Bahrain

Nicole and I decided that Bahrain was our honeymoon, even though our trip there came nearly fourteen years after our wedding.  On our last weekend together in the Emirates (at least this trip!) we took a very short flight from Sharjah Emirate to the island nation of Bahrain and found the country pretty, interesting, and maybe best of all distinct from other places we've visited in the region.

Bahrain's actually a collection of islands (think of Hawaii) but they're small and very close to one another.  If not for the constant vistas of the blue waters of the gulf, you wouldn't even notice you were crossing a bridge from one island to the next.  Bahrain's one of the only countries where Shi'a Muslims comprise a majority, though the Kingdom is ruled by Sunni royalty closely aligned to the ruling families of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates.  The ruling elite has kept recent demonstrations and uprisings pretty much in check and we saw absolutely no evidence of the protests, even in the capital city of Manama where a lot of the demonstrations have occurred.

Bahrain's connected to Saudi Arabia by a 20-kilometer bridge which facilitates easy travel between the countries (at least for Saudis and Bahranis--it's hard for non-Muslim Westerners to get visas to Saudi unless they work there), and there are loads of Saudis most everywhere in Bahrain.  They're visible because they are generally wearing traditional Gulf Arab clothing.  Their money is everywhere too.  Literally.  When you buy something, you often get part of your change back in Saudi money.

We stayed right on the beach (thus it felt like a honeymoon) and swam A LOT during the weekend.  The Persian Gulf is very warm, very salty, and very blue.  Good seafood, of course, and one night we ate at a little dive along the water and had grilled kingfish (very popular all over the Gulf), and also a really rich and tasty combination of shrimp and crab meat in a cream sauce.  The National Museum was walking distance from our hotel, so we managed to learn quite a bit about the ancient civilization that inhabited present-day Bahrain: the Dilmun, made famous in the Epic of Gilgamesh as the dwellers of an island where nobody gets sick.  Fun fact: The Dilmun created burial mounds, humongous ones, and buried the dead with sacrificial snakes housed in their own decorative bowls.  The Qulat-al-Bahrain, the centuries-old fort, is the very, very unique centerpiece of the island's heritage.  The outermost walls were built during Portuguese colonization but inner portions are much older, for example, dating to early Islamic dynasties who ruled here just a few years after the birth of Islam.

One of the great things about the region is that, if you love history, you can learn about eras and peoples more obscured compared the Greeks and Romans.  It's one of the reason going to Petra, Jordan, home of the Nabateans, is so unforgettable.  Same goes for visiting Bahrain and finding out about the Dilmun.

Pics here.

What is Emirati cuisine?

It's almost as difficult to answer that question as it is to answer the question "What is U.S. cuisine?"  Emiratis are in the minority (somewhere around 15-20% of the population) in the Emirates, which partly explains why "Levantine" (Lebanese, Syrian, etc.) Arab dishes, not to mention Indian and Iranian foods, are more common here.  And for a whole host of cultural and historical reasons, Lebanese and Indian folks are more likely to open restaurants, which makes their cuisine more accessible and familiar to outsiders.  (I remember when the Super Bowl came to Detroit in 2006 and the local papers tried to tell visitors what "Detroit foods" they should try: shawarma sandwiches, gyros, coney hotdogs...)

Anyway, our friend Rana took Nicole and I to the northern Emirates yesterday.  Rana and I needed to conduct some interviews at a college in Ras al Khaima (RAK for short) and, of course, Nicole's goal is to visit all seven Emirates while we're here, so she joined us for an interesting drive an hour or so north of Sharjah through the desert.  The work at the University went well after an exciting diversion.  We stopped in "downtown RAK" to get directions at a cell phone store.  The manager, a Syrian like Rana, happily offered to have us follow him to the campus since the route there is confusing thanks to road construction.  We inadvertently followed the wrong car.  Our "lead car" pulled into a driver's training facility, which seemed odd.  We pulled up next to the car, which had tinted windows, and the driver didn't roll down his window, which also seemed odd.  Two Indian guys got out--that seemed oddest of all.  We laughed pretty hard at that point, got directions, and were on our way.

We met with various administrators at the small, "start up" campus and had a productive couple of hours.  Afterward, cruising RAK, Nicole spotted a traditional Emirati cafe along the Gulf (here's where the cuisine comes back into the story...): low tables, outdoor seating on cushioned benches, no plates and silverware--sharing from common bowls is the norm--unless you really pester the waiters, great views of the water, no ladies present except Nicole and Rana.  Is Emirati eating really all that different from other Arab restaurants?  Put it this way: they didn't have bread.  Yes, you heard that right.  No pita.  No khoobez.

We shared some interesting dishes.  Dango, actually more South Asian than Emirati, is like a boiled chickpea dish with lots of cumin sprinkled on top.  Harees is also pretty hard to connect to one specific geographic or cultural group--we had it in Armenia and Lebanon too and it's very popular in Iraq, especially around Ashoura commemorations.  It's boiled wheat and chicken, cooked down into a porridge (Rana hates it).  Fu'ul (fava beans) was served room temperature with salt and lemon.  More "purely" Emirati was the sweet treat khabees, a kind of paste made from sugar and semolina (and possibly saffron and cardamom--any experts out there?).  So even a traditional Emirati cafe is cosmopolitan and hybrid, but very very tasty.

One does want a touch of color...

Nicole at the Iranian Club

Iranian cuisine

Brunch is trendy in nearby Dubai, especially on Fridays.  Schools and most workplaces shut down on Friday to honor the Islamic day of prayer, so many people choose to sleep late and meet up with friends for a big meal around 1:00 or so.  From what we've heard some of the brunches are opulent--sushi, chocolate fountains, champagne (drinking is legal in Dubai, unlike Sharjah), prime rib, Arabic mezzes and sweets--and can cost upwards of 400-500 dirhams (over $100).  Too pricey for us, but Nicole and I found a brunch option that sounded like an interesting, affordable, less touristy experience: The Iranian Club.

The Iranian Club provides a kind of cultural home for Iranians living in the UAE, hosting programs and events and also a beautiful restaurant where Vali Heydari, shown above with yours truly, takes great pride in his craft.  I made him promise to contact me if he ever decides to open a restaurant in the U.S.; in fact, if you look closely, he's holding my card.

Vali's version of "Friday brunch" is popular with Iranian families, in fact I only noticed one other Western couple, but anyone's welcome (women must cover their heads).  At 75 dirhams (about $20) for the buffet, it's probably the most expensive meal we've eaten here, but definitely worth it.  My favorites were the ghalie mahi, a fish stew with greens, and the ash e reshte, a popular breakfast soup with greens, garbanzo beans, and pasta.  Nicole was partial to the rice dishes, most of which had some combination of saffron, herbs, and dried fruits including currants.

They also have great dolmas.  They stuff tomatoes, baby zucchini, and baby eggplant.  Middle Eastern mezze, pretty much obligatory on any buffet, are good too, especially the baba ghanooj which they top with fresh pomegranate seeds.  Khorake goosht was lamb shank falling off the bone (it looked and tasted like goat but Vali says it's lamb so I believe him).  Excellent meal.  Now to convince the chef to move to Michigan.

Sheih Zayed Grand Mosque, redux

Okay, I went to the Grand Mosque back in February, before Nicole arrived, with a group from my University.  It's probably the most magnificent site to visit in the entire country.  It's down in Abu Dhabi, by far the largest of the emirates and the one farthest from Sharjah.  Abu Dhabi is about a two-hour drive south, so the ideal thing to do on the second of our two days with the rental car.  Here are Nicole's pictures of the Mosque--it's well worth clicking through and checking them out, as the place is breathtaking.  I won't repeat all the cool facts about the SZGM, just one: the main prayer room has the largest carpet in the world.  Okay, two: it also has the third largest chandelier.  Just check it out--it's United Arab Emirates prestige and extravagance in service to a holy place instead of a shopping mall!  Check it.

Lebanon

I'm totally going non-chronological here, so apologies for any and all confusion.  Last week's visit to Beirut was long overdue, and a highlight of my sabbatical to be sure.  Stayed in the same apartment where we lived in 2010-2011, ate at the same amazing man'oushe stand (Snack Faysal) every morning, and best of all caught up with good friends: Karine, Nancy, Rula, Amy, Lina, Lisa, Malakeh, Zane, and Rima.  I have lived in places much longer than the year I spent living in Lebanon and struggled to make close friends in those other places.  Sometimes, a place just becomes a home, one of your homes, and you have to express thankfulness for the blessing of having more than one such place.  Out for lunch with the gang from the English Department at the school I visited during that year, a friend said one of the nicest, most gratifying thing anybody has ever said to me: "you really fit in here."  For a person who has always struggled to do just that, those words meant so much to me.

Walking around the Hamra neighborhood, drinking at the best coffee shop in Beirut, seeing the same faces at the money change stands and on front stoops...man what a warm, exciting city.  I thought we had combed every inch of the small country during that year, but Karine showed us otherwise--Our Lady of Zahle shrine and the Jesuit dairy farm (a lakeside bike ride!) in Tannayel, both in the Bekaa; the monastic cell and adjacent shrine to the Maronite saint Mar Charbel; a seaside restaurant in Byblos for a plate of echnidia fruit.  A perfect long weekend.  It was as hard to leave this time as it was in 2011.

East coast

Pics here.

Today, for the first time, I drove in the Middle East.  Nicole and I rented a tuna can, I mean car, and headed for the East Coast (the Arabia Sea side) of the Emirates.  I’ve gone swimming on the Persia Gulf side several times, but wanted to experience the other coast as well, and Nicole’s goal is to go to all seven emirates before going home.   Also we’ve been leaning on our dear friend Rana so much that we felt her car needed a break.  So we decided to take the plunge.  Felt so liberating and self-sufficient.  Who knows, maybe I’ll even drive in Lebanon next time I’m there.

Anyway, we drove through the Hajar Mountains, spooky black peaks that span much of the Eastern Emirates as well as parts of Oman.  It was hot, high 90s for those of you who are Farenheit fans, but the tuna can was nicely chilled.  First stop, Musafi (rhymes with Yousefy, our nephew’s nickname!) in the Emirate of Fujairah.  Some say the idea of the “drive through” originated in Musafi.  You can pull up alongside and make purchases from produce vendors and guys selling local pomegranate juice, coconut water, and corn on the cob with lime and salt.  Really lovely, and with few of the modern trappings of Dubai.  Also, rug sellers line the streets with Iranian and Afghani imports.

On to Fujairah Emirate’s main port city.  Coolest thing about Fujairah, Fujairah: the roundabouts.  It looks a lot like Sharjah, Sharjah, except that most roundabouts boast some type of enormous sculpture or statue in the middle.  You have the incense burner roundabout, the boat roundabout, the rose water decanter (I think it’s just a pitcher, but Nicole named it as such) roundabout, and the coffee pot roundabout which comes surrounded by huge clay cups.  Very nice.  Also, delicious Lebanese restaurant called Al-Meshwar where we enjoyed a late breakfast of fo’ul (fava beans), olives, cheese bread, and tea.

Headed north along the sea and passed through Khor Fakkan and other coastal towns that look much older than Dubai and Abu Dhabi and even Sharjah, and with a fraction of the traffic.  Aside from a couple oil refineries (dead give-away), the East Coast almost looks pre-oil.  We stopped in Badiyah to see the old minaret-free mosque, allegedly from the 1400s, and the two ancient looking watchtowers above it.  Climbing the old stone steps to the watchtowers may have been the hottest moment of our time in the UAE.  I mean, great view of the mosque, the sea, a date palm oasis…but THE HEAT!

Kept going north to Dibba.  Dibba is a fishing village.  Part of the village is technically in Sharjah, part in Fujairah, and part in a totally different country: Oman.  Weird.  We wanted to hit the beach in Dibba but mostly the coast there is stony and full of fishing boats.  So we backtracked a bit down the coast and found a pristine looking area.  No changing facilities so we got pretty creative with a skirt and a big beach towel.  Voila, ready for the sea.  Okay, the Arabia Sea can be violent so we didn’t go very deep.  The water felt amazing after exploring those watchtowers in Badiyah, until a wave knocked me on my ass and sent my sunglasses flying.  As in my prescription sunglasses that I can’t drive without even on sunny days in North America.  I was sure they were gone, crazy waves crashing all around us, but Nicole spotted them.  I pounced, knee making contact with a huge rock, and missed the glasses as a big wave came in.  The wave retreated and Nicole saw them again.  I pounced again and got ‘em.  My knee was bleeding, but I miraculously had my glasses, and the sea was salty enough to kill most anything.  At least I hope.  So we swam a bit longer, did another stealth costume change, and found another corn on the cob guy.

Proud to say that my driving and navigation were pretty good.  Through no fault of my own, though, the tuna can did sustain a minor injury, one to match my knee gash I guess.  Driving back to Sharjah, a car in front of us hit something in the road—looked like a piece of coil or heavy cable maybe—and the object came flying at us and hit the front bumper.  Not a big deal at all, but it punctured a hole in the bumper.  Here’s where being married to a lawyer comes in handy.  Nicole went straight to the rental agreement which said that the car’s insurance covers just about any type of damage the car sustains but only if you file a police report.  To the little police station right by campus.  Super nice Sharjah cop totally appreciated the rudimentary Arabic I spoke with him but luckily also spoke English.  He took down all the information and said the police would issue the report in three business days after they wait to see if anybody else (e.g., the person who hit the coil to begin with) also files a report about the incident.  Strange, but we’re cautiously optimistic it all works out.

Stay tuned, readers—and I don’t just mean to see how my knee and insurance claim work out.  We kept our slightly dinged tuna can and are tentatively planning to drive to Abu Dhabi tomorrow.

A couple news hits

Campus was briefly on lockdown this afternoon after the imam of the our University's mosque was attacked by a former student and stabbed.  Campus police quickly caught the man, the lockdown is over, and everybody is now safe.  Here's the story from the Gulf News.

Also in today's news, a woman accused of consensual sex (a crime in the UAE) has made waves in Dubai by refusing the judge's suggestion that she marry the dude in order to receive a lighter sentence.  Really fascinating story on several levels.  Check it out.