It is my first Ramadan in Saudi Arabia. Today is the fourth day since Ramadan started and this morning I went to Lulu market on the al-Khobar corniche to see what special foods are available. I was a little disappointed to find that apart from large packets of chocolates and other types of sweets, and special deals on dates, the food choices seemed to be pretty much the same as at any other time of the year. But there was a festive atmosphere as recitations from the Qur’an were being played throughout the store, and lanterns and signs proclaiming “Ramadan Kareem” (which translated to English means approximately “may God make your Ramadan generous”) were hung above shoppers. There is a section at Lulu where all sorts of different types of dates and sweets are on display. I found some boxes of sukry dates on sale for a special price that was almost a two-for-one deal compared to the usual price. I tried some of these dates yesterday and found that they were the most delicious dates I had ever tasted. I also picked up a couple packets of assorted individually-wrapped chocolates. I hope they taste as nice as the beauty of their appearance.
Lulu Hypermarket on the corniche in al-Khobar. The store sells food products downstairs and home furnishing and household products upstairs.
Lulu market has quite a large selection of products imported from the U.S., the U.K. and Europe. Even though I lived in the U.S. for many years, I still am very partial to British products such as Branston pickle, mature cheddar cheese, McVitie’s HobNobs and Typhoo tea. So I purchased all of these products at Lulu today. There are American products that I would like to buy but they are usually very expensive. For example, I nearly bought some frozen french fries from the U.S. but at SR 25 they were nearly five times more expensive than the more local Al Kabeer brand equivalent, which I decided to buy. Products from the U.K. and Europe are usually a lot less expensive than U.S. products so that is one of the reasons that I generally prefer them; not to mention the fact that I grew up in England eating such products, so it is difficult for my taste buds to forget them! I did, however, buy a box of Kellogg’s whole grain blueberry waffles. Waffles seem to be quite difficult to find for some reason and there are usually only one or two brands available; and so far I’ve seen only waffles that have been imported, so I’m assuming they are not particularly popular among locals.
The British food area, next to the display of different varieties of dates.
When you are buying imported products you have to be really careful with what you are buying because it is so easy to end up spending a small fortune. Where possible, I buy local brands because they are so much cheaper. This is certainly do-able for basic foods like frozen vegetables, meat products and milk. Lulu also has a fairly large display of fresh fish. I wanted to buy some red snapper, but the only ones they had were absolutely huge; much too large for one person. Fresh fish does seem to be very popular here. Of course in the Eastern Province we are close to the Arabian Gulf and so I’m assuming that much of it is sourced from there; although it is also possible to find Atlantic salmon and other fish species from further afield in some stores. Fasting, which includes refraining from any food and drink during daylight hours, is one of the most important aspects of Ramadan. But food is also very important. Many local hotels and restaurants offer buffets and other special foods for their customers. But tonight I will be eating some of the foods that I bought at Lulu.
A comprehensive display of British chocolate at Lulu market.
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