‘The taste of our home’: inside an Afghan restaurant in Arizona run by former refugees

As neighbors face an uncertain political future, the city's only Afghan restaurant provides a sense of community - and a bit of happiness'

An aromatic blend of spices and bolani, stuffed pan-fried bread, and the voice of Asad Badie, an Afghan pop singer who rose to stardom in the 1980s, foreshadowed a meal experience that one could easily believe was taking place thousands of miles away.

In reality, it was almost 1pm in Tucson, Arizona, when Ritiek Rafi and Ahmad Bahaduri started to greet and take orders from customers in Dari and English inside the only Afghan restaurant in the city.