owlolive

Everything that matters to me (and maybe you as well)

Archive for the tag “food”

01 Aug 2012
7 Comments

I’ll Have A Caesar Salad… Possibly Poisonous Needles on the Side

Two days ago, I craved some of Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup. So, as many of us do, a friend and I headed on over to Chili’s (the one on the Gulf Road) to have Iftar.

We sat down, we ordered: our food came, we ate it. Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. But as we neared the end of our meal my friend spotted this thing.

It was a needle: an I.V. needle.

Yes, we found a possibly used, possibly poisonous, and definitely unsanitary hospital grade I.V. needle just sitting around at the edge of our table. Disgust does not even begin to express what was going through my mind when I first saw it. After snapping a few incriminating pictures with our iPhones, my friend and I immediately informed the manager who apologized profusely, comped our bill, and promptly took the needle away.

He promised that he would get to the bottom of how the needle got there and how it could’ve been so horribly neglected. He seemed very earnest and extremely apologetic as he repeatedly assured us that he would handle the situation with his superiors somehow. After having a very stern conversation with him I didn’t want to make a scene or to do anything that would lead to someone needlessly losing their job.

So, my friend and I left Chilli’s and, even while thoroughly grossed out, decided we didn’t want to hurt someone’s life over a mistake.

But then the next day I thought: hold on, that was a needle. Placed precariously close to our food.

It could’ve been poisonous; held some highly contagious disease; had we had any toddlers with us they could’ve easily stuffed it in their mouths. The possibilities for a very scary situation were endless.

And God knows how long its been left out there, right under the noses of the Chili’s staff! I mean, we came into the restaurant at Futoor time, which I’m guessing is when the restaurant opens (since, you know, Ramadan), that means that there is a good possibility that this needle which someone might have stuck through thier skin was left out over night without anyone caring enough to notice it or clean it up.

That level of negligence on the part of Chili’s cannot by any means be excused. Hell, if that’s how negligent they are about the part of the restaurant that people can see imagine how negligent they are about the part that they can’t.

What it came down to in the end was simple: I would not want anyone to even possibly be exposed to the same level of unsanitary eating. If I knew of someone who was exposed to this kind of incident, I’d definitely want them to report it for everyone’s sake. It’s not that I want to cause trouble for anyone or that I don’t trust the manager will try and do something about it. It’s just that I think its my responsibility to try and do as much as I personally can.

Now, here’s where I might need your help (yes, you’re the “your,” you!). See, I’ve tried reaching out to a few places that might be able to help and, basically, I haven’t come up with squat. I called 135 (the Ministry of Commerce hotline) only to be answered by a gentleman who, with all due respect, did not seem to take me seriously at all or know his elbow from his knee. He informed me that they would try and look into it but, after my conversation, I’m somewhat doubtful he even put it on record. I tried to find a way to contact the Ministry of Health (cause maybe there was an angle there) and couldn’t even find so much as a working phone number.

So, just to be safe, I’ve now taken to the blog. And to you my faithful, wonderful readers! Yes, I’m invoking the indestructible powers of LE WASTA!

If you or anyone you know can get some serious health inspectors down to Chili’s in order to really get this matter sorted out I urge you to please do so. If you don’t then please pass this post along to as many people as you can, and hopefully it’ll catch the eye of someone who can really do something about this.

Public health and eating sanitation is not a joke and when something as scary as I.V. needles are found it should be our responsibility to make sure they are never found again. Please help if you can.

All my love! (also here are more pictures of the scary I.V. needle, taken with a mediocre iPhone 4 camera)

Posted in Disapproved, Frugal Approval, Kuwait, News, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , , , , ,
20 Jul 2012
6 Comments

Ramadan Mubarak Everyone! Let’s All Get Fat and Happy!

Well, its official: Ramadan is finally upon us, and I am excited. And happily comforted. And getting out the sweat pants.

Look, like many of my fellow Muslims, I absolutely love Ramadan. Its one of those months that puts me at ease and delights me in more ways than one.

And, in Kuwait, Ramadan takes on a special flavor all its own. It’s a month long festival of eating, trashy television, and amusing little social traditions that makes Kuwait the one and only place I’d ever really want to be during this beautiful month.

So, as a special homage to this month that everyone enjoys in one way or another (admit it–you love those deep fried dumpling ball delights), here’s a list of all the things that I personally find endearing, amusing, worthwhile, and just plain awesome about Ramadan and spending it in Kuwait.

  • The Make Up Magic Trick – In the daylight every woman looks plain as a milkmaid but come sun down they ALL transform themselves back into vixens of the night (or the Witches of Eastwick) AT LIGHTENING SPEED. The secret? We keep the lipstick hidden in our boots all army-like.
  • Three words: GRANDMOTHER’S WALNUT ATAYEF. - ‘Nuff said.
  • Flex Them Commercial Muscles, Boys! – Ramadan is to Kuwait what the Superbowl is to the US: It’s a commercial bonanza! Everyone awaits in anticipation the crazy awesome and super creative Ramadan commercials that all the companies put out in celebration of this holy month. My favorites so far? The Wataniya ad, NBK, and Quality-Net’s side splitting Indian rom-com ad.
  • Television “so bad, it’s good.” – Of course, the reason why so many companies try to flex their commercial muscles in Ramadan is because TV watching is pretty much a national sport during this month. Turn on your television at any and all hours of the day and you will inevitably find a drama-packed series, a willowy biopic, or a jazzed up game show awaiting your watching pleasure. Head on over to Couch Avenue and check out Jacqui’s uber amazing Ramadan TV schedule for all the details.
  • That Feeling – You know the one. It’s that feeling of transcendent peace and unity that radiates in your chest whenever everyone sits down together for futoor after anxiously awaiting the sound of the cannons at Nayef Palace. That lingering warmth that fills the room whenever we all gather around for tea and my grandmother comes in with her tray full of assorted delights. The glowing, quiet happiness in standing in the Grand Mosque on Laylit Al-Qadr, hands raised and voice trembling. All of Kuwait is bathed in an aura of goodwill and spiritual comfort I’m not really sure I can put into words. It’s just a feeling I get that I can’t imagine getting anywhere else but Kuwait. It’s the reason why I take special care to spend every Ramadan in Kuwait, surrounded by this elusively wonderful “feeling.”

So, have a wonderful Ramadan everyone! Be sure to eat up, keep the Qur’an (and the remote) in hand, and cherish this beautiful month for everything that’s its worth before it passes you by and leaves you, once again, without my grandmother’s PERFECT atayef (or maybe that’s just me).

All my love! (Photo credit: AP/Kevin Frayer)

Posted in Beautiful, Kuwait, Musings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
25 May 2012
2 Comments

Night Time: Your Diet’s Worst Nemesis (and Stomach’s Best Friend)

So, I’ve finally discovered the culprit behind my recent battle with weight gain: It’s the night.

According to the Eatery iPhone app, which has users from all around the world (over 50 countries) log in the meals they eat throughout the day and rate them on healthiness, everyone around the globe seems to take solace in the dark, cloaked mystery of the night to indulge in the stuff that’s a little more fatty, a little more sweet, and a little less healthy. In fact, as the day progresses, it seems most of us usually go from relatively healthy meals to full-on pig outs.

Massive Health (the company behind the Eatery app) provides this interactive, super-cool map of what people around the world are eating at different hours during the day. While most of the scary, lava red indicators of unhealthy diets are to be found in the US region, I noticed that in the Middle East area there seemed to be a lot more people willing to share their early eating choices (signified by the healthy green clusters) than the ones willing to share their night time meals. That in itself could be an indication as to how much people may not want to reveal the amount of junk they’re stuffing their faces with once the sun sets. Or they could be asleep.

As for me, I can’t deny that, once the night rolls around, my diet does indeed take a considerable dip when it comes to the level of healthiness. And I know quite a bundle of people who share the very same habit as well. Now, I’m not sure if this just a lack of willpower to last an entire day on purely healthy food, or just the fact that the earlier hours present more healthier options than the night time does for most people. I’m sure its a mixture of both.

According to this NPR article, we can’t deduce any certain reasons behind these findings. All we know is that “there is a 1.7 percent overall decrease in healthiness of what’s eaten for every hour of the day that passes after breakfast. That’s as true in Tokyo as it is in San Francisco as it is in São Paulo.”

But, hey, for what it’s worth, at least we can all now bask in the luxury of knowing that we’re not the only ones poking our heads into the refrigerator for a 3 AM ice cream fix. And, I don’t know about any of you, but I find an odd kind of comfort in that knowledge.

All my love!

Posted in Everywhere Else, Food, News and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
02 Apr 2012
3 Comments

My One Day Detox Bonanza: Three Cheers for Cleaner Bowels!

So, two days ago I was chowing down on a very delicious, juicy, and highly fattening burger. Like seriously the size of that burger patty was probably no smaller than 2 inches. More meat! More fat! More deep-fried, cheese-topped, sauce-covered goodness!

And while I’m not usually one of those obnoxious people that gripes and whines about calorie-counting and trans fat and OH THE ANTIOXIDANTS, I like to make sure my body stays relatively healthy from time to time. So I’ll eat whatever I want, whenever I want but only if I feel truly hungry. And, every once in a while, I will opt to do something that my body loves but that I hate.

Last year I went on a 3-week murderous exercise program before I went back to Kuwait for the summer. It was living hell, but I lost the 5 kilos that I wanted so I was a happy camper by the end.

And yesterday I went on a severe body-purging one day detox to rid myself of a big chunk of the the poisonous stuff that I had been happily filling my body up with every time I indulged in a juicy, meaty cheeseburger.

This is how this experience went. I’m going to lay it out in categories: ‘Objective,’ ‘On the Menu,’ and ‘Disclaimer.’ In case anyone wants to actually commit themselves to this experience in their own time.

Objective: So, as I said before, my main goal was to remove as many of the toxins that my body was keeping stored for it’s poisoning pleasure in one day. Which means that, unlike a monthly or a weekly detox, this one day commitment is going to have to be pretty hardcore. So I could only allow myself to consume food and drink that was completely cleansing and nothing else. The goal was that, by the end of the night, my internal organs were so detoxified and cleansed that they would actively begin to purge all the drugs, preservatives, additives, and excess bile that I’ve put into my own body all on their own. So, if you’re interested in achieving these great results in a single day you better strap on a pair and seriously commit.

On the Menu: Well, to put it kind of briefly, eat nothing! Due to the very intensive diet that a one-day detox demands, I was basically limited to a whole lot of liquids. But, hey, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it! To kick off my morning, I enjoyed the super-yummy breakfast of a large cup of warm water flavored with a freshly squeezed lemon. A WHOLE LEMON. Ain’t that a treat? And, given that citrus juice is actually a very powerful bowel-purging agent, it was right on spot too. Now, throughout the day, it’s important to keep one core principle in mind: Water is your friend. Drink it whenever you can, as much as you can. The more water your system consumes the faster your metabolism is going to work to clean those filthy innards of yours. And, for the highlight of the day, I had an apple for lunch to make sure I could survive the rest of the detox without hurting myself and then I chugged down two cups of camomile tea to keep up the anti-oxidant fun! (if you start feeling so hungry you could eat your furniture, I’ve been told a teaspoon of sesame seeds wouldn’t hurt although strictly speaking its not allowed). I then had the pleasure of dining on a nice clear soup of hot water flavored with some fennel which is also very rich in antioxidant agents, so SCORE! Before heading off to bed, it would also be advisable to drink a cup of peppermint tea if you’ve got any lying around–apparently it’s great for aiding in digestion.

Disclaimer: You know the saying: “no pain, no gain!” You can’t expect your entire body to detox in one day and feel like a cake-walk the entire time. You’re going to be feeling the hurt with this one! Hell, if you don’t, odds are you actually did something wrong. Word of advice? Don’t schedule your one-day detox on a day when you’ve got a lot of things to do or need some strong brainpower. Take the day off and chill cause this experience might take it out of you. Also, you should know what to expect: Headaches are for sure going to happen. It’s nothing scary it’s just your brain being a wuss and craving for its usual high dose of the somewhat harmful stimulant that it’s been used to getting everyday: caffeine. And, because your tissues are going to be getting rid of all those nasty noxious substances through your bloodstream, which has to pass through your brain, it might cause some irritation. Obviously you’re going to feel pretty weak and hungry most of the time, but man up, brave soul! Remember: this is actually good and you’re not really dieing. Mid-afternoon, your detoxing skin may erupt in local rashes. And, I haven’t experienced this but some people have reported frequent urination, diarrhea, and gas by the end of the day. I just remember feeling really anti-social by the end of the whole thing, but other than that I fared pretty well.

So there you have it. My one-day detox bonanza! Sure it was painful, it was difficult, and it was slightly insane. But, hey, it was only one day and, in the grand scheme of things, it’s quite the useful thing to do every once in a while. I have to thank my helpful dietician buddy-girl who, even while making it clear that she thought I was a complete loon for doing this, guided me through it and made sure I got the best results possible.

All my love!

Posted in Food, Musings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
29 Mar 2012

Today on the Menu: PLACENTA AND OTHER ICKY STUFF.

Today I made a startling discovery. I found out that placenta–as in the connective tissue between a mother and a fetus and that comes out of a women after she gives birth in an icky, bloody, and disgusting mess–can make for an actual meal. Yeah, as in you can cook it in the oven, season it with salt and pepper, and serve it for dinner.

Or, if you’re squeamish, you can turn it into a pill and start popping those bad boys January Jones style!

Now, barf-factor aside, some people are indeed claiming that eating your own afterbirth is actually a nourishing and “calming” experience. Others, of course, are calling the whole thing out as a pointless fad which actually leads to nowhere. And, really, it’s pretty difficult to actually lay claims on the fact of whether or not this new “eat thyself” trend is actually useful or even necessary.

I mean, sure, almost every mammal on the planet eats their own placenta and I’m sure that, sometime along our own evolutionary curve, we have as well. But, uhm, haven’t we evolved past that evolutionary phase by now? My mom seems to have had me and my siblings without so much as tasting a sliver of her own placenta (Yekh!) and we all turned out okay. Just sayin’.

So is eating your placenta (basically your own innards) such an insane thing to consider? I guess not. Are there other, more evolved and clinically tested alternatives available to those of us who find the whole idea way too stomach-churning to handle (RIGHT HERE)? Of course.

Is there anything wrong, unnatural, or harmful with choosing to go either way? Absolutely not.

Although you might want to think twice about taking maternity advice from celebrities. I mean, sure, January Jones pops placenta pills but Alicia Silverstone feeds her child like a freaking bird.

All my love!

Posted in Everywhere Else, Food, Musings, News, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
27 Mar 2012
3 Comments

Attention Guilty Snackers: Chocolate Makes You Lose Weight and Popcorn is a Vegetable

Well, almost.

According to this study, chocolate can only help you lose weight IF YOU ALSO EXERCISE. And, popcorn? Well, its only as good as the butter-less, unsalted, NON-FUN flavoring of air-popped kernels.

But still, I can totally re-rationalize it somewhere in my head and delude myself into thinking that the big bucket of popcorn I dove into at the movies was enough to fill my vegetable quota for the week. And, hey, how do you know I’m not exercising when I stroll around a mall for 2 hours in heels? This huge chocolate bar is a part of my exercise, weight-loss regimen goddammit!

Of course, I’m joking. Or not. It’s just nice to know that the reality of the matter is that we don’t have to deprive ourselves of all the things that we consider ‘guilty snacks’  in the endless pursuit of a healthy lifestyle (and a really banging bod).

So, yes, exercise and run on that treadmill until your legs start to produce cartoon-like puffs of smoke. But then have a bit of chocolate afterwards. And, you don’t have to eat like a freaking goat if you want to be healthy and filled with vitamins. Pop some popcorn, and maybe just let your sensory memory fill in for the butter and the salt and all the unhealthy, fatty additions.

Because, apparently, chocolate makes you lose weight and popcorn is a vegetable.

All my love!

Posted in Food, Musings and tagged , , , , , , , ,
25 Mar 2012
2 Comments

Introducing the Candwich! The Disaster-Proof Treat of the Future!

Its a can! It’s a sandwich! IT’S A CANDWICH!

Yes, apparently someone thought a peanut butter and jam sandwich packed tightly into a can with an additional “candy surprise inside!” was a good idea.

According to the website that sells these, a Candwich is good to last for A WHOLE YEAR due to the handy “Army formulated recipe.” Now, I don’t know about the rest of you but I am always down for some delicious ARMY CUISINE. Gotta love that heavy coat of chemical preservatives on my “soft and sweet” one-year-old bread! YUM.

Seriously though, while I guess I kind of understand the general idea behind this kind of product, I doubt that it’s even the slightest bit healthy or even filling enough. And with the insane amount of preservatives that I’m guessing it takes to hold PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM together for a year it just does not sound like the best choice for a grab-and-go lunch, you know?

If anyone is going to be eating this stuff it should be in the most extreme and dire of situations and ONLY WHEN THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE TO EAT. This shouldn’t turn into the go-to meal for moms to pack in their kid’s lunchboxes.

Although you know that’s going to be the main market for this weirdly futuristic, Jetsons-inspired snack.

All my love!

Posted in Food, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , , , , ,
25 Feb 2012

Five Reasons Kuwait is the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

In light of the Independence and Liberation Day celebrations happening over in Kuwait, you know I got nostalgic and sentimental because, as I have said time and again, Kuwait is by all means my one true home and, to me, its pretty much irreplaceable.

SO! I thought I would dedicate today’s post to the beautiful lady herself in her silky robes of black, white, red, and green: Kuwait. Here are five things the rest of the world desperately needs, but that no place but Kuwait can really ever give me.

  1. THE SEA – I have never realized how important Kuwait’s sea was to me until I went somewhere with no beachfront whatsoever. There is really nothing like digging your toes into the wet sand, looking out at the water and breathing in the air that the tide naturally brings in from the four corners of this earth. The breaths I take on Kuwait’s beaches fill me with a clarity and a reassurance that I just can’t quite put into words. Throughout the years Kuwait’s sea has been a comfort and a source of wild inspiration on occasion. To me, there is no sight quite like it.
  2. AMAZING FOOD – Now, I have got some really limited options over here in Montreal as far as eating variety goes. So much so that I am willing to go into previously nixed territory for a bit of a change. Now, do they have hamburgers in Montreal? Of course. Is it anything close to a Midnight or a West Coast Slider from Open Flame? Not in this world. I have not met one person yet who has tried an Open Flame burger and has equated its OVERALL AWESOMENESS with  any other burger on this earth. It’s just that mouthwatering, that well done, and that perfect. So, say what you will about Kuwaiti obesity rankings or their constant rotation of eat, shop, and repeat BUT! there is no denying the fact that the Kuwaiti dining experience surpasses so many others in both its variety and its quality. I literally make a list of all the restaurants I MUST VISIT every single time I come back to Kuwait, because sometimes I miss the food in Kuwait more than I miss some people living there.
  3.  STABILITY – Of course, I’m not saying that people are incapable of leading stable lives outside of Kuwait. But what I am saying is that, as someone who values my routine and attaches sentiment to every familiar thing, I can’t ever say I feel truly stable within myself in any other place but Kuwait. I mean, sure, living somewhere different and exploring the world is definitely fun and worthwhile and eye-opening. All great stuff, don’t get me wrong. But, no matter how used I may get to a new place and a new, exciting pace of life, a little part of me remains unsettled and a little homesick for the inner peace I feel every time I return to all the old familiar places, people, and the everyday humdrum of my life in Kuwait.
  4. ARABIC (AND ALL IT ENTAILS)  – As I’ve mentioned before, it’s become something of a horrible habit for me to forget my Arabic and every other piece of my identity that’s attached to it. And, while I am making more of a conscious effort to speak it, write it, and think with it more, I find that task so much easier in Kuwait. There’s something about being surrounded by Arabs at every turn that, after being so far away from them, puts me at ease. Dealing with store vendors in Arabic, hearing strangers converse in Arabic, seeing Arabic street signs, for whatever reason, makes me feel more Arab. That might sound stupid and illogical but, hell, its the truth. When I speak/hear/see Arabic everywhere I go, I know I’m surrounded by the modesty and the hospitality and the regal Arab tradition which Kuwait easily represents in all its glory.
  5. GOD – Now, BEFORE YOU JUMP DOWN MY THROAT, I am not saying anything about the existence of God or that God is somehow more present in Kuwait than elsewhere. I believe that God is an ethereal and eternal being and is to be found in every conceivable place and time. That is my religious belief. What I mean by listing God  is to say that I do not see the great bounty and grace of God more often than when I find myself on Kuwaiti soil. It makes me want to say mashallah and al-hamdulillah everywhere I turn. Kuwait is wealthy in about a hundred different ways. It exceeds material property and economic prosperity. There is wealth to be found spiritually, culturally, aesthetically, and even educationally. I’m not saying that Kuwait is not behind in more than a few things, because it is. BUT! what I am saying is that there is a blessed harmony and growth to it that just keeps on going despite any obstacles or potential dangers it seems to face from time to time. It’s a kind of harmony and security only God can keep, and sometimes I can’t help but be somewhat in awe of it.

So, beautiful Kuwait? All I’ve got to say is I miss you everyday, my dearest home. I pray that you remain the peaceful oasis you always have been to me and the countless other people who owe their security and happiness to you and the God that has bestowed you with the graceful bounty you rightly deserve.

Happy 51st birthday, lovely Kuwait. And may every year to come be as free and beautiful as the last 21 have been. Celebrate like only you can!

All my love!

Posted in Beautiful, Kuwait, Musings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

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