I know exactly how Parker felt going into an area where he was the only white.. my friend and I had a similar experience in Cape Town.. South Africa where our guide took us into a black township to buy a Gatsby ( French loaf filled with curried lamb).. needless to say we didn't feel threatened at all about being the only 2 whites in the vicinity. Our guide and shopkeeper were great and he then took us back to where we were staying so we could eat our supper . (In Durban they make similar but using a hollowed out bread filled with curry called "Bunny Chow")