If you don't like Middle Eastern food, no problem!
In Dubai you can get anything, even Burger King...
However, if a Whopper Jr. is your craving, I feel sorry for ya...
I mean, if you are going to experience the local culture,
you gotta swear off the pepperoni pizza, if only for a week.
When we arrived at the hotel in Abu Dhabi, the front desk staff greeted us with plump, fresh dates,
fresh squeezed orange juice and cold damp hand towels...
So refreshing!
When you fly halfway across the world, the name of the game is beating jet lag...
Tom is a master of this and schooled me well...
We arrived around 7pm and after we settled into our hotel room, we found a hotel cafe near the beach.
It was an usually cool, humid evening and we enjoyed soft, Middle Eastern music
and candle light as we ordered drinks and a light appetizer.
It was a cold Mezza plate, which consisted of pita, hummus, taboulleh, pickled veggies, a light salad, grape stuffed leaves and some lemon parsley pesto-ish mix that was so tasty.
Next to us sat two women, one puffing away at a hookah...
Someone said smoking those things are equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes, but I don't know.
Lots of people smoke them.
They look like fancy water bongs to me....
Not that I know what one looks like....
whatev....
So, the key to beating jet lag is staying up late the first night while consuming many drinks.
At least that is what Tom advocates...
I sense an ulterior motive..
Next stop on the anti-jet lag prescription was Hemingway's...
It was a strange mix of expats from all over, British, American, Indian, Pakistani, Aussie & Asian, with the occasional hooker thrown in for spice...
Let's just say the bar from Star Wars came to mind...
The two-person band was an older, rotund British couple who sang current hits such as "Get Down On It".
Ventilation apparently did not exist as the smoke swirled so thick you could play Marco Polo....
I took one for the team as I wearily drank two more beers.
This jet lag cure better work!
The next morning we had a lovely breakfast.
The buffet served all ethnic preferences from meats and cheeses, to dried fruits,
strange sausages and a plethora of pastries. The coffee was strong and excellent!
Those first few days in Abu Dhabi, Tom worked in business
with pleasure as we had dinner with several ex-pats and their families.
One Canadian family invited us to their home for good old steak and potatoes;
another took us out to dinner to a nice restaurant.
In Dubai, our hotel, The Royal Meridien, had many restaurants to choose from.
Again, we were greeted with OJ, dates and chocolates.
In our room, we had a fresh bottle of white wine and a treat each night,
such as a maple cookie, chocolate tart and lemon bars.
Gee, I wish that happened at home...
Oh right....I'm the help at home....damn!
Maybe I'll just carry a bottle of white to bed each night....
The morning breakfast was included in our hotel package...
It was a feast, but in the right amounts.
Each offering was in bite sized portions, so you could try different things
without gorging like you were on a Carnival Cruise.
Sushi and corned beef hash?
Why not?
Mini banana smoothies and muesli?
Go right ahead...
.It was lovely....
And who doesn't like a fruity cocktail at the pool bar?
My favorite dinner was our last night.
We chose an Arabian themed restaurant on the hotel property.
We sat under a tent while Middle Eastern music played.
Emeratis gurgled their hookahs and feral cats roamed looking for tasty bits under the table.
We enjoyed hot and cold mezza while sipping cocktails...
The spices of cardamon, coriander and cumin permeated the biryani...
Anthony Bourdain gives a great overview of what Dubai and its food is all about....and here....and here.....
Part Three: Shopping!
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