Check out my friend Lissa's blog from her current residence in Doha, "An Oryx in Qatar": http://alittleoryx.blogspot.com. She chronicles her many new cultural (and food!) experiences, describing everything from the classic Arabic food with meats, pita and hummus, and traditional Kuwaiti desserts, to the cross-cultural fushion of different cuisines coming from around the world to the Middle East.
In Doha one finds that many of the international restaurants are located in the luxury hotels that stud the city, and the economic boom that follows the financial surge of the more well-known Dubai has spawned a thriving metropolis. In addition to the supurfluence of regional cuisines such as Lebanese, Iranian ("Persian") and Pakistani, it goes far beyond - American chains such as Applebees, even TexMex. One can find sushi in Qatar, if desired.
Yet as with every instance of cultural dissemination, and food is perhaps the best example of all, one sees how an interpretation of what a dish should be can result in something quite different - therein lies the fun. Ice cream with the consistency of gummy candy, hot chocolate that resembles pudding, tacos served in wanton wrappers ... seeming absurdities galore. For me this almost anthropological study of food is what I relish, the opportunity to discover how ordinary (to us) western foods are transformed into new hybrids in other places in the world. Hybrids you can eat.
So follow the Oryx in her travels and adventures with food throughout the Middle East ...
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