Saudi Wedding Party

Last weekend I had the pleasure of being invited to a Saudi wedding party. Although, it was much different from the kind of celebration I'm used to, and although, I hardly knew anyone there, I had a nice time. Unfortunately, I'm having  technical difficulties with my camera, so inshallah, the photos will be forthcoming in the near future.

I was invited to said party by a Saudi gentleman I had met the week before. He had invited our mutual friend, my colleague, a Jordanian, and extended the invite to me.

The party took place on a sizable compound, which was presumably reserved for such occasions--or more accurately, one half of it. The other half was reserved for the female attendees. I was admittedly under dressed, but even had I  worn nicer shirt and pants, I would still have felt so, because the Jordanian and I were literally the only two people there not wearing thobes. A thobe, for those of you who may not know, is the Saudi equivalent to a suit. It's basically a robe with sleeves and a collar. They are usually white, and worn with a checkered scarf called a gutra, which is worn on the head.

Upon arriving, we were obliged to shake hands with about twenty gentlemen in a line. These were the closest relatives to the bride and groom. It was a little nerve racking, but their attitudes were either of boredom with the process, or genuine delight--not disdain for an infidel interloper, as was my worry.

The Jordian and I met our friend briefly and then sat down in a large hall, where we met an elderly man named Mohammad. I introduced myself, and chatted the best I could with my smattering of Arabic. He was a very pleasant fellow indeed. He taught me a few Arabic words, and told me a bit about himself. Amazingly, the man had nearly twenty offspring!

We sat (on the carpet) for about twenty minutes, chewing on dates, and sipping Arabic coffee and tea, the food came out: a colossal plate of rice and goat (or lamb, I'm not exactly sure) meat, which was shared by five of us. We were able to get through about two thirds of it. The rice had been boiled in fresh broth and it was delicious. The meat was excellent. We ate with out hands in true Saudi fashion.

After the meal, we sipped tea, and socialized for a while, and I met a Saudi fellow, who has spent some time in Vancouver. He was a nice guy, and he spoke English fluently. After half and hour or so we went into the main area of the hall, where, most of the guests had already gathered in a large circle. Drummers were drumming, and and singers were singing. At intervals, guests would run into to the middle, jump high into the air and spin in a circle. As they continued to spin, on the ground, their friends would come into the center with them and everyone would clap rhythmically as they spun.

After some time, a man produced some scimitars, and there was dancing and parading about with those. It was very...phallic.

It was an interesting cultural experience, that I was glad to take part in. However, I can't help but thinking it was lacking a certain crucial element of wedding parties--female interaction! Well...that and booze, although I imagine certain parties may have taken part in the latter, behind closed doors, after the public event.  

Arabian Food

When I went to Korea, I lost ten pounds in the first month. Despite getting exercise every day, I've gained ten pounds since coming to Saudi Arabia. That's the nature of Arabian food.

Arabians love rice and meat. Often that's all that dinner consists of--about a kilo of white rice and a large portion of lamb, goat, beef or camel. Where's the salad, you ask? What about the soup? It's back in whatever pansy country you're living in. You want vitamins? In Arabia, after your two kilos of rice and meat, you can have a pint full of fruit covered with honey.

Honestly, I'm not sure that some Arabians even know what a Salad IS. Besides rice and meat, other staples are: dates, soft white cheeses of all kinds, olives, flat bread, soft baguettes, nuts of all kinds, halva, and a banana-oatmeal mash covered with honey. Common restaurant foods include: fried chicken (inexplicably referred to as "broast") and fries, kebab, and chicken "sandwiches" (roasted chicken and french fries in soft tortillas). It's as if a panel of experts got together, for the sole purpose of creating the most calorie-laden national menu possible.

The aforementioned juices are a real boon. Soft drinks are ubiquitous, but only slightly less common are fresh juices. Common flavours include: orange, apple, pomegranate, guava, mango, strawberry, and avocado. The avocado juice is surprisingly good...and suspiciously sweet. Actually, you have to be careful of theses fresh juices, because unless you tell them specifically not to add and sugar, they're going to add a ton. Fruit juices are also very common at corner stores and super markets. They usually come in small glass bottle, and contain just about as much sugar as possible, while still deserving the moniker "liquid".

Fortunately, for those who wish to avoid early death from diabetes, there are a range of foreign (non-middle-eastern) foods available, to cater to the various foreigners. The most popular are Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani restaurants, although Filipino dishes are not wholly uncommon, and at one of the hotels here, there is even a Korean menu. Actually, some of the Indian food I've eaten here has been the best I've ever eaten--it's made with fresh ingredients, by real Indians...and it costs about a quarter of what I would pay for it in Canada.

One of the perks of the job is that I get free breakfast and lunch...and the lunch even includes the illusive Arabian salad. Unfortunately, breakfast usually consists of flat bread, various sugary spreads, and either cheese, eggs, or the aforementioned banana-honey-oatmeal. Lunch is a little healthier, but it always includes the requisite kilo of rice, sugary drinks, and sugary rice-based desserts. Buying food isn't expensive, but going out to eat isn't either...which makes it all too easy. I think whatever benefit my body is receiving from it's respite from alcohol, it's being made up for by all the white bread, white rice and processed sugar.

I've already started making and effort to eat more healthy--bringing chopped vegetables and brown flat bread for breakfast...but can I persevere? Can I walk out of Arabia without an extra forty pounds and a set of dentures? We will just see.

Also, it's not good to drink the tap water. Everyone drinks bottled water. Something about being full of minerals. I think it's something to do with being desalinized seawater.