If I Could Eat Anything ...

As you know, my husband recently had open heart surgery, and before we left the hospital, the doctor told him that for one month or so, he could eat anything he wants. After that, my husband and I will both go on a heart healthy diet, but for now, the doctor wants him to eat anything he desires, just to build back up his strength. So just imagine if you were given the go ahead to eat whatever you wanted, what would you eat? Well, my list would definitely contain dark chocolate, mashed potatoes, crab, steak, cheesecake, cashews, Crispy Creme Donuts, coconut creme pie, and Cheetos! Hmmm ... seems like an awful lot of those foods start with the letter "C" ... wonder what that means? Anyway, what would you have on your list?

Adnan has always been a healthy eater and doesn't crave sweets the way I do. And since the surgery, he hasn’t had much of an appetite, but the one decadent thing that he requested was a special dish here made with animal fat called “foul wu semn” (beans with animal fat). We enjoy eating the “poor man’s breakfast” here in Saudi Arabia, which consists of a regional bean dish called foul (pronounced fool) and wonderful flatbread which is called tameez. It’s very filling and quite tasty.


Every morning these tiny shops that pretty much only make and sell foul and tameez are bustling with male customers, most of them hard laborers starting their day. Oftentimes there is a crowd five men deep. This breakfast which will easily serve 3-4 people costs a total of 3 riyals, which is about US 75 cents. I had always waited in the car whenever Adnan got this for us for breakfast, but recently I went in to take a look at one of the little shops that sells foul and tameez.


The foul is generally accompanied with extra sauce (similar to salsa) to spice it up to your liking. Other spices are also added. Adnan usually likes to add olive oil as well. The foul is slow cooked in a huge round balloon shaped metal pot which is tilted over a charcoal burner.


Because the opening is so small and the pot is so big, a special spoon with an extremely long handle is required to stir the beans and extract them. The specially melted animal fat (I believe it is from goat) is a rich clear golden yellow color and is added to the foul to enhance the flavor.


Depending on which country the tameez maker is from, the flatbread can vary in size, consistency, and flavor. Most tameez that I have seen is at least the size of a large pizza in diameter.


Some are sprinkled with blackened sesame seeds, some have lines made with a spoked wheel running across them, and others are thicker and almost rubbery, but in a good way.


The tameez is baked in a huge tiled igloo-shaped oven and special long instruments are needed to flip and retrieve the tameez when it’s done. You can also order tameez which is filled with cheese.


Foul and tameez is one of the fabulous ethnic foods available in KSA that I have come to love.

Hospital Visitors

V
isiting the sick is a very important obligation that the Saudi culture follows and it is dictated by Islam. Not only is it good for the sick person in that it lifts his spirits, but it is also a virtuous act which will be rewarded for the Muslim person who visits someone who is sick. There are even guidelines in Islam about not staying too long, about visiting an unrelated person of the opposite sex, and specific prayers (du’a) that are said for the sick individual.

I hadn’t really had much exposure to this aspect of Islam until my husband spent ten days in the hospital recently and had open heart surgery. He had a steady stream of visitors during most of his time in the hospital. Usually family and friends started coming in the early afternoon, and sometimes the last visitor of the day came late, leaving when visiting hours ended at 11pm. I thought it was interesting that during Ramadan, the hospital visiting hours are changed to ending at 3 am (see photo below). I learned that my function was to act as hostess for the visitors, offering them small cups of the traditional Arabic coffee called Gahwa (here’s a simple but delicious recipe for Gahwa), which my sisters-in-law thoughtfully and thankfully brought to me every day in thermal pots, as well as dates or chocolates, which guests brought with them in abundance. The Gahwa is mainly cardamom with very little coffee in it - I still haven’t acquired a taste for it.


I managed not to cry at all the whole time Adnan was in the hospital – I felt that he needed me to be strong and positive, and I was! I have heard many times since moving here that Saudi women have a reputation for being very dramatic and emotional. Now I’m not saying that they are, just that I have heard it often enough. So I thought it was rather amusing when I was saying goodbye to Adnan right before they wheeled him into the operating room that a small group of women employees turned around to watch me, as if to see whether I was going to break down or not.


Adnan initially didn’t want his own mother even knowing about his surgery because she, for one, IS quite emotional, but it reached a point where that was just not practical. So she was finally told that he was having more than just tests and procedures done. She came to the hospital to see him a few days after the operation once he was out of ICU - and she cried the whole time, which I could see was tough for Adnan. But the funny thing is that when she was leaving, she got after me about what I was wearing – one of Adnan’s long loose shapeless thobes with elbow length sleeves and a huge billowing colorful scarf over my head (properly covering my hair) that hung loosely down past my wrists. But when I served coffee, she could see part of my forearms from underneath so she didn’t think I was dressed properly. She thought I should have worn a long sleeved dress, but I told her that I would be way too hot dressed that way and that I was comfortable in what I had on. She knows how I complain about being hot all the time. But she said, “Not hot.” It struck me as funny because here she was crying her eyes out because her son had just had heart surgery, but she was still worried that a man might have seen my sexy middle-aged forearms! I know she means well and it is actually a compliment that she cares. She is just from a different time and a different place…


The third day Adnan spent in the hospital, which was also the day before his surgery, was a Friday – the holy day in Islam when it is customary for men to go to the mosque to attend the Jumu’ah prayers, comparable to Christians attending church services on Sundays. After the prayers ended, men well-wishers dressed in their crisp white thobes and flowing headgear began appearing bearing huge floral arrangements (one was almost as tall as me!), plants, chocolates, or cologne and I finally abandoned my hostessing duties because there must have been 12-15 men in the room all at once. Many of them I had never seen before even though some were my husband's cousins - but because of the way the society restricts interaction between unrelated men and women, I had never had any opportunity to meet most of them before. I went out for a walk down in the beautiful park adjacent to the hospital, but it was a bit warm, so I wandered around the hospital for a bit before returning to the room.


Each day, except for the three days Adnan spent in ICU where limited visiting hours were strictly enforced, visiting guests streamed in and out of the room, some calling before coming, others showing up unannounced. When a couple of his previously-unknown-to-me cousins came calling, they were SOOOO incredibly handsome that I almost spilled the coffee on them! And after almost every visitor left, Adnan would tell me that the friend or family member who just left had offered to foot the entire hospital bill, and he would remark, “This system is so much better than insurance.” All in all, the total bill for everything came to about $18,500 US – for an angiogram, triple bypass open heart surgery, ten days in the hospital including three days in ICU, our meals, doctors’ charges, medications, etc. I have no idea what the same might cost in the States, but I’m pretty sure it would be considerably more.

Adnan continues to improve a little bit every day. He’s still in some pain, has good days and bad days, and is a tad impatient to feel better sooner, but overall he’s doing very well. The doctors are pleased with his progress and the long incision down his chest looks good. We still have a way to go, and both Adnan and I are looking ahead to the day when this will all be behind us. Many Thanks to all of you who sent your well wishes and prayers – I could see that Adnan was quite touched as I read them to him. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Why Hubby Loves His Country

There are many things about life here in Saudi Arabia that are inconvenient, difficult to accomplish, and time consuming. But then on the other hand, there are other things that are so much easier to get done, as well as being much cheaper than in the states.


For example, the other morning my husband left to take my son to school, but he came back in much quicker than usual. Turns out he had a flat tire on his SUV, so he sent Adam to school in a cab. Hubby then called his Nephew to come and assist him in getting the flat fixed. Nephew arrived within 15 minutes, much to the pleasure of my Hubby. In the states, we never really had any family living close to us who would be able to show up like that at the drop of a hat. Together Hubby and Nephew dismounted the deflated tire and drove off to see about having it repaired.

In less than an hour, Hubby returned, smiling from ear to ear. He proceeded to tell me about the saga of the flat tire. Hubby told me that he and Nephew had taken the deflated tire to a nearby garage. Immediately the guy at the garage took the tire and began working on it, without discussing first what work would be involved and what the charges might be. So when the Gargage Guy was about half-way through, Hubby, ever the Joker, started giving Garage Guy a hard time, saying that he didn't have any money with him to pay for his services.

"No problem!" Garage Guy told him. So basically Garage Guy was saying he would do the job for free if Hubby had no money. After a bit more of friendly banter, Hubby pulled out his wallet and looked inside. "Oh!" Hubby said. "I've got five riyals (about $1.25 US). Is that enough?"

"That's fine!" declared Garage Guy. "Whatever you can afford," the agreeable Garage Guy offered. When Garage Guy was done fixing the flat tire, Hubby gave the man a 50 riyal bill (about $12.50 US). Garage Guy reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and counted out 45 riyals in change and handed it back to Hubby! Because Garage Guy was so good natured about everything, Hubby gave the change right back to him.

"This is why I love this country!" Hubby declared to me. "Would something like this happen in America? I don't think so. First, I'd have to take a number, then I'd have to wait maybe a couple of hours, and probably have to prepay the gouged up charges before any work would be done." Hubby got the tire back on his car and it's been just fine since.

Of course there are many reasons why my husband enjoys being back home in his country - this is just one example why.

Taxes in Saudi Arabia? Nah!

Yesterday, April 15th, came and went without any fanfare here in Saudi Arabia. There were no outrageously long lines at the post offices, no people griping about getting all those complicated forms filled out to file their taxes. Taxes are virtually non-existent here in Saudi Arabia. There are no property taxes, no capital gains taxes, and even at the grocery store, you pay exactly what an item's price says and not a Riyal more. You don't have to make sure you have that extra additional cash in your wallet to cover the usual 5-8% of sales taxes.


The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia holds twenty five per cent of the world's oil reserves, and most of its fiscal operating budget capital comes from these profits. Individual workers here pay absolutely no income tax - period. Ex-pat workers from the US must still pay their US taxes, however generally speaking in most cases, the first $80,000 of income or so earned outside of the country is tax exempt. Foreign ex-pat workers are also given an automatic filing date extension of an additional two more months to get their paperwork submitted. However since each person's situation is different and tax requirements and payments can vary and I am no tax expert, please refer to the IRS website to determine what taxes you may owe if you are an ex-pat worker in Saudi Arabia or any other country.

One thing that Saudi Arabia does have is something called Zakat, which is a religious tithing of sorts, and alms for the poor, if you will. It is actually one of the five basic pillars of Islam - to give a small percentage (2.5%) of 15% of your profits (it's not based on your gross income) each year to those less fortunate. This is a flat-rate and is not based on any type of sliding scale and there are no loop-holes. Zakat makes up the majority of the income each year that Saudi Arabia receives that is not oil-based. There is also another form of Zakat that Muslims are encouraged to pay during the month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast during the daylight hours, among other things, to gain a better appreciation for those who don't have enough to eat. This Zakat ul-Fitr is given in the form of food.

I recently did a post listing many food prices here in the Kingdom so you can compare with your area. Here's the link in case you missed it. It's actually a nice feeling paying exactly what the sticker price says and not having to try to figure out how much more in taxes you will have to pay!

Comparing Apples and Oranges

When I was in the states last summer, I was shocked at the prices for groceries, and I hadn't been gone for that long. Less than a year, in fact. For the most part, prices for fresh produce - which is grown in this part of the world - are very reasonable. Imported products, like coffee and cereal, cost more but I don't think they are too far out of line with what might be paid for similar products in the states.

So I'll let you compare for yourself - how do Saudi grocery prices stack up against prices in your part of the world? I've taken samples from several grocery stores, from mega stores to smaller ones, and a few samples from the outdoor fruit and vegetable market.

For comparison, $1 US equals 3.75 Saudi Riyals (SR), and 1 KG equals 2.2 LB. 

BEEF KNUCKLE: 1 KG costs 39.90 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $10.64 US. So in this photo, we have 2.07 KG costing 70.17 SR, which translates to 4.8 LB costing $18.71 US.

GROUND BEEF: 1 KG costs 17.95 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $4.78 US.

CUBED BEEF: 1 KG costs 19.95 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $5.32 US.

CHICKEN: One whole, uncooked, costs 5 - 7 SR, which equals $1.33 - $1.86 US.

FRESH PARROT FISH: 1 KG costs 16.95 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $4.52 US.

TILAPIA: 1 KG cost 12.95 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $3.45 US.

SEAFOOD COCKTAIL: Ready to cook seafood mix of shrimp, crab, calamari, etc., plus some veggies, 1 KG costs 30 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $8 US.

TOMATOES: 8 medium, weighing .725 KG, costs 4.31 SR, which equals 1.6 LB at $1.15 US. (1 KG costs 5.95 SR which equals 2.2 LB for $1.58 US.)


HOT PEPPERS: 1 KG costs 6.25 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $1.66 US.


LONG HOT PEPPERS: 1 KG cost 8.50 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $2.26.

CHERRY TOMATOES: One carton costs 4 SR, which equals $1.06 US.

BELL PEPPERS: 1 KG costs 13.95 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $3.72 US.


GERMAN STYLE BREAD: One Round Loaf about 8 inches across costs 3.95 SR, which equals $1.05 US.

6 INCH SUB SANDWICH BREAD: Package of 6 costs .75 SR, which equals $.20 US.

SESAME BREAD: One Loaf, about 8 inches across costs 1 SR, which equals $.26 US.

REGULAR SLICED BREAD: One Loaf costs 1.5 SR, which equals $.40 US.

DATE BREAD: Individual serving (size of a Large Croissant), with date filling and topped with sesame seeds costs 1 SR, which equals $.26 US.

FLOUR TORTILLAS: Package of 12, medium size, costs 1.95 SR, which equals $.52 US.

DATES: Stuffed with Almonds and topped with Sesame Seeds, approximately 60 count, weighing .558 KG, costs 19.50 SR, which equals 1.22 LB costing $5.20 US.

POTATOES: 1 KG costs 4.75 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $1.26 US.

GREEN ONIONS: 1 Large Bunch costs 1 SR, which equals $.26 US.

PEARS: Box of 20 costs 12 SR, which equals $3.20 US.

APPLES: 1 KG costs 4.50 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $1.20 US.

GRAPEFRUIT: 1 KG costs 4.95 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $1.32 US.

LEMONS: 1 KG costs 6.95 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $1.85 US.

TANGERINES: One Crate costs 10 SR, which equals $2.66 US.

INSTANT COFFEE: Store brand, medium size, costs 15.95 SR, which equals $4.25 US.

RADISHES: 2 Large Bunches costs 2 SR, which equals $.53 US.

ONIONS: 1 KG costs 2 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $.53 US.

BROCCOLI: 1 KG costs 6.25 SR, which equals 2.2 LB costing $1.66 US.

DILL, CILANTRO, ETC: Huge Bunch for 1 SR, which equals $.26 US.

EGGS: CARTON OF 30 large costs 14 SR, which equals $3.73 US.

WHOLE MILK: 2 Liter Bottle costs 7 SR, which equals $1.86 US.

BUTTER: Single Stick costs 3 SR ($.80 US); Double Stick costs 5 SR, which equals $1.33 US.

YOGURT: 1 with Fruit costs 1 SR, which equals $.26 US.

KRAFT SINGLES CHEESE: Package of 24 slices costs 14.95 SR, which equals $3.98 US.

GARLIC: Bag of 19 Garlic Heads costs 3 SR, which equals $.80 US.

MACARONI: Package weighing 500 G costs 3.95 SR, which equals 1.1 LB costing $1.05 US.

BANANAS: Large bunch of 8 costs 2 SR, which equals $.53 US.

FRESH FIGS: Box of 25 costs 10 SR, which equals $2.66 US.

TUNA FISH: Small Can, average price is 4 SR, which equals $1.06 US.

CEREAL, Small Box costs 13.50 SR ($3.60 US), Large 32.50 SR ($8.66 US).

DREAM WHIP: Package with 2 packets costs 4.25 SR, which equals $1.13 US.

BETTY CROCKER CREME CARAMEL MIX: One Box costs 2.50 SR, which equals $.66 US.


OFF BRAND CREME CARAMEL MIX: One Box costs 1.50 SR, which equals $.40 US.


VANILLA: 15 G powder packet costs 2.95 SR, which equals $.78 US.

BAKERY CAKE, MEDIUM: costs 29.95 SR, which equals $7.98 US.

BAKERY CAKE, LARGE: costs 39.95 SR, which equals $10.65 US.

BAKERY CAKE, LARGE: Gateau with Fruit Topping costs 44.95 SR, which equals $11.98 US.


PASTRIES: Fancy single serving costs 1.95 SR, which equals $.52 US.

9 LIVES CAT FOOD: 6 small cans costs 13.95 SR, which equals $3.72 US.

TROPICAL FISH FOOD: Large costs 24.95 SR, which equals $6.65 US.

GOLDFISH FOOD: Small costs 12.95, Large costs 21.95 SR, which equals $3.45 - 5.85 US.

REPTILE FOOD: 29.95 SR, which equals $7.98 US.

HARTZ SHAMPOO FOR CATS: costs 29.95 SR, which equals $7.98 US.

The Price is Right!

Most things, in general, are cheaper here in Arabia. Gas, of course, is a lot cheaper. Adnan fills up his SUV for about $8-10. But not only that, an attendant pumps the gas for you and you get a free box of tissues with every purchase! In fact, we got 3 boxes of tissues with today’s fill-up! One of our kitchen cabinets is full of boxes of tissues. Adnan’s mom bought him a Toyota SUV for about $25,000 - an enticement she dangled in front of his nose to persuade him to move back home. I would guesstimate that a comparable vehicle in the States would run between $30,00-35,000 plus taxes. He recently took it in for service to the Toyota dealership and it cost $20 US for complete servicing, and it included a car wash.

One big reason why things are cheaper here is because THERE ARE NO TAXES! So think about it: vendors and businesses do not have to pay income taxes, sales taxes, city state or US taxes, occupancy taxes, licensing taxes, or any other kinds of taxes that US businesses are hit with, which in turn must be passed on to the consumers. Smaller businesses here have a much better chance of surviving because they don’t have to fork over so much to all the government agencies nickel and diming them to death like in America.

Food – whether buying groceries or eating in a restaurant - is also cheaper here. One night we went to a burger place and the three of us ate (burgers, fries, onion rings and drinks) for about $8. We’ve gotten into the habit of trying to get Dominos Pizza the first Monday of each month because they have a 2-for-1 special, plus you get a free TV movie guide. (So far I haven’t been able to find any TV programming guides, so this helps.) We get 2 large pizzas with whatever toppings we want plus 2 liters of soda, plus the movie guide for about $10-$12. By the way, the Dominos Pizza here is fabulous - I never cared much for Dominos back in the States. The pepperoni and sausage are not made of pork, of course, but whatever meat they use for it, it’s delicious and they are not at all stingy with it.

Fresh produce is incredibly cheap here when you buy it from the outdoor markets instead of a supermarket. For example, at one huge outdoor vegetable market, we got two crates full of big beautiful tomatoes, with about 24 tomatoes in each crate, for 5 riyals, which is about $1.25! Bread is about 75 cents for 2 loaves. We often share groceries with Adnan's mom - she has us over for meals several times a week and she always has tons of food. She even makes her own potato chips and cheese! She also makes a lot of things I have never had before. Adnan is a better cook than she is, but her food is good, most of the time anyway. Food seems to taste better here too. Now this could have something to with that maybe it has more fat and may not be as health conscious. Or maybe because it is fresher and not processed.

Clothing and shoes can be just as expensive as the states if you shop in the more expensive stores. But you can get really great quality clothing for a fraction of the cost if you go to the right places to shop. I have gotten some long traditional dresses made out of really nice fabrics, beautifully embroidered and embellished with beads and sequins for about $8 each. And that’s the regular price, not a sale price. We bought Adam some nice school pants and polo shirts for about $8-10 each as well, which is about half the cost of his uniforms back in Florida.

Electronics – cameras, TVs, DVD players, etc. – cost about the same as the states, if not slightly higher. But they do have sales, and we purchased a PS2 for about half the price of what it is in the states. DVDs and CDs are ridiculously cheap here – and this is because they are pirated copies, I imagine. They are at least 1/10 to 1/20 of the cost in the US. You can also purchase one single DVD with a half dozen Julia Roberts films on it, or all the Harry Potter movies, or a collection of action movies and the like, for about $1-$2 per DVD. You do have to be careful though when purchasing movies that have just come out in the movie theaters and are not yet out on DVD – the quality can be really poor.

One thing that is interesting here is that areas or streets have mainly one kind of business. Like if you want to repair your car, you go to, say, Al-Hera’a Road and there are dozens of car repair places right next door to each other to choose from. If you want electronics, you go down to another street. For household items, go down to the Al-Hindawiyah section, or if you need computers or electronics, just go down to this particular area or street. For fresh produce, there is this huge open air vegetable and fruit market with hundreds of vendors that everybody goes to, and the prices are amazingly cheap. You can also go to supermarkets similar to Safeway, but you end up paying twice as much for fresh produce. For some things, there is just one section in the whole city, which makes it pretty inconvenient if you live far away. But for other things, there are several areas you can go to in the city, so it is much more practical. It does make it easier, I guess, when you are comparison shopping. Like when we were shopping for furniture, we just parked the car and went from one shop to another in the same area. There are a few 1-stop shopping stores here now, similar to Super Target or Super Walmart, which are becoming popular. Pharmacies aren’t like Walgreens or CVS, which now carry many other items outside the realm of “drug stores.” If it doesn’t pertain to health, chances are you can’t get it there. At the same time, the only stores that carry aspirin or ace bandages are the pharmacies, so you still may have to go to several different specialty stores just to get your shopping done.

One evening, we went out looking for an optical shop to fix Adnan’s broken glasses. He had set them down on the front passenger’s seat of the car, and OOOOPs! I accidentally sat on them and broke the frames. These glasses were at least thirteen years old, big square shaped tortoise shell horned rim glasses. I broke off one of the arms by breaking the hinge. We spotted a small optical shop, so Adnan parked the car and dashed inside, while Adam and I waited in the car. Less than half an hour later, Adnan returned to the car wearing a brand new pair of glasses! The guy at the shop said that they didn’t replace the hinges on glasses but that he could take out the old lenses, cut them to size and put them in brand new frames. Now Adnan is not a fashion conscious guy at all, but I must say, he selected a really cool stylish metal frame that looks great on him. The frame is incredibly flexible – he can just about tie the new glasses in a knot! Adnan paid 150 Saudi Riyals for the new glasses – about $56 US! And the really amazing part for me is that he walked in off the street and walked out of the shop with the new pair of glasses in less than half an hour. Could this scenario EVER happen in America? I think not!

Most of the utilities are also less expensive here. Our electric bill for a whole month runs about $25-30 US per month. And that is with running the AC all day and night. Of course, each room here has its own individual AC unit, so the AC only runs in the rooms that we are using. In Florida our electric bill would run over $200 a month during the warmer months when we ran the AC and about $60 the rest of the year. Here you don't really get monthly bills in the mail. Since there aren't really street addresses per se, mailing out monthly bills isn’t an option. If you want to receive mail, you have to get a P O Box. The phone bill and the electric bill are actually sent to Adnan as text messages through his cell phone. I would have to say our phone bill charges are comparable to what we paid in the US, including international long distance. The hi-speed internet is handled like a prepaid phone card. You purchase the card and then you have hi-speed for the next month, or 3 months if that's how much you purchase, etc. The cost is roughly the same as the US. It's a tad inconvenient, especially when the time limit expires on you, but I guess people here are used to it that way. I don’t believe we have any more monthly expenses than those.

Tata has a full-time live in maid from Indonesia and her monthly salary is 600 Riyals, which is about $225 US. She gets her tiny quarters plus all her meals, but she works every day from early morning until night without ever having any days off. She was hired on a two year contract, which can be renewed. One of my sisters-in-law has two maids. One gets the same salary as Tata’s maid, and the other gets 800 Riyals ($300 US). Domestic help here is very cheap and is always performed by foreigners from poor countries, as well as hard labor and most service jobs.

Of course you can go to the big fancy malls and fancy restaurants and spend as much money as you want, as you can do anywhere, but so far my impression is that overall the cost of living here in Arabia is much cheaper than in the States.