Lynette of Arabia

Last month, I got to travel to Saudi Arabia for 3 days as part of a school trip organized by the MIT Energy Club - exciting! It's my first time in the Middle East, and it's great to travel as a guest of Saudi Aramco, the national oil company. We were very well fed every day. Usually before meetings, they'd serve us small portions of bitter coffee with cardamom and sweet dates. At lunch or dinner, we'd have salads, samosas, hummus and blended eggplant with flat bread for appetizers. Saudi champagne is usually served, which is carbonated apple juice since alcohol is prohibited in the country. Entrees are rice and curries with lamb or fish. One Arabian night, they flew us out to an oil field in the middle of the Empty Quarter desert to catch the sunset on the sand dunes. After playing in the sand, we sat down for a meal outdoors on low tables on carpets (see pic). A giant plate dominates the center of the table, piled with rice and huge slabs of lamb that was clearly impossible to finish. We did our best and ate with our right hands, grabbing the meat off the bones. What a treat.