[Self] Saudi Notes 2

Phototaking is still a haphazard, touch-n-explode thing here. But I've encountered some locals in a less contraversial place ie: restaurants in the "singles section".

Every time before I even dare take a snapshot, I gesture with the camera and hands to show "kuh-lick", and ask for permission at least twice, very loudy and slowly in English (although I am sure that the places with Saudis only [no Indian or Filipina workers] don't even understand the language at all).

Pic: Me a colleague Amr (system architect from Egypt) at a madly expensive Jap/French/Arab restaurant at Tahlia Street in downtown Riyadh. Whereby the food was cooked by a Filipino dude. Quite teruk jugak the taste but oh well ...

Pic: Thank goodness for Starbucks' existance in the great Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The local barista here was cool and really took pains to make sure I understood how to use the french-press and how to time the coffee making. But I did walk away dissapointed that the SB here does not sell KSA mugs, they had Lebanon, Kuwait, and Oman mugs but no KSA mugs!!! :(

Also, today I had camel meat for the first time ever. Camel meat's texture is essentially like beef, but tastes bland without the 'beefly' smell and taste. I don't think I'd ever eat it again; but I were ever presented a chance to do what Bear Sterns did with a camel carcass to get some fluids, yes I would engage in that grossful act too....

Pic: Larry and me at the "dirty shop" which serves a wicked hummus. This is also where the kebabs are great.

Pic: Die!!! Camel !!!!

Now, a story for the 3 pics below:

After attending a pre-production test for 5 hours, I had lunch at around 1530hrs. Not used to the road back so I stopped at random at a restaurant run only by Saudis. I managed to order food by pointing and sign language. And went to the 'eat-in' section. Only to find out that you sit down and eat in. Well, cool experience I think. Until the meal comes and I need to eat it.

Eating like the Saudis on the floor is an acrobatic feat. You sit cross legged and have to stoop over and get the rice, then you have to use the upper body muscles to sit up again as the hand scooping the rice swings into a semi circular motion such that the fingers + palm + rice + food goes into the mouth.

The first pic shows me in the correct stance. But I was finding Stance 1A hard to balance so I tried at least 2 other stances (as far as I can remember). So I changed to Stance 2 whereby I had my legs straightened out perpendicular to the food but it was really weird.

Now, imagine a dumb Msian guy tilting North > East > SouthWest (for counterbalance); then tilting North > (whoa!) West > NorthEast like a crazy drunkard 不倒翁 , you get the idea of what I was doing..... And then I evolved into Stance 1B whereby I sat crossed legged and sat perpendicular to the food, it it kindof worked out for the rest of the meal.

After makaning, I ask a waiter to take a pic for me (hand gestures), then I invite him to take a pic with me, then he tells the other workers to take pics with me, and the manager and some other workers all cram into the small eating area to take pics with me. Fun, but getting weird by now.

And then the camera battery dies and the frenzy cools off. As I go out of the exit by the backdoor (prayer time so they close down), the waiters excitedly gesture back to me to come again next time :)