More cheap food
June 4, 2009
Time to play the Price is Right! Come on down!
The six tomatoes above cost 4.10 AED total ($1.12, that’s $0.19 per tomato). The garlic cost 2.50 AED ($0.68). The asparagus was the expensive part of dinner at 7.95 AED ($2.17). That was last night’s dinner at home.
This is the complimentary veggie appetizer that one gets at most Syrian restaurants. Lettuce, rocket leaves, lemons, cucumber, tomato, radish, carrots, bell peppers, chili peppers, olives, and pickles. It took us a while to learn to order less than we thought we wanted, especially the first time at a restaurant, because you often get complimentary things you didn’t order. Local Arabic restaurant entrees are often meat and rice, period. We prefer Syrian restaurants because you get veggies like this, which makes it easier on the digestive system, plus they taste great.
The last time we ate at this restaurant it was a rather unpleasant experience. I ordered grilled shrimp, not knowing that they would come with their heads and feet still on. I have a very hard time dealing with this. It creeps me out. Also, the shrimp kinda smelled like poo. We were sitting outside and a horde of persistent flies wanted my shrimp. Needless to say we sat inside this time and I did not order the shrimp. Why did we go back at all, you ask? Because everything other than the shrimp was good and they can’t be blamed for flies outdoors.
Living the Travel Channel 
If dinner was tomatoes, garlic & asparagus, have you become vegetarians? It is easier to each more cheaply without the filet mignon. Clearly there are either farms in the Middle East we don’t hear about, or they subsidize imported food.
I keep hearing that all the best flavor of shrimp is in the head. Sorry, but I just can’t eat it. No matter how tasty it might be.