Smoke House BBQ
AdventureMan and I miss two kinds of cuisine living in Kuwait – American BBQ and Vietnamese. When I read on Mark’s blog 248 about the Smoke House, I couldn’t wait to grab Adventure Man and give it a try.
It’s the best American BBQ in Kuwait.
OK, the restaurant itself is small, and not that easy to find, but it is immaculately clean, and there is all the parking in the world. That matters to me.
The service was quick and professional. We already knew about the pie, because we saw it in the display case when we came in, and knew we needed to save room.
We like BBQ, but for us, it is also all about the sides. I adore baked beans, and the baked beans at the Smoke House are very very good. I love potato salad and I love cole slaw, and they had both, and they were both very good. I adore the genuine, very dill pickles that come with the meals.
AdventureMan had the cajun fish and I had the half chicken. They were delicious. We were already stuffed when they brought our order of sweet potato pie. Oh yummmm. The crust is like a sugar cookie, and the filling is perfect. We couldn’t eat it all. It was huge.
I am not critical. I enjoyed all the sauces too much – so many varieties, including the vinegar-y sauce I learned to love in Kansas City and the sweet and hot sauce I love from the Carolinas. I want to go back. I want to try the mashed potatoes and gravy, and the steamed vegetables and the Pecan Pie. I am not a French Fry girl, but these were crispy and very tasty, and I found myself eating even while telling myself “No! No! No!”
I adore ribs, and I hear their ribs are very good. I am just so thrilled that they exist, that someone thought American BBQ would work here in Kuwait. It sure works for me! 🙂
Here is a direct link to the Smoke House Menu.
Here is a map of how to get there, from their website:
It doesn’t have to be magnificent to get my vote – it just has to be good enough, authentic enough American BBQ to fill my need. The Smoke House is a great find.
So now that just leaves Vietnamese . . . anyone?
Taxing Times
No cheery posts today, I am busy gathering the paperwork for our US taxes.
Imagine a game where the rules change every year, a combination scavenger hunt (this year you have to have complete documentation for every charitable deduction, every moving expense, every repair for rental properties, insurance receipts, property tax receipts, etc) and oh! some new deductions if you have kept records of travel and expenses (go dig out those credit card receipts) and accuracy (filling in the correct information in the correct obscure box) and drawing the right conclusions (check this box? that box?) etc.
I am pretty good at keeping the right paperwork, but I am not always good at keeping it in order. Before I can even start, I have to get it in piles sorted by types, then sort the piles chronologically.
AdventureMan is no help. He means well. He doesn’t handle frustration well. He has people who do things for him. At home, I am it. I am the people who get it done.
Then the worksheet, which has colors and prints so small that I can’t even read it once the sun goes down, so I have to get it all done while the sun is high. AArrgh.
So pardon me if I am not a barrel of laughs today. Bah! Humbug! Taxes!
Discouraging Sunrise 19 March 2009
When I got up this morning, my heart sank. It is not a glorious sunrise, it isn’t even one of Kuwait’s silvery sunrises, but a very very grey sunrise.
The Germans have a word “smutzich” (I may not have spelled that right) that means dirty, filthy, covered with grime . . . and the sunrise reminds me of that, it is grimy . . . and discouraging. That thin layer of yellow, whatever it is, is closer.
Weather Underground says the entire week will be clear:
But it amends that forecast with what is happening right now:
It might be a cloud, but what a grimy cloud! I hate to think that we breathe that air!
US Embassy: Kuwait Low Threat fro Crimes
From today’s Al Watan
Kuwait 2009 Crime & Safety Report
U.S. Department of State rates Kuwait as low threat for crime
WASHINGTON: The Department of State rates Kuwait as low threat for crime. The incidence of crime in Kuwait City remains low. The government of Kuwait (GOK) maintains a high police profile with large numbers of uniformed and plainـclothes officers on the streets. Each district and governorate has police stations operating under the direction of the Ministry of Interior (MOI) Directorate of Public Safety. Incidents of crime do occur, with few instances reported to the U.S. Embassy”s Regional Security Officer (RSO).
Violent crime is primarily confined within the thirdـcountry national (TCN) community, which comprises the majority of the manual labor force in Kuwait ـ approximately twoـthirds of Kuwait”s residents are TCNs.
It is probable that a high percentage of crimes in the TCN community go unreported because of lack of police responsiveness.
The threat of immediate deportation looms large for many of these guest workers who generally prefer maintaining a low profile so as to avoid unwanted attention from the GOK.
Although several districts within Kuwait City are known to have higher incidences of crime, only one area (Jahra) remains generally offـlimits to official embassy personnel. One factor contributing to the high rate of crime in Jahra is the inability of the police to enforce laws in areas where tribal customs take precedence.
Residential crime remains low. There have been no reported breakـins at any official embassy residences within the past year, nor have any vehicles been stolen. It is not uncommon for embassy staff and dependents to report suspicious persons in their neighborhoods to the RSO, but the majority of these instances have been resolved without any criminal or other hostile intent discovered.
There are no reports of petty thefts against the official American community in any of the popular outdoor markets or shopping malls frequented by tourists and westerners living in Kuwait. However, the opportunity for such crime does exist. It is understood that individuals should not assume that they can maintain a carefree attitude in these venues even though the crime threat in Kuwait is rated low.
Last updated on Wednesday 18/3/2009
Icons Challenge, The Locard Principle 2: The Middle East and Me
The best thing, the very best thing about blogging, for me, is what I learn from my commenters. The old Locard’s Exchange Principle is a constant in life – with every interaction, a part of you rubs off on me, and a part of me rubs off on you. It’s why we’re careful about the people, books, movies, blogs and ideas we spend time with. . . we either feel better for hanging around them, or slightly uncomfortable. Sometimes, hugely uncomfortable. The internet is a microcosm, good and evil all mixed in together and we make our choices.
Fragonard: The Reader
Above: that is me. That’s pretty much who I am. I am quiet, I am a reader. I still get input, from newspapers, books, e-mails, the internet, friends, groups, etc.
What I love about blogging is that I throw something out, and you throw something back. Many many times, what I get back is unexpected, and forces me to re-examine my assumptions. Many times, I have to force myself to stop. Not to respond. I have to force myself to let the new information, new point-of-view sink in, percolate, settle. Minds don’t change in an instant, but . . . they do change. New information brings new, often surprising, perspectives. When I find myself getting angry, I have to step back and ask myself “what is going on here? What are you reacting to?” It helps me to know myself better, and it helps me to understand whatever-little-corner-of-the-world-I-am-living-in better, too.
There are about six different blog entries radiating out like a spider’s web from the thoughts I am now thinking, fed by your input and comments, and behind the scenes e-mails back and forth with new thoughts.
So here is my challenge for today. I’ve shown you one of my life icons, this Fragonard paining, The Reader.
Your mission, your challenge – identify / find a piece of art that shows us who you are. Post it on your blog and link here with a comment, or send it to me, and I will publish it.
(No graphic violence or pornography; I won’t publish it and I will break the link if you publish it on your blog and link to me.)
MP Al-Muhaibi Condemns Male Teaching Female Students
From today’s <a href=”“>Al Watan
MP Jaber AlـMuhailbi condemns school incident
Staff Writer
KUWAIT: MP Jaber AlـMuhailbi has denounced the fact that grade 12 girls at AlـSabahiya High School are being taught by a foreign, male teacher. According to him, “the incident reveals a great amount of recklessness on the part of the Ministry of Education,” which he says disregards the traditions and values of Kuwaiti society.
AlـMuhailbi expressed his apprehension that there might be forces planning to replace the conservative educational system in the country with a system that openly encouraged ”mixed” schools for boys and girls.
He held Minister of Education Nouriya AlـSubaih solely responsible for the incident, said that it proved she was incompetent to shoulder her responsibilities as a minister.
He finally announced that he would put forward a number of questions concerning the aforementioned incident to the minister, and would inquire as to whether this was an occurrence seen in other schools, and asserted that there were plenty of female teachers capable of teaching female students in Kuwait.
He expressed his displeasure about the presence of a male teacher in a girls” school, calling it “unacceptable.”
Last updated on Tuesday 17/3/2009
12th grade? Isn’t that like the year girls graduate and go on to university classes (God willing/insh’allah) where they will be taught, as likely as not, by male professors?
Do these girls go to restaurants with male waiters?
Do they shop in stores with male cashiers? Male customer service agents? Male managers?
Learning self-control is like any other skill; it requires practice. You practice by confronting the realities of the situation. Society – in and out of Kuwait – is mixed. We sit next to each other on airplanes, we are seated next to one another in restaurants, our paths cross, daily. Kuwaiti girls are well brought up and can control themselves; they also have skills at turning aside the unwanted attention of the rare teacher who might overstep.
Mr. MP, we must be suspicious of those who see sexual issues lurking in every corner; what is in the heart of a man who sees sex everywhere? Give these girls a little credit. They are after an education, not some male teacher.
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When I clicked the link, knowing this is a pfishing link, but wanting to print the website here, so anyone with a lot of free time can go mess with them, I got this warning:
Don’t you totally love it? I do!
Don’t Call, Text, or Sign on to Internet . . .
until you arrive”
From today’s Kuwait Times
‘Avoid cell talk, SMS, life you save maybe your own’
KUWAIT, March 15, (KUNA): Ninety percent of road accidents are coupled with lack of attention while driving, Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs at the Ministry of Interior Major General Mahmoud Al-Dousari said Sunday.
His remarks came on the occasion of hoisting flags of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, announcing the commencement of the unified GCC traffic week; themed “Don’t Call Until You Arrive”. The ceremony was attended by traffic directors and their deputies of all six governorates, as well as a host of senior officials in Kuwait and the Gulf. This year’s theme aim at conveying an awareness message, cautioning from the use of mobile phones while driving, and depending on other means such as hands’ free and Bluetooth in order to stay focused on road and steer clear of accidents, Al-Dousari noted, pointing out that more studies had proven the theory suggesting the association of lack of attention with using mobile phones while driving.
The issue was not limited to speaking on phone, it went beyond that to include text messaging, or even logging on to the Internet while driving; which would turn them into major distracters, Al-Dousari said, adding that consequences of such behavior would eventually lead to tragic endings.
Al-Dousari advised that the best way to remain focused on road was to divert all incoming calls to voice mail, as well as receiving and sending SMS messages after pulling off the road. Some 18,773 violations were registered since the law that prohibited the use of mobile phones while driving was implemented last year, he noted.
“The Traffic Week aims to raise awareness, as it includes a host of various educational programs. It is not a week of firmness, stake out and issuing tickets like some might think,” Al-Dousari said, pointing out that injuries resulting from accidents had significantly decreased in the past two years. There are strict orders to deport any expatriate who commits serious traffic violations such as reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, speeding, violating the red signal and assaulting security men, Al-Dousari concluded.
General al-Dousari, how many expatriates have you exported for serious traffic violations?
If you want to see fewer people on mobile phones, texting, signing on the the internet, running red lights, weaving while overspeeding, and assaulting security men, enforce your laws, enforce them all the time, and enforce them equally against every offender. If you enforce your laws, equally, against all offenders, traffic violations will decrease, traffic deaths will decrease, and all our lives, and those of our children, will be much safer.
These photos are from a Flikr search for car wreck/Kuwait and, unfortunately, it is just a random selection among many. many. many.
St. Patrick’s Day Coming March 17
St. Patrick’s Day is coming – tomorrow – March 17th. St. Patrick’s Day is not, as it would sound, a particularly religious holiday. While it is a huge celebration, in the United States it is more about being Irish than it is about St. Patrick. Most of the Irish, when they came to America, had about as much status as the Bangladeshis in Kuwait – they were at the bottom of the social heap. It was a long long struggle to achieve respectability; even longer to be free of the prejudices against them.
The Irish celebrated the election of John F. Kennedy the same way the African Americans celebrated the election of Barak Obama – it was the ultimate sign of being part of a united America, full citizenship – “one of us” could be President.
Here are previous posts I have written telling more about St. Patrick, and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations:
St. Patrick and the Wearing of the Green
We visited Ireland several years ago, a visit AdventureMan recounts with relish. I made all the arrangements, bed and breakfasts, travel plans, etc. and AdventureMan was uncommonly unenthusiastic. Once we got there, I understood why. Being THE MAN, when we are in the car together, most of the time, he drives. Arriving in Ireland, you have to drive on the “other” side of the road (I did not say the “wrong” side!) Many roads in Ireland are narrow. Cool calm AdventureMan had met his match. He HATED driving in Ireland.
The part of the trip I loved the most was going to Cashel, one of the St. Patrick sights in Ireland:
It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The weather was glorious, warm and sunny without being too hot.
From Cashel, Ireland, website:
Cashel has a very ancient history, albeit only documented since the 4th Century. The Rock of Cashel, with its well preserved ecclesiastical remains, is one of Ireland’s most spectacular landmarks, rising above the surrounding plain and dominating the land route southward.The large Cathedral, ancient round tower and the very early Romanesque Cormac’s Chapel , perched on a dramatic outcrop of rock, were silent witnesses to many of the stirring events of Irish History; St.Patrick converted the local King Aenghus, here in the 5th century; Brian Boru was crowned King of Ireland on this spot in the early 11th Century. The Vicar’s Choral has been restored and the site, one of the most visited in Ireland, now provides an interpretative centre, (multi lingual) an interesting museum, guided tours and superb views over the extensive and beautiful plains of Tipperary.
We were visiting in Mid-July. It rained a lot, but the day we drove to Cashel was gorgeous. Even on the rainy days, there were periods of blue sky and sunshine, and the air was crystal clear and sweet. I guess the rain is the reason Ireland is so green, so piercingly beautifully green. I would go again in a heartbeat, but I think this time we would hire a driver!
Citizens?
Here is what I don’t understand. Sometimes, it is very clear who did what to whom, and sometimes it is not. In the first paragraph, they talk about a serious car accident with six injured citizens, two Sudanese parents and their son and an Iranian female. OK, that’s four people. Who are the other two citizens? A citizen lost control? Which citizen?
I thought a citizen was one who had citizenship, and all the rest of us are Sudanese, Iranian, British, Irish, American, etc. etc. etc. These accident and crime reports are ambiguous, at best. Why so oblique?
From today’s Al Watan:
KUWAIT: Due to a serious car accident which occurred on the Fifth Ring Road heading to Jahra near the Surra area, six citizens, two Sudanese parents and their son, as well as an Iranian female, sustained serious injuries. It was reported that a citizen lost control of his speeding car and hit another other car which overturned. The injured were rushed to Mubarak Hospital by ambulance to seek medical assistance.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a citizen suffered serious injuries after his car overturned near a roundabout located in the Abdullah AlـMubarak area. After the operation room received a phone call informing them that a citizen had a car accident and was trapped within his vehicle, police officers and fire brigades rushed to the scene. Firefighters from the Jleeb AlـShuyoukh Fire Station, lead by First Lieutenants Mishari AlـTourah and Bader AlـKandari, managed to rescue the man from the wreckage. The man was taken to Farwaniya Hospital by paramedics to seek medical assistance.
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