My first stop actually was the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, a really cool place that is set up to, you guessed it, preserve Emirati culture. There is a poetry school, dancing, writing and of course a gift shop. The gift shop was the only place open to the public when I walked by. But my real reason for heading over there was one of the only surviving buildings from old Abu Dhabi, a 17th Century watchtower for the city's central well.
Not my picture.
It later became a fort and then a palace. At the moment, it is a construction site. Sigh. Being the charming guy that I am, I persuaded a guard to let me walk inside the fences and take some pictures, but getting a good snap with the digital camera would have been all but impossible. So you'll have to take my word for it (for now) that Qasr al Hosn was neat-o.
Anyway, many hours of wandering later, a cold beer sounded like a great idea. So I headed to the Brauhaus. I had thought it was just a drinking joint. But I was greeted by this sign:
I'll take "things you can't buy at Harvest Time" for $250, Alex.
I sat down, ordered a beer, tried not to listen too hard to a nearby conversation between an engineer and a flight attendant, and was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of this:
That's right. The roll had bacon on top.
It's a rule somewhere, I swear, that when you are offered German asparagus, you must accept said asparagus. Especially the white variety, which I have been told by EXTREMELY well-placed sources is delicious when eaten at a German restaurant in harvesting season. So I went with it.
Die Spargelspitzen und Thun mit Bitburger.
And so it was that I had a German meal in the Middle East. The tuna was just OK, but the asparagus was succulent and delicious. I don't think I need to comment on the quality of the beer. Prost!*
*Note: This blog post used up my German vocabulary.**
** Yes, I had to look up "asparagus" and "tuna."
1 comment:
Mmmm, some of my favorites, Spargelspitzen! How could the blogger not get "Spargel" and "Thun"; they're almost cognates! Remember the "th" is pronounced "t" auf Deutsch. So simple! "Spargelspitzen" simply means asparagus tips.
Mother of the fiance of the blog (and former German teacher)
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