct. 6, 2003 ----------------- What's Next Sept. 29, 2003 ----------------- Japan's Koizumi Sept. 22, 2003 ----------------- The Saudis Sept. 15, 2003 ----------------- Dyslexia Sept. 8, 2003 ----------------- U.S. in Iraq Sept. 1, 2003 ----------------- Asian Journey August 18-25, 2003 ----------------- Cool Japan August 11, 2003 ----------------- Gloria Arroyo August 4, 2003 ----------------- Women in China July 28, 2003 ----------------- Asian Longevity July 21, 2003 -----------------   ASIA  Malaysia: Mahathir steps down  Essay: Last of the strongmen?  Korea: Roh's Woes NOTEBOOK  Japan: Baseball's losers win  China: Blood Feud  N. Korea: Suspicious accident  Milestones  Verbatim  Letters GLOBAL ADVISOR  Travel: Lowdown on the high life  Check In: Best airport lounge  Concorde: A piece of history  Berlin: Underground art  DIY: Taking kids abroad  Style: Bespoke, not broke  Food: Lambrosia CNN.com: Top Headlines

Any decent correspondent on the road tries to get as close as possible to the local experience. When I'm reporting from the Middle East, for instance, I find that the best barometers of public opinion are tea houses and street-corner restaurants, where complex political discussions rage at every table. An added bonus: they let me get as close as possible to the local cuisine.

My all-time-favorite canteen is Ajyad, a no-frills joint in Amman's Jabal Hussein district patronized by working-class Palestinians. With its wrought-iron furniture, plastic flowers and chipped crockery, Ajyad won't win any awards for decor,...