Posted by Kanga.
Another trip to the grocery store:
How do you want your choco – bits, flakes, pops, or bumps?
Don’t these fellows look happy to be eaten? Umm, appetizing.
What is wrong with this picture?
November 14, 2011Posted by Kanga.
There are at least two things wrong in the picture below.
The two pork cutlets are the only things undeniably right. They were a good size and delicious. The herb butter was tasty, although I don’t put it on the pork, because I think that’s just over doing it. My only complaint about the asparagus would be that I can eat three times that much because I love asparagus.
The two glaringly wrong things, in case you haven’t deduced them yourself, are the rectangular plate and tiny, tiny baked potato. This meal was served in a pub, a supposedly British pub. That is not a pub plate. That is a foo foo fancy restaurant plate (and a foo foo food presentation as well). As for the potato, I would gladly have traded one of my cutlets for a decent sized potato, or three of those little ones. We are frequently at this restaurant, so I will have to remember this experience when ordering next time. It doesn’t really make sense, because meat is always more expensive than potatoes. It also doesn’t make sense to have such an artsy food presentation in a pub. Pub food should be a hearty plateful for the working man. Of course, being Dubai, this pub is in a hotel, so not exactly working man territory.
Student Sculptures
November 13, 2011Posted by Kanga.
Last week we were in Dubai doing some shopping and errands. We visited Mirdif City Center Mall for the second time, ever. We saw banners indicating that there was a display of student sculptures somewhere in the mall (which is massive). Luckily, we found the sculpture display around the central information desk. The theme includes recycling and UAE symbols.
The Emirates Towers
Arabian Horse
We were particularly impressed with the falcon. The artist(s) even included the hood. Very creative.
If you are in the Mirdif City Centre Mall soon, look for the display. In order to vote, you must present mall store receipts for a minimum of 200 AED to the information desk.
Day at the Park
November 7, 2011Posted by Kanga.
The weather has “cooled” enough that it is pleasant to be outdoors, although it can still be a little sweaty, if there is no breeze.
You never know what you might see at the park.
One source of free entertainment is watching others jet skiing. There are a couple of rental providers. One on which is “Titanic.” I’m not sure they are clear on what happened to the Titanic.
And if you are feeling a little peckish, stop by the “Sponge Bop” concession truck.
Tea, Surf, and Cat
November 5, 2011Posted by Kanga.
We spent a pleasant evening at the Hilton with our friend, Rupert. Where we sat near the beach, drank tea, and listened to the surf. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I had hot chocolate instead of tea.)
If you look very closely at the horizon, you might see the ships and tankers lined up out there.
I dipped my toes in the Gulf of Oman for the first time. The sand here is dark, an almost chocolate brown. (I don’t know if that’s because of the actual composition of the sand or the occasional addition of crude oil.) The sand was soft and the water was cool.
There was even an affectionate kitty who wanted to be petted, until he discovered how good cheese cake tastes. Then his priorities changed. After he figured out cheese cake had run out, he decided that being petted was still good. He came by several times during the course of the evening.
Partying Too Hard?
October 29, 2011Posted by Kanga.
Apparently, these manikins have been partying too hard.
(Wafi Mall, Dubai)
Bananas
October 26, 2011Posted by Kanga.
Not all bananas are 8 inches long and bright yellow.
In fact, you might think these look rather beat up. But, once they are peeled, you can see that they are not nearly as bruised as you might have thought.
They have slightly different flavors. We like the little yellow ones the best. They have a paper thin peel, yet are firm and sweet.
At Your Inconvenience
October 22, 2011Posted by Kanga.
I really miss American residential laws that require that a tenant be given 24 hour notice before the landlord or any repairmen can enter the apartment. We have been having a long string of disruptions as additional duct work, wiring, etc., related to the air conditioning is done. Apparently, it must all be done in separate phases. Add to this the fact that the workmen just show up at the door and expect to come in and make a mess and break your stuff.
[White Love Bird salt shaker became collateral damage of the last repairmen visit. Now Pepper Bird has taken up with Toast salt shaker who was widowed in our emigration. Toaster didn’t make it onto the ark.]
Never mind that today we were planning on going into Dubai to visit friends and I had a long list of errands I wanted to do. We had no way of knowing how long the workers would be doing whatever it is they were doing today. They finally left at 7:30 pm. We should never have answered the door.
Joys of New Construction
October 17, 2011Posted by Kanga.
You might think that moving into a brand new building would have advantages. Living in an apartment that no one else has lived in before sounds attractive. However, when you ask if it is “move in ready” and are told “yes” you may find a difference in definitions of “move in ready.” Our apartment was covered in and permeated by dirt.
There’s also the fact that construction may not really be completed. Two floors of our building had to be completely remodeled to suit the business that will be moving in. Also, the air conditioning throughout the building is being revamped, because it turned out to not be up to the challenge. This resulted in:
The mound of garbage has fluctuated up and down, but has been in our parking garage for weeks. Yesterday, we were shocked to see this:
Getting in and out of our parking space is much easier now that mound isn’t creeping out in to the drive lane.
Navratan Korma
October 16, 2011Posted by Kanga.
In my search for dishes at Indian restaurants that I can eat (i.e. containing no chili pepper) I have discovered navratan korma. It is cooked vegetables in a creamy sauce with cold fruit (sometimes fresh, sometimes canned) on top. I like contrasts in my food, either temperature or texture. That’s one of the reasons I like tacos so much. I don’t usually like to mix my vegetables and fruit, but this is a concept that is growing on me. I can’t always count on being able to eat navratan korma because some restaurants can’t resist putting some chili pepper in, but my loving husband has learned to make it for me at home.
