fun fact of the day:

In ancient times, the Muslim community's most besmirched member was he who was without clean feet. Distinguished members of the community, and commoners alike, not only frowned upon, but vehemently derided any man caught in such a sordid state, so to speak. Not only did feet bearing the putrid earth underscore impurities of skin and soul, but the rationale was if a man fails to keep his feet clean, how will he wrestle with the bear of a woman's insolence? He must, then, be likely to condone the reading of words by a woman, the adding of numbers on her fingers, and likely to allow her to eat the food she cooks for him--at the same table, in the same room.

Today that cloud of smoke is thinly veiled, and the once universal sentiment has dissipated through the years and contact with Western influences, handsome casanovas, liberal tourists, and pesky feminists. However, some purists still stick to their guns, or stones, as it were; and the remnants of the past can be heard in language alluding to its simple and absolute truths. When members of the community greet each other with, "Hasa ma lankum," the phrase--roughly translated--quite literally means, "I see that your feet are clean; and that makes you an honorable man."

And now, you can impart this wisdom to your hipster friends at wine, cheese, and prosciutto dinner parties. Or pot-lucks.