So this was needing some higher thinking. And a good search engine. But before I did that, I stopped into the Harris Teeter just for fun to see the look on the butcher’s face when I asked for goat. Then I thought of the Organic Butcher of McLean. The kids gave me a gift certificate for this place so I gave them a call. Yes, they had some ‘nice frozen goat’ and they routinely have it fresh, but not today. So the online answer was the obvious one…a halal market. I remembered there was one on 28, and since like most weekend days I had to go to the Home Despot, I stopped there on the way. I was the only one in the store, and even if I hadn’t been, I would have been the only one who looked like me. This was the real thing. Fascinating products for the Muslim household. I felt like I’d flown halfway around the world. The lady behind the counter responded nicely to my ‘hello’ and was ok that I was just looking around. The butcher, an introverted-looking older man was wrist-deep into dismembering meat of some sort. I asked him if he sold goat. He asked me what part. Having fortunately done enough reading online to know what parts of the goat could not be halal, I said shoulder probably, but that I didn’t need it yet…just wondered if they sold it. The lady, knowing that the man had limited English, came over and pointed to the large hand-lettered sign over my head listing the different meats and cuts and prices.  I asked where the goat came from and she said far away. It turned out it was in Maryland somewhere. She encouraged me to look around and come back when I was ready to buy. Incredible deals on spices…like a huge bag of cumin for $4.99. Walking out, I noticed the irony of the business that shared this little building…a Domino’s pizza store with a big sign in the window advertising a double bacon pizza. Reminds me of all the fuss when the Badass coffee place moved in next to the Christian bookstore. By contrast, this cultural conflict surely didn’t move anyone’s needle. I hope this little grocery and halal meat place stays in business. Now I need to settle on a recipe.