{"id":17023,"date":"2022-08-09T10:00:02","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T14:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=17023"},"modified":"2024-11-19T13:28:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T18:28:38","slug":"just-wanna-have-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=17023","title":{"rendered":"Just Wanna Have Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Originally published August 6, 2020 by Linda Lou Burton posting about Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from Little Rock, Arkansas \u2013 <\/em>What do you do for fun in Abu Dhabi? That was my question. I\u2019ve seen the Grand Mosque where people worship, the Presidential Palace where government happens, and the skyscrapers where people work, and live. Now what? There are bus, boat, and seaplane tours that show you around; specific trips such as \u201cisland getaways,\u201d or \u201cdesert dune rides.\u201d Abu Dhabi is big on shopping, so lots of fancy malls. But first, I checked out the food scene.<\/p>\n

Food<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I didn\u2019t know what foods to expect in the United Arab Emirates; here is what I found: restaurants seem to cover all the bases \u2013 Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Italian, Peruvian, and even traditional Emirati! Meat, fish, and rice are staples of the Emirati cuisine; lamb and mutton are more favored than goat, beef and camel. Dates are generally part of a meal; coffee and tea are supplemented with cardamom, saffron, or mint to give it a distinct flavor. I\u2019m familiar with hummus and kebabs, but some menu items are new to me, such as machboos<\/em>. That is a rice dish, with onions, spices, meat, and dried lemon peel; simmered till tender, a must do. Harees<\/em> is one of the most popular traditional foods in the Emirati kitchen, especially during important family \"\"<\/a>gatherings and special holidays. Put meat and wheat together in a \u201cmash pan\u201d with water and salt and cook for a long time (at least four hours), stirring with a wooden spoon called a \u201cmasad masr.\u201d Sprinkle chopped fried onions on top. Eat! For breakfast, it\u2019s balaleet<\/em>, vermicelli sweetened with cardamom, saffron, and rose water, then topped with a thin egg omelet; or have a chebab<\/em>, a pancake; or khameer<\/em>, date-sweetened bread.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A restaurant on the mainland and one on the beach caught my eye: Meylas<\/em> \u2013 \u201cchildhood recipes crafted by Emirati mothers and grandmothers, locally sourced ingredients; d\u00e9cor offers a nostalgic look at the time of the Bedouins; gift items by Emirati artists for sale, and delicacies to take home, dates to mango pickles.\u201d Mezlai<\/em> \u2013 \u201clocal dishes, traditional recipes featuring staples from Emirati cuisine such as camel, dates, rosewater; furnished with Bedouin emblems, dallah tapestries, reminiscent of a Bedouin tent; a luxury setting in the Emirates Palace Hotel on the Corniche.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Corniche<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Corniche is a curving street along the edge of the beach, and what a street it is. Walking paths, cycle paths, fountains, parks, and of course, beach! Hotels and restaurants all along the way, my hotel is one of them; world famous skyscrapers like Etihad Towers and Landmark Tower; the Emirates Palace Hotel past the far end, near the Presidential Palace. Marina Mall can be accessed from here via a breakwater road; Lulu Island is a tiny reclaimed island.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Yas Island<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yas Island is 6,000 acres of \u201cleisure island\u201d stuff, with everything designed to exhaust you by the end of the day. For just \u201cplaying\u201d there is Ferrari World, Warner Brothers World<\/em> and Waterworld<\/em>; for sports there is the Yas Marina Circuit<\/em>, Yas Links<\/em>, and Yas Beach<\/em>, as well as charter boats for hire. Get to Yas Mall<\/em> via Yas Express<\/em>, service right to the shopping door. If you like Disney, go to Abu Dhabi soon. Three spots you\u2019ll probably choose:<\/p>\n