Let's go shopping...

I’ve had a bit of a whinge about what I can’t find in Dubai. Now it’s time to be a little grateful and focus on what I can.

And I don’t mean the Louis Vuitton clothing or the child-size Mercedes Benz toy cars. You can take all that as a given.

What I mean is the little everyday items that I may not be able to buy at home, but that quickly became part of my weekly shopping list here. As is often the case, I’m talking about food.

 

1. Pomegranates

I hardly ever bought these in Australia, unless I needed them for a special salad. I can’t think why - now I buy them every week. We put them through the juicer with a pineapple (also super-cheap, super-sweet and always available. I’d have added them to the list, but that would have made six, and everyone knows that five is the correct number for a blog list) and a couple of apples – mmm, delicious. They go in cous cous salads, fruit salads, and on top of hommous. Which leads me to my next point.

2. Hommous

Yes, I know you can buy this in every supermarket in Australia. Or you can make your own, which I did, all the time. But it was not as awesome as this hommous, I’m telling you. Every single self-respecting supermarket in Dubai (even the little ones) sells cheap, fresh, home-made hommous at the salad counter and it’s killer good. I think they slap in a heap more tahini than I used to, which makes it taste extra-rich and scrumptious. I’m still clinging to the idea that it’s sort of healthy (allowing me to eat it by the spoonful – no, really), and I even use it on the kids’ sandwiches like butter (with ham and salad, not with Vegemite, because that would be gross).

3. Arabic bread

Put the idea of that dried out supermarket Arabic bread right out of your head. You know the kind that cracks when you fold it? Yuk. This stuff is fresh daily, comes in every shape and size and smells like heaven. Unless you live in Greenacre with your own Arabic bakery down the road, you are probably not eating Arabic bread this good in Australia. So, yay for Dubai!

4. Carrots

But these are not just carrots. They are peeled, baby carrots. In a bag. From the supermarket. Because who would want to peel their own carrots? I know it’s ridiculous, but the fact is our carrot consumption has gone through the roof. You can’t beat the convenience.

5. Pomegranate syrup

This is sort of cheating, because I’ve already done pomegranates, but I’m loving myself sick for finding this and I have to share it. And once again, I know you can buy this in Australia, but it’s not easy to track down and it’s not cheap. Or maybe that’s just because I lived in Nowra. Anyhoo, it’s my new favourite salad dressing ingredient and it’s wonderful. Drink it by the bottleful.

One other good thing is that when you put all these fresh, cheap and easy to find things together, what have you got? Lunch. Which I am going to make, right now.

What food have you loved when overseas?