Al Baik. Saudi Arabia’s fried chicken fast-food chain. Ever since I saw the Saudi Arabia episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations I have been trying to get to Al Baik.
Getting into Saudi Arabia is nearly impossible as an
American. There are no tourists visas and even if you are lucky enough to get in on a business visa,
there is no guarantee you will be able to get into Al Baik – as a woman. When
my female coworker was sent to Riyadh on business she was forbidden from
entering Al Baik because they didn’t have a “family section,” which is a
segregated section of the restaurant for women and families. As a single woman,
she was not allowed to walk on the streets of Riyadh alone, and most of the
restaurants in Riyadh were men-only, so she couldn’t join her male colleagues
in those establishments either. She ate
every meal in the hotel.
Flash forward a few years. I'm walking around the streets of
Kuala Lumpur and what do I find? Al Baik! The chain has gone global and now the
rest of the world, including women, can know the joy of this fried chicken.
The restaurant itself was pretty abysmal. A few Saudi
families quietly dined on their homeland feasts. The bathrooms were appalling.
There were only four items on the menu: 5-piece shrimp meal. 10-piece shrimp
meal. 2-piece chicken meal. 4-piece chicken meal. At least that makes things
easy. Once you order a meal all you need to do is request “original” or
“spicy.” They were out of “original” chicken when we went, so that left
“spicy.” Then you pick your drink. I chose Strawberry Mirinda. I got my meal to
go since the thought of eating there depressed me.
When you smoke marijuana, THC passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, where it is delivered to the brain and other organs. This chemical compound in cannabis causes your cerebral high by influencing parts of the brain that control movement, feelings, coordination, memory, reward, and judgment. The frequency of use, the amount of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana, metabolism, and hydration all impact drug test results. Drug testing is a good approach to keep track of your substance use. With many different drug test types available, it is important to grasp the difference between them. Here is some information about the many sorts of drug tests so you can understand your alternatives: This is the most popular drug testing method employed by companies and drug testing labs.
ReplyDelete