BAGHDAD WITHOUT A MAP
by Tony Horwitz; Dutton
276 pages; $19.95
MOTORING WITH MOHAMMED
by Eric Hansen; Houghton Mifflin
240 pages; $19.95
The Arabic equivalent of "No way, Jose" is "Mish mumkin." "No problem" is "Mafeesh mushkilah."
For example: "Pardon me, Yasser, but would you care to contribute to the United Jewish Appeal?"
"Mish mumkin!"
Or, "There appears to be a Scud heading my way. Is there anything you chaps with the Patriots can do about it?"
"Mafeesh mushkilah."
Another lesson, generously illustrated in these two travel books about places where one would not currently travel, is that the will of...