It’s very interesting for me when I find out that people do things differently than what I’m used to. Few days ago, I was invited to spend a day on the beach with some friends. We get there and we park next to a huge portacabin with a wide area in front of it. In that area, the owner of the place has set different tents. One of them was closed and the others were open. The closed one had fancy couches while the open ones had mats on the ground set up for coffee gatherings when the weather is nice.
The set up was a beautiful combination of the west and the Middle East. In the closed portacabin there were laptops with wireless connection and a huge T.V playing Prison Break. Outside, there were Qatari guys dancing to traditional Khaliji music.
The majority of the people there, were American ladies who didn’t even know who the owner of the place is. Astonishing enough, he didn’t seem a bit annoyed by the fact that he doesn’t know these ladies. He was very welcoming and hospitable. I have seen Jassem, who is in his late 40’s many times in public. He had his Qatari “Thobe”, walked slowly with a constant frown on his face. That day, he wore shorts and a t-shit and was very hyper and loud. For me, it was like a different person with dual identities. I understand that, being in Qatar for 7 years and knowing the restrictions of the culture, especially the fact that you need to be very contained and cautious in public, which does not encourage Qatari-male and expat-female gatherings.
At lunch, we all sat on the ground around two humongous trays of rice and lamb. They started eating rice with their hands! They tried to teach me how to do that but it was very hard for me, coming from a culture where you absolutely have to use a fork and a knife even while eating pizza or french fries. I also learned many norms related to eating Qatari style. You have to sort of take a portion of the tray that is yours. You cannot not reach to the other end of the try and try to grab a piece of lamb or a handful of rice because it’s considered disrespectful just like eating from another person’s plate. I also learned that you CAN NOT use your left hand, It has to stay behind your back or to your side at all times. According to my Qatari friends, it is religiously not favorable to eat with your left because when you do, it’s like the devil shares your food or something.
