As summer continues and outdoor adventures continue to cease to exist, I'm realizing that I'm running short on topics to post about beyond food. Food at restaurants or food I cook at home. Let's face it, all eating happens inside where there's air conditioning. Because inside in air conditioning is important when the average temperature ranges from 31-40C (88-104F), feels more like 43-54C (110-130F) depending upon the source used, and high humidity. If you want a humorous take on the weather, check out the wtforecast app. Along with the typical weather information, the app shares a funny report such as, "It's hotter than Satan's mistress outside." or "If you go outside, you will feel like the Nazis at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark." (Thanks Tori for that FB share.) You can set the profanity level to "off", "some", or "on." You don't get any fun reports if it is turned off.
Back to food... there is a burger place near us in MQ called Burger Garage. It is a quirky place with delicious food. There is also a location in Bausher near Dolphin Village and one out in Seeb.
Throwback Thursday: The Snerly Cake
You know those family stories that you like to tell and retell? This is one of those stories for our family. And since my mom's birthday was on Monday, this particular story came to mind.
One of our family traditions is to have cookie cake birthday cakes. Growing up, we would always order from Great American Cookie. They are so good! I make my own now, but that's just because
One of our family traditions is to have cookie cake birthday cakes. Growing up, we would always order from Great American Cookie. They are so good! I make my own now, but that's just because
- The closest Great American Cookie when we lived in Duncan was all the way in Lawton, and I didn't always have time to make that drive.
- The cookie cakes from Walmart weren't great because they were way too sweet.
- There are certainly no GAC stores here in Oman.
- I do make at least my own birthday cake healthier.
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| My most recent birthday cake. I could use some decorating tips from GAC. |
Throwback Thursday: Braided Hair
This past Sunday was Father's Day. I sent my dad a text, posted a picture on Facebook, and celebrated with Stephen and our boys. But I started reminiscing about a favorite story about my dad. It's a long story. And since I can't find the pictures I'm looking for to go along with this story, enjoy these other pictures of my dad and me.
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| Matching flip flops the summer before I start at Georgia Tech. |
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| Graduating from Georgia Tech where I followed in my dad's footsteps and studied Mechanical Engineering. |
Quesadilla Burger
When we lived in Duncan, we had a plethora of fast food options. But when it came to sit down restaurants, they were mostly local options. That's not a bad thing, many of them were very good. It was exciting when Applebee's came to town. Applebee's had their own problems including a terrible manager, untrustworthy wait staff, and slow service at times. But they served a Quesadilla Burger that became my regular order. I've recreated it here in Oman in both a regular and low carb version.
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| Low Carb version of the Quesadilla Burger |
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| Regular version of the Quesadilla Burger |
Foodie Friday: Five Guys
I might have said recently that I like Mooyah Burger and Fries better than Five Guys, but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy Five Guys. It is still a top 2 or 3 dinner choice for our family.
The experience here is very similar to a Five Guys back home. You order your base burger (we order the little because the regular is huge) and choose your toppings. There is, however, no bacon burger or bacon cheeseburger option here. They also have the sign that advertises where their potatoes came from, but here they tend to be from the Netherlands rather than Idaho. They cook with peanut oil which isn't common here. They still have their peanuts in shells you can munch on while you wait for your food. We still get unlimited refills. I just love American restaurants here and my free refills!
The experience here is very similar to a Five Guys back home. You order your base burger (we order the little because the regular is huge) and choose your toppings. There is, however, no bacon burger or bacon cheeseburger option here. They also have the sign that advertises where their potatoes came from, but here they tend to be from the Netherlands rather than Idaho. They cook with peanut oil which isn't common here. They still have their peanuts in shells you can munch on while you wait for your food. We still get unlimited refills. I just love American restaurants here and my free refills!
My First Ramadan 2.0
I knew I would forget things. I said I would forget things. Here are some bullet points of what I forgot about Ramadan in Oman.
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| The Experience Oman sign in the Wave |
Running in Pants
Out of respect for Middle Eastern culture, I have ceased running outside in my shorts. That means that even when it is 99 yet feels like 106 during an evening run, I'm still running in my pants. I'm very thankful that a few years ago I started accumulating a bunch of thin, fun workout pants.
It all started when I couldn't bear the thought of putting on shorts in the winter even though I knew my workout would be in a gym. I just didn't want to get that cold rush ever when taking off my outer layer. So I took my winnings from playing DietBets and bought some pants on eBay. I bought from eBay because all my winnings were deposited into a PayPal account. Amazon doesn't take PayPal, so eBay was the next best option. I could also find similar options at similar prices with free or nearly free shipping.
It all started when I couldn't bear the thought of putting on shorts in the winter even though I knew my workout would be in a gym. I just didn't want to get that cold rush ever when taking off my outer layer. So I took my winnings from playing DietBets and bought some pants on eBay. I bought from eBay because all my winnings were deposited into a PayPal account. Amazon doesn't take PayPal, so eBay was the next best option. I could also find similar options at similar prices with free or nearly free shipping.
Foodie Friday: Amigos
In and near Seeb (which is near the airport here), there are 2 new malls. One is Mall of Muscat which has created quite a bit of buzz as it has the largest aquarium in the Middle East. I'm hoping to go soon, so I will update everyone on how the trip goes. The other mall is the Al Araimi Boulevard Mall.
This mall is large with lots of opportunity. But it is still new, so it is mostly opportunities. There is a Carrefour, restaurants, a food court, and a few small shops. Not a lot of shops yet, but there are plenty that are legitimately under construction.
This mall is large with lots of opportunity. But it is still new, so it is mostly opportunities. There is a Carrefour, restaurants, a food court, and a few small shops. Not a lot of shops yet, but there are plenty that are legitimately under construction.
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| The logo for Amigos |
My First Ramadan
In a discussion with some friends, we discussed how back in the States, we had no notion of when Ramadan was happening. You might see it on a calendar which really just meant you had a vague idea of when it started. We had no idea how long it lasted. We had no idea what it meant. My first Ramadan in the Middle East has been quite an eye opening experience.
Let's start with the logistics. The Islamic Calendar is a lunar calendar. This means that the month of Ramadan lasts 29 or 30 days (a lunar month is 29 1/2 days). It moves approximately 11 days forward each year. This means that while it is mostly in May this year, next year it will start in April. It also begins when the local moon watchers see the required first crescent of a new moon in the sky. It was not seen here on the evening of May 5th like it was in the UAE, so we started a day later. It's quite honestly a little insane since the phases of the moon can and are tracked.
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| Ramadan Mubarak: The way to wish your Muslim friends a happy Ramadan. |
Dinner at Golden Tulip Seeb
Back on Mother's Day in the Middle East (March 21st this year), I won a Mother's Day dinner for my family at the Golden Tulip hotel in Seeb. Unfortunately, Stephen was out of town, J was battling lots of allergy problems, and the boys and I were just generally done by the end of the week. It also took a little while to get the details on the dinner. When I finally did, I was offered that I could come to the Golden Tulip for their special Mother's Day buffet or I could come any time before the end of April. Hallelujah!
We ended up going over our Easter Break. When I reached out to make the reservation, I was told that the day we chose wasn't the best because they were just offering a "light buffet" that night. Tuesday night would be good for their seafood buffet. Or Sunday night would be a special Easter buffet. However, our schedule just didn't allow for Sunday or Tuesday mostly because Stephen was taking an Arabic class at the time. So I had to insist on the Friday night that we had available as lovely as the other options sounded. The man I was talking with (maybe the manager?) offered the buffet with maybe a dish or two extra. I told him that the buffet was really fine with us. So I made the reservation, and we headed out later that night.
We ended up going over our Easter Break. When I reached out to make the reservation, I was told that the day we chose wasn't the best because they were just offering a "light buffet" that night. Tuesday night would be good for their seafood buffet. Or Sunday night would be a special Easter buffet. However, our schedule just didn't allow for Sunday or Tuesday mostly because Stephen was taking an Arabic class at the time. So I had to insist on the Friday night that we had available as lovely as the other options sounded. The man I was talking with (maybe the manager?) offered the buffet with maybe a dish or two extra. I told him that the buffet was really fine with us. So I made the reservation, and we headed out later that night.
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