The Foreign Service Journal, October 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2022 51 A school meeting room in the city of Fergana. Diorama of a cotton crop, Fergana Regional Museum of Local Lore in Namangan. Outreach meant a lot of meetings at schools and universities, with big welcomes, marches to a fancy meeting room, and many people in attendance. A bit of chatter, a lot of untouched food. Then, the finale: the grand exchange of gifts, including vases and plates, spices, textiles, and heavy books. The background in these rooms is impressive; it is typi- cally an elaborate, heavily carved frieze depicting triumphant work and Uzbekistan’s official seal. Butchers in their shop in Namangan. Western-style groceries are making inroads throughout the country, at least in the bigger cities and new developments. But in many old neighborhoods, it’s still local, open markets, bazaars, and back-alley affairs for buying food. A quick pop into a house reveals a butcher shop. Amajor agricultural crop developed during Soviet times, cotton is king in Uzbekistan. School kids can learn about this important export at the museum, right next to diora- mas of local animals. Until recently, children helped harvest the cotton.