Coffee + “service charge” = rip off!!!

Maybe it’s a Gulf thing but this morning after the compound bus dropped my son and I off downtown to get groceries at Tamimi I decided to walk around the area behind the grocery store with my son as there were a lot of neat looking shops, I didnt venture too far because we still had to get groceries and really 2 hours for grocery shopping with a toddler is never enough. I got my son a doughnut and decided I’d nip into the Joffrey’s coffee shop caddy-corner to where we were standing by Tamimi’s. Get myself an iced coffee (it’s *still* over 95f during the day!), let my son eat his pastry and sort of relax for 20minutes before doing our shopping.

Okay, BIG mistake…more like big, huge rip off mistake! We went into the family aka. womans side of the cafe (which is located above the mens area) and I thought, wow…what a beautiful coffee shop. It was designed similar to a Starbucks or a Caribou…it was so home-y and comfortable and there was a lot of room to spread out in. All the better for a well-sugared up toddler to run wild.  So I go up to the counter, look at the menu and the barista comes up and asks me what I want, I told him an iced coffee with and then went to pay. He said, no, pay later

???

uh, okay, so I go walk around, find a cozy spot and let my son tear into his donught. I sat there and waiited and waited and I saw the barista went and cleaned up a table nearby. I’m thinking…what? So I get up, walk back to the counter and he’s busy doing who knows what, I walk back to my table, thinking…wow, is he making the iced coffee from scratch or somethin’?

I wait and wait, finally I go back up as he’s about to carry the coffee over to me on a tray. I took the tray off of him and said, okay thanks…and walked back. Okay, I realise that here in KSA the local women would never do that, they would wait to be served, but since I was raised to do things for myself…having some barista serve me seemed weird. Especially because I’m used to hanging out by the counter while the barista makes whatever conconction that was ordered and then grabbing it from them there. So I sit down, sip my-i admit, rather delicious and strong-iced coffee, thinking…OK…not bad.

After I finished, I got up…I have learned that here you leave your stuff at the table whether your in a Starbucks, Dunkin’ Doughnuts, Hardees or a Mall Food Court. So I did leave my stuff there, but I made sure to tidy everything up. So I walk up to the counter and am like, okay so should I pay now? Thinking…this is really a strange place! Who has a customer pay for a coffee after they’ve finished it? This isnt a restaurant. So the barista gave me a slightly odd look and I gave him what the menu said the price was. He said, no, it’s actually *what I have him* PLUS 2 extra riyals. I asked, okay why the 2 extra riyals and he said…

get this…

service charge!!! uh yeah…service charge…? In a coffee shop!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can understand tax and/or a tip in an actual sit down restraurant but 2 extra riyals because you took like 10minutes to make my coffee and then as you were bringing it too me I got it from you? Is the 2 extra riyals for picking up the cup from the table!

harumph…yeah I know, 2 riyals isnt anything…but the price of the coffee was already a bit high and I really don’t think the “service charge” was necessary. It did say in the menu at the bottom of the page that a “service charge might be incurred”

Uh??? I assumed that meant if you ordered a boat-load of beverages and cakes that you and 10 friends would split then yeah…obviously a service-charge would be good or if you made a HUGE mess and/or broke a window…okay, a service charge would be fine…but… a service charge on ONE iced coffee and I even served myself.

dang…yes Joffrey’s I’m calling you out on this…this policy really sucks and you’ve lost a customer!! harumph, service charge my foot!

p.s. and if anyone asks…why didnt I ask to talk to a manager…yeah, that crossed my mind but things work differently here and half the time you go to talk to someone they can barely speak English or lack customer service skills, so i faced the prospect of airing my issue to some manager who probably wouldnt care let alone understand what I was saying.

I’m bored and crafty…

One perk to life in KSA is that having little to do (except uh, shop, cook, clean, swim and read to a toddler) makes one resourceful and I’ve found that Ive gotten back into sewing. I don’t have my sewing machine here with me but I can hand stitch pretty good (my grandmother was a seamstress on the side and she taught me how to sew when I was a child) and also being that I am on a budget I can’t always run out and buy the trendy abayaat which I so desire (though Ive found places which do have good prices, so we’ll see if that changes)

So anyway, I was at Daiso (a Japanese value store) a few days ago and was perusing the crafts aisle and came upon a LOT of ribbons, lace, beads, iron-ons, rhinestones, etc etc…everything a crafty Japanese housewife would need! A thought hit me, well…why not buy some lace and beads or whatever and bling up one of my black abayaat? Do something that I see a lot but sort of make it like what I like..and voila…I did…

here it is…whatcha think?

Basically I just hand stitched (using tiny, almost invisible stitching) the lace to the cuffs, collar and 1 edge of the shaylah. I prefer an understated and fairly simple look also in KSA the trend is for abayaat to primarily only have designs on the cuffs (or very narrow designs on cuffs and down the front or on the hem) and s0 I wanted to mimic to minimalist look, I also hand stitched tiny ribbon flowers with a bead in the center to the abayah as well as nice accents. I added alternativing cream and beige flowers to the cuffs and 1 extra flower just a wee ways up from the cuffs. I didnt add any to the collar (whats the point anyway) and then liberally and randomly sewed a few to the same edge of the shaylah with the lace. Everything took me about 3 days with a few hours here and there, originally I had wanted to sew the lace down the front of the abayah (where the snaps are) but after basting the lace on, I realized it look a bit tacky and overdone (for my tastes) hence it taking a bit longer than it should have.

I really like how it turned out and my husband is pretty impressed as well. You definetly don’t need a machine to add these sorts of embellishments to an overgarment, as long as the stitching is done right (and well) and everything is aligned you really can’t tell.  Plus we all know the most expensive garments in the world are handmade anyway (couture anybody?)

So now I have it in my head to pick myself up an inexpensive sateen kimono style abayah, get some small black beads and bead the sleeves and the front. I also want to get some metallic thread and metallicized another black shaylah of mine.

An alternative to niqab, Saudi style

Maybe you’ve ever walked down the street, past some guys who for some crazy reason were leering at you, even though you were modestly dressed and wished you had something to cover your face with well, I have the answer for you.

Use your shaylah as your face veil, no not the wrap, tuck and cover half of your face method I’m talking about another way which is popular here with Saudi women. In the Emirates women use thin pieces of material with ties called gashwah, there are similar covers in Kuwait and other Gulf countries but here in KSA these arent very popular, instead Saudi women will wrap their shaylah, leaving one end quite long, draped over their chest and then flip it upwards to cover their face and head when needed. Consider this like an ‘emergency’ niqab for those times when you want to be as covered as possible.

To be able to do this right and still be able to breath and see you will need to use a good quality, long shaylah (longer and wider the better) from KSA, Kuwait, UAE or another Gulf country. Preferably a good, lightweight crepe or open weaved cotton shaylah. Nothing too heavy, thick, opaque or light colored. When worn right you can see out quite easily and breath as well. It’s basically the same as wearing a 2 piece niqab. Although I personally find 2 piece niqabs to be less breathable when the eye cover is flipped down (you have several layers of crepe over your nose and mouth instead of one or two).  You can also wear a half niqab and if you desire more coverage flip the edge of the shaylah up and slide the half niqab down, when you’re ready to go back to the half niqab just adjust it under the shaylah and bring the shaylah edge back down.

Here is how you do it;

(1) leave one of shaylah really long, draped over your chest. If edge has a design on it, keep that side up.

(2) Turn the long side around, because you want the design on the edge of the shaylah to be visible when the shaylah is up over your head. If you don't do this step, the wrong side will be visible.

(3) Carefully bring the edge up and over your face and head, making sure to keep the edges neat and even.

(4) Adjust, If the shaylah is extremely long there will be a lot more fabric draped over the chest and down the back.

(5) Side view

(6) Front view, as mentioned above if the shaylah is extremely long there will be a lot more fabric draped over the chest and down the back.

(7) There should be openings at the side for drinking from or pushing the shaylah away from the face if needed, or to look at something better.

Voila, thats all there is too it. It’s really really easy and quick and looks nice.

“widows peak” niqab from KSA

Here is a type of Niqab most people outside of KSA have’nt seen. I see this style of niqab quite a bit here in the EP, personally I think they look unique, “different”, a bit “exotic”…you get the drift. They also cover the eyebrows really well, much better than the straight headband niqabs do.

Here it is laid out. These are made of the same lightweight,  breathable crepe that all niqabs here in Saudi Arabia are made from, with ties, the headband isnt stiffened but is lined in a poly-cotton blend for shape.

I think this is my new favorite kind of niqab…just because they are so different than what is normally worn and they look lovely with a black crepe shaylah wrapped with the end peaked over the forehead.

If anyone would like one, leave me a comment with your location and email.

Blog on a temp. hiatus

asalamu alaikum and hi all,

so, this blog is on a temporary hiatus as we dont have internet access right now, what we were using isnt working anymore and we are waiting on DSL but, like all things, unfortunately, it’s taking FOREVER to actually get installed.

en’shallah it’ll be back up soon!