One thing we’ve noticed culinarily speaking about living in here on the Arabian Peninsula has been the distinct lack of ethnic food. Sure, there are oodles of Indian restaurants and the grocery store is filled with curry spices, masala mixes and basmati rice…but India is like…right there. But say, Mexican food? You’re pretty much stuck with chains like Chili’s and Baja Fresh. And those can be okay in a pinch.
The bigger groceries have a little “ethnic” food section that can provide some serious shopping amusement. Really, Weight Watcher’s prepackaged snacks are stocked between the tortilla chips and sugar free jams. I’m sure it’s akin to what say, a Chinese expatriate, might experience when they explore that tiny, two shelves of a an aisle in the very back of a Super Wal-Mart. You know, where they keep the egg noodles, cans of water chestnuts and three varieties of soy sauce tucked conveniently next to the tortillas, hot sauce and canned beans (because logically these items are so similar they should be found next to each other like peanut butter and jelly) underneath a tiny sign ambiguously labeled “ethnic” food?
