Youth Talk

IT’S never simple for an expat when he returns home from Bahrain, especially when it comes to filling up the car with fuel.

Forget about the inflated price of petrol which sends shudders down the spine; for one thing, in the UK you have to use the pump yourself and walk over to a mini-supermarket to pay for it, unlike in the kingdom where a helpful attendant is always at hand.

Having spent every one of my winters here in Bahrain, I have never been part of a typical snowy Christmas that many of my family back in the UK experience. But one festive tradition that my family never miss out on is the customary Christmas dinner, consisting of everything from cooked turkey with cranberry sauce to the notorious sprouts.

Sunday lunches are again another aspect of typical British lifestyle that I miss out on. Although my family and I do sit together and enjoy an occasional roast dinner, it never takes place on a traditional Sunday afternoon and living miles away in another country, it can never be shared with my other relatives.

Yet, when I think about the number of different traditional meals I get to be exposed to whilst living abroad, it seems almost silly to be jealous about something as common as a plate of roast beef. Living in an Arabic country, I am constantly exposed to traditional Arabic foods. The date fruit, in particular, is a personal favourite of mine and the delicious grilled meats prove an ever-enjoyable experience.

And on top of all the exotic foods I get to try, living in Bahrain also has the extra perk of having an excellent range of food home delivery services. In the UK, it is customary to pick it up your own food. Yet here in Bahrain, everything is simply a phone call away, whether that’s a simple cheese pizza or a Chinese meal-for-five.