Can You Say CARBS??

Today’s post is going to be about food.   All kinds of food, but mostly carbs.   Why?  Because that is a staple in Kuwait.  I have never seen so many chocolate stores, bread stores, bakeries of all kinds, you name it.  Plus, rice is served with just about everything.  Carbs are especially interesting because I am like a crazy person around carbs…give me sugar combined with fat and I am in heaven.   And it is not a friend to me, by any means.  So today I want to talk about carbs, sugar, fat, and a couple of other interesting foods that I have discovered here in Kuwait.

Hey, I said discovered!  That means that I didn’t know about these things before I got here.  By trial and error and being adventuresome, I have discovered a few treasures (and a couple of things not so good). 

One day in a grocery store, I came across a very strange looking fruit.   My friend Ian said that they are called dragonfruit.  He used to eat them in an Asian country where he taught last year and urged me to try one, because they are sweet and delicious.   Well, he was right…  You eat these with a spoon.  The little seeds remind me of the seeds in kiwi, but they are all through the fruit.

Another interesting find was at a little bakery not far from the apartment.  Bea came across this place in her wanderings.  These little sesame cookies are to die for!   Sesame seeds cover the top, and pistachios are baked into the bottom!   I don’t go here very often, because these are addicting!

There is an interesting little hole-in-the-wall Ethiopian restaurant a couple of blocks away from here.  There are only a couple of items on the menu that we can read and understand, like chilli chicken or chicken and rice.  We ordered these the first time we were there.   That night we jokingly made a comment to the waitress that the next time we came in, we would eat the same thing that the people next to us were eating.  A few weeks later, my friend Julia and I went there for Julia’s first time.  The waiter didn’t speak very much English, and so my little waitress came out to take our order.   I asked her to surprise us with two entrees, one chicken and one beef.   She actually remembered what I had said earlier about ordering what the locals ordered!   Imagine that!   Anyway, we ate pretty well that night….with our fingers, like the locals.  And afterwards, we had the coffee service.

Another great thing about Kuwait is that every restaurant delivers, it seems.   Even Hardees!  I order from a local Indian restaurant.  Mutton curry was recommended by Roman, a young man on my floor.  I loved the flavor of the curry, but the texture of the mutton was definitely not to my liking!  They brought a container of the curry along with a large container of rice.   The brown things in the rice are browned onions…yummy!  And there’s always enough to feed an army.

One morning, a senior in my hallway who is always very nice and polite to me brought me a container of food that he and his mother had made.  Of course I thanked him wholeheartedly and asked if it was a snack food or if it was a breakfast food.  He said a snack food.   I took it to my desk and looked inside.  Oh no!   It was a container full of little green "fingers"!!!  They looked awful!!  I set it on my desk, hoping to get brave later that morning, but it didn't happen.   At lunchtime, I decided that I was going to just close my eyes and take a bite, but it looked like it needed to be heated up first.  I took it down to the kitchen where I ran into Marie.   I showed her my gift and she was excited!  She explained that these are filled grape leaves (rather Mediterranean) and that there are two different sorts:  the ones filled with rice are snack foods meant to be eaten cold, and the meat-filled ones are meant to be eaten hot.  Since Khalid told me these were a snack, I guessed they were filled with rice.  Well, okay.  I went back to my room and decided to try one.   This is definitely one of those "looks bad, tastes good" deals.   I took one bite and am now hooked!!!   These are yummy!  By the way, my friend down the hall told me they are called warak enab.

You might be wondering if all I ever eat is ethnic food.   The answer is NO!   A new discovery is The Early Bird café.  This little place serves the best Western breakfast ever!  Well, maybe not “ever.”  The only thing that would make this place perfect is if they served sausage/bacon instead of the fake stuff.   I do have to say that once you get over the fact that you are eating lamb sausage, it’s actually not that bad…kind of like venison in texture.   Anyway, it’s a little place started by a young Australian woman and when I say small, I mean SMALL!   There are 4 tables inside and a few tables outside.  People are happy to wait in line for breakfast here.  They are famous for the most delicious French toast!  French toast banana bread, even!  Beautiful pancakes.  Omelets and hash browns to die for!!   And a club sandwich with cheese, turkey sausage, fried egg, and lettuce/tomato!!  No one ever leaves disappointed! These beautiful women are Nikki and Karen….we stopped in for “brunch” after a morning of shopping at the Friday Market (outdoor market). 

And just to make you feel bad, here is a photo of mens’ legs on a nice warm October day in Kuwait on our way to the Early Bird café!!

 Bon appetite!!

"...we welcome people from all nations to come in and share"

“You look at the history -- the aboriginal people welcomed the first settlers here with open arms, fed us and took care of us ... that continues today, we welcome people from all nations to come in and share.”   Peter Stoffer

And welcome us they do!   I am an associate member of the Canadians in Kuwait, which is a social group that gets together weekly to socialize.  While it is basically a Canadian group, they welcome all ex-pats to to join them at their events.  Friday mornings they host a brunch.  Since Friday is the Muslim holy day, most people have the day off.   Some churches also hold their services on Friday morning because of this.

I joined this group as an associate member because members enjoy a discount on the price of the social events.  Who wouldn’t want to attend a cocktail party at the Canadian Embassy?   Or a ball?   Or the Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner (which, by the way, is this Monday, October 10)?  I already have my ticket for the Thanksgiving Dinner and am excited for Monday to get here!  Cocktail parties begin soon.

Currently, our brunches are held at the Sahara Country Club.   I have posted photos for your viewing pleasure.  

As you can see, even in the desert there is grass, if one has the means to take care of it! 

I have to tell you about the choice of brunch foods because this really kills me.  First, there is a choice of pork and beans (meatless) and also foul (which is a Middle-Eastern type of bean dish).  Then there are several types of breakfast meats:  one is horrible-looking pink hotdogs which they call chicken sausage (remember, there is no pork here) and beef bacon.  I have to admit that I have not been able to bring myself to try beef bacon, and I am a pretty fearless eater, I think.  This meat looks terrible and the thought of it makes me cringe!  LOL  There are several choices of prepared eggs, one of which is a kind of poached egg in an oily veggie sauce.  Pancakes and french toast (sad looking).  The best thing is the made-to-order omelette, vegetarian style, of course.  Too bad there is no salsa!  There is a good selection of salad makings and also of melons and pineapple.  Several types of yoghurt and cheeses.  Several selections of pastries; I prefer these little yellow muffins with dried fruit (yummy!).  Cold cereals and breads.   And juices.   And the best iced tea and tart lemonade!!   All in all, a good selection.

So far I have met an Indian petroleum engineer, a French man (I don’t know what he does), a woman from New Zealand who is waiting on paperwork to teach ESL to adults in China, a couple from Vancouver, Canada (he’s Kuwaiti and she’s French/Canadian), a teaching couple from Canada, and Vicky and Julia, teachers from England.  

All of this for the reasonable price of 2KD for taxi (approximately $7.00) and 5KD for breakfast ($18.00).  Okay, perhaps not so reasonable, but a good splurge at any rate!

My School Day – Part One

Because the Muslim religious day is Friday, our school week is from Sunday to Thursday.  This is interesting for me as I am so used to the second day of the week being Tuesday, but really it’s only Monday.  The worst part of it is that Thursday night, I’m thinking that I’m starting a three-day weekend!  Ah, the strange ways in which our brains work!

My day usually begins at 5:00 am, when the alarm wakes me up.  I have to confess that sometimes it’s a good thing that I don’t sleep well because several days I have forgotten to set an alarm.  Again, this is related to habits…I am used to having a clock radio beside my bed; here, I have to use my phone’s alarm.  So at 5:00 am I am having to listen to my obnoxious phone’s message:  “It’s five o’clock.  Time to get up.  It’s five o’clock.  Time to get up.”  She’s rather annoying and I try to turn her off before she repeats more than twice. 

I leave my apartment at about 6:30 because we are required to be at work before 7:00.  There are thumb machines in the lobby where we check in…better not be late because the machine never lies.  I’m not sure if the thumb machine is a time clock or if it has to do with security; no one has ever explained it to me.  After this, I go up to my floor and sign in with the secretary there.  Again, I’m not sure what purpose this serves, but I do it anyway.

I have time to get ready for the day because the first class does not start until 7:45.  I teach three classes per day:  first block, second block, and fourth block.  This school is on an accelerated block schedule so we teach ½ the students first semester and the rest during the second semester.   I have never worked with this schedule before, so I am not sure exactly how I am going to fit everything in.   I guess I will learn as I go.  Each teacher is assigned a “duty” each day; I probably have the best duty of all:  on the playground during the lunch period.  The last 10 minutes of lunch, I troop down the stairs to the courtyard in order to monitor the door that leads to the elevators.  Only students with an elevator pass can come in that door.  Okay, not much action there EXCEPT I have the pleasure of watching the boys play soccer.   You have never seen such soccer as they play here!  They all look like they were born with a soccer ball attached to their feet!  It is such a joy to watch them!  (Can you tell I am a soccer fan?)  There are tournaments that go on all year; when one is over another one begins.

I really like the location of my room; I am close to my new friend Wadad.  She is from Lebanon and recently went out on maternity leave.  I will get to have the baby girl as a replacement for the ones I am missing back home.  Sheila is right across the hall from me; she teaches 11^th grade English and is very helpful.  Bob is next door; I love to walk by his room and listen to his Marine voice keeping those kids in line.  Actually, I have to say that everyone in this school has been friendly and helpful, making this “newbie” happy and comfortable.  In addition, I have a block of senior lockers right outside my room, so I am meeting a new group of kids.   The seniors are a rambunctious, loud group of kids, but they are very friendly and nice; I like them!