Dinner in the Desert

Wednesday, November 11
Dubai
 

Among the most amazing dining experiences I've ever had was at the Al-Hadheerah Desert Restaurant in the Bab Al Shams Desert Resort.  A loyal Smith alumna invited all of my colleagues and me to dinner saying she really wanted us to have this experience.  While we got a little nervous on the long drive out, it was clear from the moment we arrived that we were in for an extraordinary evening.  The photo above is of real camels (doctored in photoshop because it was so dark) that paraded in the background as part of a dinner show representing the Bedouin culture. And at right is just a small sample of all of the food that was available. We ate well!

The restaurant is out in the desert, and for the first time since we arrived in the UAE, we could see the stars in full force. Although it was after 8 p.m. in November, we were sitting comfortably outside, enjoying a mild breeze. The restaurant is entirely outside, and the sand is covered with lovely woven carpets. The dinner show consisted not only of camels and Arabian horses but also music, belly dancers and more.  Above you see Jenny and our hostess Asamah with a performer who was whirling cloth to make fantastic shapes.  However, what was most amazing to me was to listen to Asamah, her mother and her brother tell of Asamah's arranged marriage while she was a Smith student in the early '90's.  The first meeting, organized by her parents took place in a Columbia University cafeteria the weekend of her brother's graduation.  I was reminded while listening to the story, of how challenging it can be to look at things from a completely different perspective; Asamah and her mother described an experience that has resulted in a very happy marriage ("in our culture, love comes after marriage" said her mother). Asamah smiled and said that she had always trusted her mother, so why not go with her opinion on this important decision.  I still marvel at Asamah's description of coming back to Smith her senior year, married but not telling anyone until a friend saw her ring.

Beyond this was pride in culture and love of Smith, and a common bond of the women's college experience.  It's hard to put into words, but the experience was special.  This dinner was just a day before our Middle East trip was coming to an end, and for me, it was one of the trip highlights.