Traditional Arabic Dinner

EMS’ Assistant Director of Support Services is leaving. He is going to work for the Government. In Arab culture, when you get a promotion or move on…you throw a party and people come see you, not vice versa. So, Dr. Faleh had a traditional Arabic dinner at his home for the leaders of EMS and it was quite an experience. Unlike in the states when you show up for dinner and then hang out for a while afterwards, it is the opposite here. You show up a few hours before dinner, chat, smoke, drink tea. Then you eat dinner and leave.

So I showed up and some of the guys I have never seen in thobes (the white outfits) were wearing them and I was basically the most underdressed there. Anyway, you take off your shoes when you go in the house to the reception room. This a huge room with many couches and chairs lining all of the walls. Basically you just go in and talk. You are served Arabic Tea which is a semi-nasty tasting stuff in small cups (like shot glass size). If you don’t twiddle your cup, they will continue to keep filling it up.

At a certain time, the doors to the rest of the house are opened. You are instructed to wash your hands and then head to another room where the food is on a huge platter in the middle of the floor. You are also given water, food, salad, and eating utensils…but no one really uses them. You just reach in and grab. Place some meat and rice in your hand, ball it up and eat it. Eat only with your right hand, as your left is for bathroom use and is considered unclean.
The Arab guys eat and immediately go to the dessert room. The westerners finished the meal and followed. There they had a selection of deserts, cakes, even a chocolate fountain. You get that and also some more Arabic tea.

This is followed by Mint Tea. Once that is done. They bring around an incense burner and you waft it in your face and clothes when they put it in front of you. They go around the room 3 times. About 5- 10 minutes after that…everyone gets up and leaves. It was a very interesting and informative night. That is for sure. Then you get pictures like this:

The reception room. This furniture was all the way around the room. Left to right you have Omar, our new head of Doha Operations; Chaker, who is now the Head of Northern Operations (and he has a awesome new station up north that is a good cleaning and turning on the power, internet, and phones away from moving into). Malcom who is the Assistant Executive Director of Operations, Shaun Assistant Executive Director of Training and Education, and Khalid our Public Relations guy.

Me getting my incense on. I had to plan this just right with the guy next to me, so he could get my picture as they were going around with it. This boy is Dr. Faleh's son, Omar.

Me enjoying the Majaliss style eating on the floor.

A closer version of what the dinner actually looks like.

Then you get pictures like this with Dr. Faleh (the host) on the left, myself, Abdul Rahman who is our Head of Communications, and Dr. Marc who is our Medical Director. Did you ever think you would see me on a couch with 2 guys in thobes?