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.

Under the Sea Restaurant

I recently had the pleasure of enjoying dinner at the Under the Sea Restaurant in Jeddah.

I was part of a group of about 25 ex-pat wives and we were treated to a special buffet dinner which is available for groups only.

The Under the Sea Restaurant is aptly named. It is located on the Corniche which runs along the Red Sea and is in the below ground level of a commerical center.

Stairs in the main lobby lead down to the delightful and cozy family restaurant below.

Inside, there are 18 huge aquariums - some are fresh water and some are salt water - which are home to a large variety of colorful fish, an enormous sea turtle, and a moray eel.

In addition, another walk-over aquarium waterway runs underneath the glass floor which contains even more fish visible through the glass below.

All in all, the restaurant is home to about 500 live fish in all their aquariums.

Blue lighting intensifies the feeling of being under water.

The buffet spread was not only visually beautiful, but it tasted great as well.

There was a terrific salad bar with a variety of fresh produce, as well as gorgeous platters of hummus, stuffed grape leaves, and babaganoush.

Plenty of deliciously prepared fish and shrimp entrees and steamed crab were included in the buffet plus some Italian pasta dishes and rice.

And the stuffed crab on a shell was absolutely divine.

 
Special group buffets must be reserved three days in advance. Groups can range in size from 20 up to 50 people and are priced accordingly.

Here are the prices for the full buffet spread for groups: SR1800 for 20 people. SR2400 for 30 people. SR3000 for 40 people. SR3600 for 50 people.

This averages out to about SR72 - SR90 per person, which converts to about $18 - 22 US per person.

Not bad for a full all-you-can-eat seafood buffet!

Under the Sea offers a regular daytime menu from 9am - 4pm from which you can choose mostly lighter fare such as snacks, sandwiches, fresh juices and coffees.

From 4pm - 2am, the restaurant has a dinner menu and cafe service with selections ranging in price from SR20 - SR50.

A specialty of the restaurant is their tasty Cream of Seafood Soup, and another favorite is their seafood platter which is loaded with two types of shrimp, fish, calamari, rice and french fries.

Sheesha or Hookah water pipes are also available in a variety of flavors to enjoy after your meal.

Under the Sea has been in business in the Jeddah Commercial Center in the Al Hamra District right on the Corniche Road in Jeddah for nine years.

Owned and operated by Mr. Saleh Al-Samaan and his wife Sara, Under the Sea offers great tasting seafood for a great value.

If you are in Jeddah, try them out for a unique dining experience - you won't be disappointed.

For more great information on local Jeddah restaurants, w onderful resource is JeddahFood.com.

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.