Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.11.2017, Page 54

It’s 4:30 AM on a weekend night and
you’re beyond wasted. The doors to
your favourite bar are closing but you’re
not ready to go home yet, let alone on
an empty stomach. Don’t fret: Hlal Ja-
rah, owner of the local favourite Mandi,
a Middle Eastern food joint, is here to
save you, bringing you some of the most
tasty, delicious falafels to be found in
Reykjavík.
Working almost every weekend night
until 6 AM, Hlal has more energy most
of the time than most people have in
their entire life. “My work isn’t just here
at Mandi,” he explains. “When there are
other projects like catering or marinat-
ing meat, I’m doing that as well, besides
being in the shop.”
Hungry drunks
You would think that since Mandi is
a known hot spot for hungry drunks,
Hlal might see some crazy occurrences.
“There are very few instances where
drunk people are causing problems
here, because the customers we get late
at night are the same ones we see dur-
ing the day,” he says. “They know us as
friends so they’re respectful and don’t
cause any problems with us or other
customers.” He recalls one hilarious
encounter, though. “This guy came in
one night and ordered his food. He ate it
pretty fast, and as soon as he was done,
he came back and asked ‘are you going
to give me my food?’ and I told him he
had already been served. ‘You ate it!’ He
was so drunk he forgot he ate his food.
It was pretty funny to see how delirious
he was.”
Hlal says he doesn’t mind working
late. “It’s a lot of fun here on weekend
nights,” he says. “There’s good music all
the time. When people come in, we let
our customers choose what they want to
hear. If there’s something they like, then
why not!When they come in before they
go home on a night out, they call it an
afterparty here.”
HOUR OF THE WOLF
CITY SHOT by Art Bicnick
Afterparty At Mandi
The fun doesn’t stop after last call
Words:
Jenna
Mohammed
Photo:
Art Bicnick
BEASTS OF ICELAND:
The Icelandic
Sheepdog
Words: Elías Þórsson, DVM
After a trip around the Golden Circle,
you—our tourist reader—might be
wondering: “How the hell does any an-
imal survive on this godforsaken mid-
Atlantic rock?” It’s a fair question.
With a lack of vegetation, a merciless
climate, and generally inhospitable
conditions, Iceland isn’t an easy place
for any living creature to survive.
That said, there are a number of
cool fauna in the country. So, let’s
meet the…
Icelandic Sheepdog
Woof woof. Who’s there? Icelandic
sheepdog. Icelandic sheepdog who?
Icelandic sheepdog so cute you’ll love
me forever.
It’s the dog of the Vikings, the orig-
inal settler of Iceland, and an animal
that embodies all the requisite traits
needed to survive on a barren rock
that is constantly trying to kill you.
They are short, hardy, have a water-
proof coat and quite a loud bark. They
also live for around 12 years, which co-
incidentally was the average lifespan
of an Icelander until 1972.
And as such, sheepdogs have lived
with us from day one, herding our
sheep, biting our naughty children
and warming our beds during the 364
days of winter. There is even reason
why they bark so much; since the only
predator that seriously endangers our
lambs are eagles, the dogs, like the flak
artillery of London, barked the Blitz
away.
But the lovely fella hasn’t always
had it dandy. In the late 19th century,
plague and canine distemper almost
wiped out the breed, killing over 75%
of the total population. Thankfully,
now they are thriving, so owning one
has gone from a distant possibility to
an absolute must. Woofhoo!
West-Iceland
54 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 20 — 2017
This man will feed you late at night
Beer rules downtown