Compared to last week this one has been a fairly quite affair:-
Wednesday 10 April
During the day I actually did some technician work!!!! Went to the College of the North Atlantic-Qatar and helped set-up some scenarios that will be used next weekend for a research project. I volunteered to work on the Saturday as two of my colleagues are going to Bahrain for the Grand Prix - as you do. It will be the first Saturday I've worked for five years.
In the evening we went to the home of one of Cath's Egyptian work colleagues for a family meal. It was lovely and certainly different from the slightly 'westernised' food we've had to date. Although all the ingredients were very familiar they were served in totally differing ways than they would be in the UK. For the main meal we had cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and herbs, boiled and fried chicken, a saffron rice cake, a spinach and garlic sauce/soup, and a savoury rice pudding with fried onions and garlic. Then for the desert we had an Egyptian version of bread-and-butter pudding made with strips of cooked puff pastry. A very nice meal with lovely people. We are intending to invite them over next week for a typical British meal; I hope they like Chicken Tikka and Kulfi.
Thursday 11 April
Another evening of Egyptian food, this time at a restaurant called Khan Farouk Cafe in Katara, with an American work colleague, Delia, and her husband, Rob. Again it was excellent experience. We shared several starters - the tahini and fresh made bread (not unlike a crumpet) being the highlight, but the falafal and Egyptian pickles were also very good. For the main meal Cath had an Egyptian moussaka (nothing like the Greek version) and I went off-piste and had 'Meat with Freek' which turned out to be chicken with green wheat and very tasty. Whilst there we also took in a cultural exchange event that showcased the life and culture of many African countries.
Friday 12 April
Caught up on washing, cleaning and generally lounging about the apartment. Did manage to do an hour at the gym followed by a swim. Hard work I know but someone has to do it.
Saturday 13 April
Another early gym session, then up to a local bakery, Battell, to collect the food I'd ordered for a fishing trip with ten other colleagues later in the afternoon. Only ordered simple finger food - small pasties, vegetable samosas, doughnuts - but it was ready-and-waiting for me on platters which was a bit OTT but seems par for the course here. Anyway, as it turned, all the food was for nought as for, almost as soon as I returned to the apaprtment, I got a call from the fishing trip company to say that due to high winds the trip was cancelled. Damn! They did offer us another weekend but the temperature is really rising (C40+ on our shaded thermometer) and it might not be possible until October. Some I'm now writing this as an excuse to do something rather than sitting around with a face like a smacked a**e. As a treat I might take Cath out this evening to a very nice looking Arabic restaurant called Nobles that I spotted when collecting the food earlier. Will report on it if we do. Does that constitute research for the blog and therefore justify us going there? Who knows or cares?
Boyd
Wednesday 10 April
During the day I actually did some technician work!!!! Went to the College of the North Atlantic-Qatar and helped set-up some scenarios that will be used next weekend for a research project. I volunteered to work on the Saturday as two of my colleagues are going to Bahrain for the Grand Prix - as you do. It will be the first Saturday I've worked for five years.
In the evening we went to the home of one of Cath's Egyptian work colleagues for a family meal. It was lovely and certainly different from the slightly 'westernised' food we've had to date. Although all the ingredients were very familiar they were served in totally differing ways than they would be in the UK. For the main meal we had cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and herbs, boiled and fried chicken, a saffron rice cake, a spinach and garlic sauce/soup, and a savoury rice pudding with fried onions and garlic. Then for the desert we had an Egyptian version of bread-and-butter pudding made with strips of cooked puff pastry. A very nice meal with lovely people. We are intending to invite them over next week for a typical British meal; I hope they like Chicken Tikka and Kulfi.
Thursday 11 April
Another evening of Egyptian food, this time at a restaurant called Khan Farouk Cafe in Katara, with an American work colleague, Delia, and her husband, Rob. Again it was excellent experience. We shared several starters - the tahini and fresh made bread (not unlike a crumpet) being the highlight, but the falafal and Egyptian pickles were also very good. For the main meal Cath had an Egyptian moussaka (nothing like the Greek version) and I went off-piste and had 'Meat with Freek' which turned out to be chicken with green wheat and very tasty. Whilst there we also took in a cultural exchange event that showcased the life and culture of many African countries.
Friday 12 April
Caught up on washing, cleaning and generally lounging about the apartment. Did manage to do an hour at the gym followed by a swim. Hard work I know but someone has to do it.
Saturday 13 April
Another early gym session, then up to a local bakery, Battell, to collect the food I'd ordered for a fishing trip with ten other colleagues later in the afternoon. Only ordered simple finger food - small pasties, vegetable samosas, doughnuts - but it was ready-and-waiting for me on platters which was a bit OTT but seems par for the course here. Anyway, as it turned, all the food was for nought as for, almost as soon as I returned to the apaprtment, I got a call from the fishing trip company to say that due to high winds the trip was cancelled. Damn! They did offer us another weekend but the temperature is really rising (C40+ on our shaded thermometer) and it might not be possible until October. Some I'm now writing this as an excuse to do something rather than sitting around with a face like a smacked a**e. As a treat I might take Cath out this evening to a very nice looking Arabic restaurant called Nobles that I spotted when collecting the food earlier. Will report on it if we do. Does that constitute research for the blog and therefore justify us going there? Who knows or cares?
Boyd
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