by Natasha Tynes | Jun 26, 2004 | Everyday me!, Food and Drink
 |
I just returned from a brief dinner break where we had an Egyptian feast: Koshari. My Egyptian friend Sarah invited Jeff, Amal and I along with a South Korean friend of hers to her house to enjoy this Egyptian delicacy. Jeff really likes Koshari, a dish primarily made of rice, lentils, small macaroni and onions. He got hooked on it while he was in Jordan where he used to order it with friends from The Star out of a place on Garden Street called "Mr Koshari," which specializes in this delicacy. Sarah was also kind enough to send us back home with more food to have it for lunch tomorrow …yummy!!!
|
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 9, 2004 | Food and Drink, Shutterbug
Last night was fun. We went out with a diverse group of people to The Korean Garden Restaurant here in Doha. The food was just superb. I had my all-time favorite Korean dish: Bulgogi. Going back in time, I was first introduced to the Korean delicacy when we were on our honeymoon in Istanbul. I tried Bulgogi per Jeff’s recommendation and I was hooked!
Besides the exotic food, the unique assortment of people we were with gave a special flavor to our outing. There was Manu from South Africa, Amal and Katia from Lebanon and Julia from Brazil, who is originally Lebanese, having moved to Brazil at the age of 7. We chatted the night away discussing various topics ranging from the large amount of sodium in Doha’s bottled water to the Lebanese community in Brazil, some seven million people!!
Jeff played the role of gourmet last night, recommending dishes and explaining the ingredients to those who were interested. Jeff’s knowledge of Korean food came via his Korean friend, Jun, whom he shared a flat with in DC after a semester with him as a neighbor in the American University dorms.
We came back soon after midnight and watched the 80’s movie The Seventh Sign, starring Demi Moore. The flick was interesting but a bit cheesy, perhaps due to its age and idealism.
by Natasha Tynes | May 27, 2004 | Food and Drink
Just got back from a very nice barbecue with our Jordanian friends Mahmoud and Maria. We really had a good time and the food was excellent. The weather was surprisingly pleasant and we got to sit by the pool, which made the whole evening very enjoyable.
Earlier that day I got a copy of Jordan’s best selling newspaper Al Rai. I couldn’t believe it was being sold here. It was one day old, but I didn’t care, as Im dying to feel closer to home.
As for my friend Mariam, well she couldn’t make it to Qatar as she was not able to get an exit visa in time for her husband’s trip. I was a bit disappointed but I know there will be a next time, as her husband travels to Doha fairly often. Exit permits suck.
by Natasha Tynes | May 4, 2004 | Doha affairs, Everyday me!, Food and Drink
So Sandy is here and life is great. She arrived yesterday afternoon. The minute I saw her face at the airport I knew she just had a fight. What happened was that she got us a bottle of wine from duty free but Qatar customs refused to let her enter the country with the bottle of wine. She didn’t know the rule of no-alcohol-entry in Doha. So what happened came both as a shock and a pisser. She got over it eventually.
From the airport we went directly to Johnny Rockets for a quick lunch then we went back to the house to chill. After that we went to the Corniche, along the sea shore to see a photo exhibition. Then we followed that up with dinner at a Mexican restaurant at the Marriott called Salsa.
The plan today is shopping, shopping and more shopping. We are planning to take her to the major malls here: City Centre, Landmark and the Mall. We might go to the movies afterwards if she finishes her shopping early, which, knowing Sandy, I doubt;-)
by Natasha Tynes | Jan 20, 2004 | Doha affairs, Film, Food and Drink
It’s 10:00 PM now and I’m still at work. There are four of us here so there is a light work load. As I’m currently doing nothing. I thought I might jot down a few lines about the weekend. It was very productive.
We signed the lease for the apartment and we are very excited to move, as it will be our first apartment together. The apartment is big: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living room and a veranda. We will start moving next Sunday and hopefully be in there by Monday.
The tricky part is that the actual apartment will not be ready before March, but the landlord was nice enough to let us stay in an apartment in the same building until the work on our apartment (apartment number 12) finishes.
After we signed the contract on Monday night we went to a fancy Iranian restaurant called Shebstani to celebrate … very good food and excellent service.
Also on Monday, I got a six-month multiple visa to Lebanon which is cool. Jeff’s job hunting is going well with a number of leads to pursue. He put a goal for himself to find a job by the end of this month. I’m also using my contacts here to distribute his CV, so things are looking good.
On Sunday we got ourselves a subscription with a DVD rental place called "DVD corner". We rented Identity, Adaptation, 28 Days Later and All about My Mother
We watched Identiy and Adaptation and both were really good. We are planning to watch 28 days later after I get back from work at midnight 😉
by Natasha Tynes | Jan 18, 2004 | Doha affairs, Food and Drink, Tidbits
We started the day early. Woke up at 9:00 am and headed to the Lebanese Embassy. It is located in a very nice area called “Dafneh”, very lushy with very nice villas around. Applying for the visa went very smoothly and didn’t take more than five minutes. I’m supposed to pick up my passport with the visa on it tomorrow at noon.
As for Jeff and his blue passport, well, he can pick up the visa from Beirut’s airport, no sweat.
After that we went to Landmark and had a very nice lunch at Pizza Express, a British Pizza chain that’s becoming one of Jeff’s favourite restaurants here. After lunch we did a quick bit of grocery shopping and headed back to the hotel.
We are very close to nailing down a very nice apartment. We discussed the final additions to the contract last night with our agent and — if all goes well — tomorrow we will sign the contract.
I’m planning to dedicate a whole journal on the apartment. I just wanna make sure it is all good before I spill the beans.
As to the rest of the day, it will be mostly chiling, reading and of course movies.
Last night was fun. We went out with a diverse group of people to The Korean Garden Restaurant here in Doha. The food was just superb. I had my all-time favorite Korean dish: 
It’s 10:00 PM now and I’m still at work. There are four of us here so there is a light work load. As I’m currently doing nothing. I thought I might jot down a few lines about the weekend. It was very productive.