(family food centre). it is just like your typical 'price chopper' grocer back home. we bought the bulk of our groceries there but headed to carrefour for the fresh stuff as it seems to be of better quality/selection. speaking of fresh produce, the cucumbers here are so small! but don't let that fool you - they are so tasty - very sweet!!! you just end up using a whole cucumber in a small bowl of salad.
so, we decided to bbq up some chicken. ideally, we would have preferred fresh chicken but when we arrived at carrefour they were all sold out (which apparently often happens on the weekends) so we had to settle for frozen chicken. organic/grain fed chicken does not exist here (yet) however, we can't be too picky as a month ago there was no poultry or eggs in the country. this was down to an outbreak of bird flu in saudi and saudi is doha's only supplier of these items. note to self, avoid frozen chicken as it turned out to be the chewiest chicken ever - sure gave our arms and our jaws a workout though cutting and chewing it!! hehe. we did decide to put a middle eastern flare to the bbq by grilling haloumi cheese and serving fatoush (salad with toasted pita in it). wasn't bad for our first bbq in the desert...
it's amazing how dirty vehicles can get out here - makes sense i suppose with all the sand around!! so while we were shopping at carrefour we had our truck washed in the parking lot. how convenient is that!? evidently, it is a common thing here - a travelling car wash team who work in mall parking lots. they have trolleys with buckets of water and cleaning supplies that they wheel around from car to car. pretty great concept really. they charge only 8 riyals which equals approx. 1 gbp or 2 cdn dollars!!!!!! cheap as chips!! our car washer did a fantastic job and ended up washing the 'tank' in about 30 min. while mike and i grocery shopped. when things are that cheap a big tip is usually given which is well worth the smile you get afterwards and makes you feel a bit better paying such low prices. many of the workers (construction workers, maids, cleaners, doormen, drivers, etc.) in doha are from india, pakistan, etc. they work here earning next to nothing and stay in work camps outside the city centre, only to send their paycheck back to their families in their home countries. so far all that we have encountered seem very dedicated and hardworking and do not hesitate to help you. westerners are always greeted as sir/mr. and madame. mike and i have already gotten 'mr. mike' and 'madame krista'. makes us both feel a bit uncomfortable not to mention old...
so now that the truck was cleaned, it was time for gas - or 'petrol' as they call it here. you better sit down for this...to fill up an 80 litre tank cost 60 riyals (including tip) which equates to a whopping 9 gbp/ 18 cdn dollars!!! incredible!!! so what if we are driving a gas-guzzling SUV!!!
while we are on the subject, another thing that totally blows our minds is the fact that you can walk into any pharmacy/chemist and buy medication right off the shelves!! we are talking medications that usually require a prescription pretty much everywhere else in the world!! the prices are so cheap as well. insane!!! the other night, mike and i actually browsed through the shelves in the pharmacy in total shock/awe! you can buy anything from birth control pills, acne medication to steroids (mike noticed the steroid that disqualified ben johnson from the olympics)!!! there is a pharmacist there to assist you however, no need for a prescription unless you require narcotics (codeine, etc.). not quite sure why this is acceptable but will try to find out and let you all know.
...speaking of olympics - doha is running for the 2016 olympics!!!
it is still overcast and rainy here. a result of all this rain has caused flooding in some parts of the streets as there is no proper drainage systems in place. unlike us, the locals are happy as it means that a particular middle eastern vegetable (can't remember the name) that only grows in damp weather conditions will flourish!!!
me, i'm thinking of doing a sun dance...i'll let you know how that turns out...
so, we decided to bbq up some chicken. ideally, we would have preferred fresh chicken but when we arrived at carrefour they were all sold out (which apparently often happens on the weekends) so we had to settle for frozen chicken. organic/grain fed chicken does not exist here (yet) however, we can't be too picky as a month ago there was no poultry or eggs in the country. this was down to an outbreak of bird flu in saudi and saudi is doha's only supplier of these items. note to self, avoid frozen chicken as it turned out to be the chewiest chicken ever - sure gave our arms and our jaws a workout though cutting and chewing it!! hehe. we did decide to put a middle eastern flare to the bbq by grilling haloumi cheese and serving fatoush (salad with toasted pita in it). wasn't bad for our first bbq in the desert...
it's amazing how dirty vehicles can get out here - makes sense i suppose with all the sand around!! so while we were shopping at carrefour we had our truck washed in the parking lot. how convenient is that!? evidently, it is a common thing here - a travelling car wash team who work in mall parking lots. they have trolleys with buckets of water and cleaning supplies that they wheel around from car to car. pretty great concept really. they charge only 8 riyals which equals approx. 1 gbp or 2 cdn dollars!!!!!! cheap as chips!! our car washer did a fantastic job and ended up washing the 'tank' in about 30 min. while mike and i grocery shopped. when things are that cheap a big tip is usually given which is well worth the smile you get afterwards and makes you feel a bit better paying such low prices. many of the workers (construction workers, maids, cleaners, doormen, drivers, etc.) in doha are from india, pakistan, etc. they work here earning next to nothing and stay in work camps outside the city centre, only to send their paycheck back to their families in their home countries. so far all that we have encountered seem very dedicated and hardworking and do not hesitate to help you. westerners are always greeted as sir/mr. and madame. mike and i have already gotten 'mr. mike' and 'madame krista'. makes us both feel a bit uncomfortable not to mention old...
so now that the truck was cleaned, it was time for gas - or 'petrol' as they call it here. you better sit down for this...to fill up an 80 litre tank cost 60 riyals (including tip) which equates to a whopping 9 gbp/ 18 cdn dollars!!! incredible!!! so what if we are driving a gas-guzzling SUV!!!
while we are on the subject, another thing that totally blows our minds is the fact that you can walk into any pharmacy/chemist and buy medication right off the shelves!! we are talking medications that usually require a prescription pretty much everywhere else in the world!! the prices are so cheap as well. insane!!! the other night, mike and i actually browsed through the shelves in the pharmacy in total shock/awe! you can buy anything from birth control pills, acne medication to steroids (mike noticed the steroid that disqualified ben johnson from the olympics)!!! there is a pharmacist there to assist you however, no need for a prescription unless you require narcotics (codeine, etc.). not quite sure why this is acceptable but will try to find out and let you all know.
...speaking of olympics - doha is running for the 2016 olympics!!!
it is still overcast and rainy here. a result of all this rain has caused flooding in some parts of the streets as there is no proper drainage systems in place. unlike us, the locals are happy as it means that a particular middle eastern vegetable (can't remember the name) that only grows in damp weather conditions will flourish!!!
me, i'm thinking of doing a sun dance...i'll let you know how that turns out...
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