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i agree entirely. hence why the comment about bacon and eggs....certainly a lot more interesting than a coffee and a bun,no? Lost with that comment. You serve bacon & eggs as well?

Usualy only for the 2nd offence........ bought some nice gold there and gems as well.

Our local fisherman has brought round 2 lovely crabs and 2 lobsters just now so that's us sorted for the next couple of days!! Great, wish there were decent ones here!! Chilli crab is a lovely meal, albeit a bit messy to eat!!!! Had it a few times in Singapore. This one may be easier:

Where I was in Jeddah, Angie, Western women were not so restricted. When we went to the beach on a Friday, there were lots of Europeans in bikinis and swimsuits. The Religious Police used to drive past, but were never a problem. Riyadh was always a problem with the dress code. If you were a good friend of a Saudi, as I was, then they would normaly allow their wife to remove the veil. Even though I was a European. Everything can get overhyped!!!

No problem with the booze Angie. Consulates had loads of beer, spirits etc. Spent one afternoon unloading a 20ft diplomatic sealed container full of it. Johnny Walker whisky on the black market was £80 a bottle, not that I ever needed to buy it. Used to make our own wine as well there. Siddique was another good drink, 80% alcohol, but good with tonic and a slice of lemon.

You were lucky getting into Saudi. Yes the food is great there. Lovely slow baked goat with rice eaten on the beach, with 30 odd Saudi friends from the office. Fantastic when it was the break of the fast during Ramadan, with the street food stalls. Used to buy a bag of Samosa, to take back to appartment to snack on. It was a eye opening 4 years there with what Supermarkets there were also excellent, the meat counter gave a choice of Irish, Scottish. American beef etc, and you could usualy choose whether grain or grass fed. Lebanese, Japanese, Fillipino, Turkish, Korean restaurants all over. Could have pizza there as well, but with a decent thick topping, not like here.

You are right about food choice being limited. Even though we are not vegetarian, we rarely eat out now, as everything tastes the same wherever you go. First year was ok, but never anything to write home about!!

Had a lovely Turbot (Rombo) from Eurospin last week. Cooked on the BBQ ..... melt in the mouth!! Having been used to cooking stuffed Red Snapper, but of a decent size, it was a nice change. They had some nice monkfish tails as well, as would use them in a steamed fish curry. No banana leaves here, so have to use cabbage leaves.

Hi Angie. Have been used to cooking 12 chinese dishes for a dinner party in Saudi Arabia, where temps were higher. 40 steaks for a consulate party, so no problem in that heat. Only have cous cous as a tabouleh, it is far more refreshing, after or with a main meal. As regard to the other meals, prepare them early and then cook later. Try this for lunch with fresh bread: 2 cans tuna finely chopped onion (silverskin are good) finely chopped cucumber (or use cetriolli ) Mix all together, add mayonnaise, garlic, and cayenne pepper if you like spicy. I do add tomato sauce, to give a little more colour. When you get to a smooth paste, its ready!!

Thai Holy Basil is quite spicy, as against ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ. Any other recipes that you want, just let me know. Last night we had slow cooked pork ribs, with pineapple, peppers, baby sweet corn. They were cooked in a sauce of pineapple juice, tomato, chilli, ginger, Marsala, soy and garlic. Served on a bed of basmati rice. Melt in your mouth food!!