It took a 15-hour flight, a 2-hour layover in Doha, Qatar, a one-hour wait at the airport for my work visa and a multi-hour search for my hotel, but I finally made it safely to my new home in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
As it turns out, my timing is a bit suspect. August is the hottest time of the year in Abu Dhabi, and it’s also the start of Ramadan. During the holy Muslim holiday of Ramadan, no one, no matter what your religion, can eat, smoke, drink or chew gum in public from sunup until sundown. My office has a separate room with the glass doors papered over for non-Muslims to eat lunch and dinner out of sight. During Ramadan, you can’t even have a bottle of water or a cup of coffee at your desk, so this room is a basic necessity.
Considering this is virtually a pork-free region, Ramadan makes it even harder to sample barbecue. But hey, I love a challenge, and will find something to write about in this strange, hot, beautiful country.
The weather regularly reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s 64 Celsius to those in the Middle East, Europe and most of the rest of the world), so it’s been difficult to walk around and explore. I’ve discovered most people just go from one air-conditioned spot to another during this time of year, and I’ve followed suit.
But I happened upon an interesting spot while looking for a place to exchange some American greenbacks for UAE dirhams. The photo above pretty much says it all – Butt Sweet House. Not sure this has anything to do with barbecue, but I told you I’d find something to write about. Note that this establishment even has a logo/monogram with the letters B, S and H artfully arranged. If these guys sell T-shirts, I’m definitely down. Unfortunately it was closed when I visited there around noon today due to the religious holiday. I was told they would reopen at about 4 p.m. After sunset, most stores and restaurants will not close until about 3 a.m. in observance of Ramadan. Meals during this time are only eaten after sunset and before sunrise.
Since I happen to work evenings, that makes it pretty easy for me to get dinner late, even at midnight. All the restaurants are busy until the wee hours of the morning, when they serve very early breakfast, but not after the sun comes up.
I am definitely not in Manhattan anymore. So far, Abu Dhabi has been a fascinating place.
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