Fun and Food at Janadriyah

Saudi Arabia is so far been one amazing experience after another, and last weekend’s Janadriyah Festival was not the exception.  I have absolutely no regrets moving here. The people have been very welcoming and the country is one that needs to be lived in to truly appreciate the beauty it has to offer.

Me holding a hawk. So beautiful.

By back to this weekend and why I'm holding a hawk in the photo.

Janadriyah is a yearly event and it’s held in Riyadh. Approximately 30 of us from KAUST got up really early (like 3:30 a.m.) and took the plane to the city for the weekend to see what this festival that commemorates Saudi heritage, culture and history had to offer.

And that is why I'm holding a hawk.  In the past, hawks were caught and trained to hunt for the nomads living in the desert.  He was quite beautiful - and as nervous as I was.

My friend buying this leather bag that you put fat in for cooking.

Our group was given VIP treatment as we were allowed to tour the area a couple of hours before the masses arrived and enjoyed Arabic coffee and mint tea in the executive tent.

I was worried at first as I’m not a coffee drinker, but Arabic coffee doesn’t taste like regular coffee. It’s actually tasty – and I love the dates that come with it. I also learned that it's an insult not to accept the coffee when you come to a friend's home (good thing I like it) -- and it's very traditional to offer it as a welcome.

My friend enjoying some delicious Arabic coffee.

My favorite part of the trip was hearing about things from the perspective of a Saudi.

One of my friends here at the University had never been to Janadriyah, but while she’s very western, she had heard about the traditions from her parents and could explain them to me.

I think I got more out of the festival with her as she put things in context. I know I would have missed out on the spiced tea with condensed milk and I would have no idea what some of the things in the marketplace were for like the black leather bag in the photo above.  She said you store fat in it for cooking. Interesting.

Weird mushy grain stuff that was surprisingly tasty.

There were even some things that she had never experienced, like this strange mushy grain dish with honey on top. It was good and extremely filling, but neither of us knew what it was.

Saudi Arabia. Always full of wonderful surprises – even to those who are from here.

Traditional meal at one of the restaurants.