Items of Nutritional Interest for Homo Sapiens

How about Yemeni food? What’s it like?

(To read about it, read below. To see some photos of food: CLICK HERE! )

Well there are all kinds of things available and they’re cheap: 50cents - $5. There is a fair amount of standard Middle Eastern fare available…lamb stew, grilled lamb, lamb shwarma, grilled chicken, hummus, kufta etc...

and then there's the signature Yemeni dishes:

Saltah: a stew made of ground beef or goat/lamb meat, potatoes, okra, assorted veggies and spices. One noticeable spice is this fenugreek, which is fenugreeky. That is to say it’s a bit freaky and you gotta get used to it. I’m not a big fan, but on the other hand, I’m not ready to ban the substance. Nevertheless, there is something to be said about a bubbling hot pot of saltah laid before you. Let it cool a bit or you’ll scorch your digits.

Marrak: a lamb &/or veggie broth/soup that is served at lunch with meals.

Zoorbiyan: Stewed lamb and potatoes laid on a bed of biryani rice. Simple, classic and nourishing. The rice may have an occasional clove or cardamom or cinnamon, so bewares. If you can get some Kobsah ( a spicy pickled lime sauce) it’s pretty good.

Sahowek: This is a nonchallenging version of salsa, that Yemenis adore. I don’t mind it, but it tastes like they forgot to put chiles in it. Kind of refreshing complement to the main hot dishes. Sometimes they blend in a dryish salty cheese and that's good too.

Fool: That's right fool! Refried Beans Beans Beans, the musical fruit! (though these may not be pintos…sometimes they are white or mauve or taupe or Vandyke brown, but rare to find something pinto-esque)

Fasoolia: The musical fruit mixed with hot peppahs, onions, spices etc. You can ask for eggs to be mixed in to this or fool. Both to be sopped up with a giant tortilla (hobz)

Hobz: Giant oven baked tortilla. NICE.

Broast: Yemeni Fried Chicken. It does the job. Served with a white garlic lime sauce.

Chips: aka Fries. Don’t you just love fried things? They serve em with hot sauce - not ketchup or mayo.

Beverages: Aseer Leem (lemonade) : they like to grind up the rind seed and all in the blender with lotsa sugar. Its good.
Aseer Manga: Mango nectar
Chai: By far the most popular…tea- comes in red (akhmarr) or milk (haleeb). Either brewed or sprinkled with a mix of cardamom and other special secret ingredients. Nice.
Qawha: Yemeni-version coffee. Made with the husk of the bean and maybe some other seeds added giving it a oatmealish quality. Not bad. Not great, but not bad.
Global soft drinks: Canada Dry, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Red Bull. Non-alcoholic beers are somewhat popular too: Becks and Moussy (Apple flavor!).

Those are the standard everydays here in Aden…but occasionally you’ll find something different out there. I like this one place that invented a sandwich called “Megnoona” (which means crazy lady). Basically a panini with tomato, boiled egg and “Vache que rit (Laughing Cow)” cheese.

Of course, since this is the economic capital of Yemen, we do have some international fare available. Lulu Hypermarket offers Indian and Chinese foods to go. There are a couple of Chinese restaurants: Ching Sing in Malla and The Pink Pearl at the Sheraton. There are a couple of Indian restaurants too: The Himalaya (Maala) and Reemi (Crater).
Maala also boasts a Lebanese Bakery: Le Chateau. I like their chocolate croissants and baklava.

Then there’s also Pizza Hut! And a burger facsimile in the mall. :P isn’t life wunderbar!

Okay, I’m not mentioning everything of course, but more or less you get the picture…and if you click on the Picasa link, you’ll get the pictures. I made an album devoted to food here in Yemen. Bon Appetit for your eyes!

Yemeni-style Day Trippin'

I've been visiting different places here and I just uploaded some photos of Jibla on Picasa (click on link to the right to see them). It's a small town with a lot of history. From 1086-1138, Queen Arwa ruled the Sulayhi state. During her reign she moved the capital there and built a palace with 365 rooms- one for every night! Because of her knowledge, wisdom, support of the arts and also for spending the budget on the good of her people, she is still revered today. Her tomb is still in the Mosque of Queen Arwa today.

Jibla is a wonderful town nestled in the mountains near Ibb. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there which included the palace a home and a walk through the market.


It's very nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and retreat for a weekend into the mountains or just to get out of town and see something different. Last weekend, I went to a place further north called Hammam Ali. There are hot spring bath houses there and it felt good to relax there awhile. The mountains are majestic and peaceful. I'll post some pix of that place and other trips soon too...Hudayda, Zabid, Beit al Faqih, Abyan, Zingibar, Ibb, Hammam Damt, Ad-Dala', Dhamar.

Kashidas, Futas, and Abayas!

This is everday male attire in Aden and in many parts of Yemen too. I don the garb from time to time and pass for a yemeni, sans probleme. Its fun to go incognito into the markets. It consists of a "Kashida" which is a big colored scarf used like a turban. They come in all kinds of colors and designs and are worn in all kinds of ways. It comes in handy as protection from the sun, as a handkerchief, or as a seat when tied together as a buttress for squatting comfortably on the ground.There a couple of different male "skirts". This one is called a "Futa" and is popular in the south. Sandals are the normal footgear.

So where do the wallet and keys go?

Under the fold near the waist, there is a special belt with a pouch for carrying money, keys etc. I actually use a fanny pack that I bought for $1 at a thrift store off of SW Military Drive in San Antonio. In general, I find the local dress comfortable and very convenient to wear when I go to the beach. I have my swimsuit on underneath and all I gotta do is take off the Futa et voila! Then I use the Futa as a beach towel. :)

So what do the women wear ?

Well, they wear "Abayas" which is a black frock that covers the whole body and the head and most women also cover their face as this lady does.

non-sequitir: I'm delighted that Joey Crawford is history! Finally, justice!

Muchísimas Gracias al Don Q. y a Sancho Panza

Saludos desde Yemen amigos! Como están todos? Pues sigo aquí esperándoles, pero no creo que vienen. Ja ja ja. Pues si si, que me traigan unas chelitas bien heladitas. :)

Bueno la razon por la cual les escribo hoy, es para explicar algunas cosas aquí que tienen más que ver con el mundo hispanoparlante. Mi experiencia aquí en este pais del medio oriente, ha sido hasta la fecha muy interesante. Claro hay cosas obvias que distinguen el mundo hispano del mundo arabe..pero a la vez hay tantas cosas similar. Tal vez te preguntas, ¿Qué diablos serán esas cosas? Pues acuerda bien la historia de España…desde el año 711 hasta 1170 a.d. la peninsula iberica fue dominada por musulmanes. Por eso aun existen muchos restos de la cultura árabe…por ejemplo, la giralda en Sevilla, el palacio del Alhambra en Granada y pues vocabulario semejante entre el arabe y el castellano. Descubrí, últimamente, que “acequia” es otra palabra en común- suena similar y significa lo mismo en arabe.

Hay que reconocer esto, y muchas veces se nota en los apellidos tipicos de hispanos. Conozco tantos que se apellidan ‘Medina’. Y pues Medina es el nombre de una ciudad sagrada para los musulmanes en Arabia Saudita. Medina también, en muchos pueblos arabes, por ejemplo en Marruecos, significa la parte vieja de la ciudad, donde muchas veces se encuentra un mercado. Otros apellidos que tienen algo que ver con el mundo arabe…Marroquin, Alcazar, etc.

Además de esto, a veces me siento que hay algo en común entre la cultura árabe y la cultura latina. Digo esto pensando en experiencias que he tenido asi caminando o bromeando con la gente en Cairo y México. Puedo decir que cuando camino en un souk (mercado árabe) parece en muchos sentidos a un mercado latino o los tianguis de Chilangolandia. Ademas, a veces me sorprenda como algunas personas yemeníes aquí parecen a parientes o amigos míos latinos. Tal vez te has confundido una vez en tu vida, comenzando una conversación en cristiano (el español) con un árabe. Así me han dicho algunos yemeníes que así les paso cuando estuvieron por un ano allá en el USA. Y yo siempre me paso por arabe, de un tipo u otro.

No lo niego- hay que admitir que hay grandes diferencias. Acuérdense que les había dicho, que extrañaba a la cultura latina. Pues, por suerte hace como 2 semanas conocí a varios cubanos que trabajan aquí como médicos y enfermeras. Como estamos muy lejos de Latinoamérica, pues le da un toque especial al conocer hermanos latinos. Este fin de semana me invitaron a festejar y pues lo pasamos bien chévere! Como buenos cubanos son muy alegres y talentuosos para gozar. Esa noche, lleve mi guitarra y cantamos hasta que ya no sentía mis deditos y ya no podían mas aguantar. Con gusto nos cantamos, y algunos recitaron versos, y nos bromeamos mucho, muriendo de risa. Aqui les mando una foto!

Como ellos son un equipo de cómo 20 y pico, siempre así pasan los fines de semana, pero para mi, ya parecía un siglo que habia ido asi de bohemio y bailarín de chachachá, salsa, merengue etc. Pues, nos seguiremos aqui luchando como Quixotes y Sancho Panzas contra los molinos malditos! hasta las chanclas mis cuates!