Rice and Milk Pudding

I used to stay at home with my mother and grandmother, just to watch my mother make the dish she had promised me: haytaliyeh, a rice and milk pudding. The milkwoman had knocked at our door, and my mother bought a few pints (of milk) from her, which the milkwoman poured straight into the cooking pot. This was an important event because my mother used to say she couldn’t afford to buy milk except for special occasions, or when absolutely necessary.

No sooner was I alone than I looked