I have been told by a lot of expats here that new arrivals to this country often put on a few extra kilos due to the excessive amounts of fat and sugar in the meals here (think Macdonalds and Dunkin’ Donuts). Fortunately for me it seems that I have bucked the trend and have actually lost 3kg in the past 2 months. So the question is was it due to me having a strict diet and exercise program or was it just because I’m lazy and can’t be bothered making the effort to cook like I used to?
Well, due to the lack of exercise equipment in my compound the first option is entirely untrue. Granted, I do try and avoid the constant lure of take away food but I don’t turn down the opportunity to join in the pizza order at work and I’ll always buy a cinnamon roll or donut for prayer time when I’m at the shops. So I’m not completely self-restrained when it comes to junk food.
What I have noticed is that I do eat a lot less meat that I used to. Firstly, because it’s a nuisance to buy and cook. The ‘ground’ beef/lamb/chicken is found in the freezer in a plastic sausage that reminds me of the food I used to feed my cat. Other than the cat food aspect, I don’t like to buy meat in a form where I can’t tell its quality and I imagine from the look and the price (~3-6 SR/400g) the fat content is fairly high. Though I did buy ground lamb recently and to be fair, it didn’t taste bad but its not my ideal method of packaging. You can buy most meat in frozen form, which I’m not used to, and not surprisingly they sell a lot of burgers. The beef here is from Brazil and I can now fully appreciate the taste of Australian beef because the Brazillian beef tastes different, and not in a way that makes me want to buy it often. You can buy Australian lamb here though but I have yet to try any. There’s also the prospect of camel steaks if one is so inclined but in the end I just prefer to go without. Buying, storing and cooking.. I just can’t be bothered (which puts me firmly in the lazy camp).
Which leads me to what I think is the other main reason for my weight loss, an unfamiliar environment making me cook much simpler food. Having to start my kitchen cupboard from scratch means that for the first few weeks I relied heavily on instant noodles, potato chips and fruit juice to get me through. I think I’ve mentioned before that the supermarkets here don’t all stock the same items and sometimes I have to visit multiple places to find what I would consider to be a fairly simple item (for example, gravy powder). There’s a lot of new and different products that we don’t find at home but learning their uses takes time. I have started to increase my spice repertoire lately so I might get a bit more creative soon, however, since I don’t have to cook for anyone but myself I have found that I much prefer to buy some vegetables and either roast them or throw them into a simple curry. My housemates also take great pleasure in feeding me the various Malaysian foods they cook up.
After all the junk food ate in the months leading up to my departure I welcome the shedding of a few of those kilos and its interesting to note how my cooking and eating habits have changed now that I’m in an unfamiliar environment with a much more limited set of cooking utensils. My housemates have asked me to teach them to cook some western dishes (lasagna and apple pie to begin with) so that will get me back in the kitchen a bit more. Just need to get the appropriate bakeware and find the ingredients…
the one thing i dont like about the states is that all of the ground meat has added fat…why??? i dont know. but one thing about living in the middle east is that they dont do that. (at least not in Lebanon) the meat is healthier and fresher.but still…congrats on your wieght loss..it must have been a pleasant surprise!
Eww, added fat? That's disturbing. To be fair, the ground lamb I bought was relatively fat-free but I chose to buy the most expensive one coz it looked much nicer. In this instance I think its definitely true that you get what you pay for. If you only want to pay 2 SR for 400g of meat then half of it will be fat!Thanks. Obviously I wasn't trying but its nice to lose a few of those stress eating kilos. While I don't claim to be fat I definitely wasn't feeling very healthy. Except now I'll have to go buy more new clothes :P.
Hmm when I read Malaysian food – I think laksa (including assam) and chicken curry 😉 And curry puffs… Camel steaks sound very interesting and yay on the weight loss 😀
hi stacy! i was in riyadh last week for our 9 day 'field trip' finding compounds and schools and such, and i have GAINED at least a kilo in 9 days! and i've noticed that they have so much food at the supermarkets! colourful drinks with artificial colours added in them i bet! i am so worried! i am so going to make use of those gyms in the compound when we move there this spring. i cook a lot! but it's so easy to eat out in riyadh, dont you think?are you loving the malaysian food?congratulations on your weight loss!!best wishes!ps: lovely stories in here!
Hi Zee.As those of us in Saudi say, "you've been eating too much kabsa!" The local food is tasty but its all smothered in oil.Yeah the supermarkets are a gold mine for artificial flavours and colours and preservatives. Unfortunately, health is not a big concern in a Saudi's day to day life. For me, because I am here as a single female, eating out is actually a bit of a headache. I have to get a taxi to a restaurant (and the taxi driver has to know where the restaurant is) and it has to have a family section so I can go in. If I wasn't here alone and had a husband who could drive around then it would be a lot easier. Eating out is also quite cheap so I can see why its desirable. For the first few weeks tho I did eat out more frequently at the shopping malls so I was worried I'd be putting on more weight.I do also have a situation where I get home from work and one of my housemates has been cooking and I hear "Stacy?! Come eat!" so I oblige heh. Their food is quite good but sometimes very hot. But I have enjoyed trying their different meals. Now I just need to give back a little and cook them some good western dishes.Good luck preparing for your move. A few posts back I gave another reader a rather comprehensive list about things to pack so if you're interested then go back and have a read.
Oh gosh, i can only imagine how it's like being single in riyadh. are the cabbies trustworthy there? safe for single women? I've always admired people willing to let go of some "comfort" they have at their home countries, when they move to places especially riyadh.We're so comfortable being where we are now in europe and the first thing i told my husband after we got the offer was "no way! we're comfortable here!" but our recent trip to riyadh really opened up my eyes. and i cant believe i'm saying this now but i'm looking forward to it! we need some challenges, a change and it is a real privilege to be sent abroad. we'll see how i cope once i'm there!!Hats off to you stacy!I'm gonna spend one whole day reading all your previous posts. this weekend perhaps! i've been told by the schools to bring lots of SPF50 sunblock!When you cook your western dish for your malaysian housemates, surprise them by saying "jom makan!" – or the rather polite and formal way of saying it "jemput makan". 😉
Zee,I have caught quite a number of taxis (definitely over 50) in the three months I have been here and I have only had one incident where I felt uncomfortable. That was caused by a young taxi driver who was trying to get me to give him my phone number. Otherwise, I've never had a problem. I don't travel outside of the city in a taxi though, I call a private driver who was referred to me by a friend. I trust him to take me to compounds and pick me up in the middle of the night. I wouldn't get a taxi in those situations. Its definitely quite terrifying coming to a country like this. You'll read of my fears back in my early posts but for me at least, I pretty quickly worked out how things are done. The one major thing you'll have to get used to is the abundance of free time you suddenly find yourself with. It can be a bit depressing at first coz you're left with your thoughts a bit too much. Its hard to shut off the instinct that you should be doing something all the time and its still something I struggle with a bit. Like that its ok to lie down and read a book for 3hrs on a Friday afternoon.