The Sum of Us

I can't figure out what the name of this restaurant means- but I know the coffee, pastry and food is amazing and also amazingly affordable! It has become my favorite place for every meal, now that I know they serve dinner. Plus, since the weather is cool, it's possible to walk from my place in the Trade Center. I'm becoming a little bit if a broken record, cycling through all my friends and saying "hey, want to have dinner at the Sum of Us?"

What's so great about it? Number one, REALLY good coffee- roasted in house. My favorite is called "magic," which is essentially a flat white, with less milk. Indeed magical.

Fresh bakery is the second most awesome--- I think I blogged about this already- if so sorry! There is great bread, especially the sourdough. But all the pastries are amazing too. Here is a blueberry lemon Danish.

Last but not least, the fresh, delicious, and healthy entrees. Breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner- small or large plates, all good. I've tried almost everything. No one has had any complaints!

Look how happy I am with the katsu chicken bowl! (That's not in the menu anymore, but there are plenty of other tasty veggie filled options.)

That's my review, best restaurant in Dubai.

Visual Literacy

"I don't like art."
Does it blow your mind when you hear someone say they don't like art? When I hear someone say they don't care about art, of any sort, it seems like they just haven't found what they might appreciate about art yet.. Of course I hear "I don't like reading," a lot and it hurts even more because I am a librarian-- but I realize that reading and finding sanctuary in reading is actually a luxury... That diatribe is for another time.
For now, I will express my concern that "Literacy" of all kinds needs to be addressed as a humanitarian issue. Starting with people not being able to interpret visual information and what that might mean to our society.
As a librarian I am concerned with "Information Literacy" by profession. The American Library Association defines this as: "Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information."
The International Federation of Library Associations is advocating for the United Nations to address the Information Literacy needs of the world as a measure to develop a sustainable society... This is a huge task and will take many years to chip away at the goals involved.. but at least it's out there and people are working on it in a systematic way.
The list below is missing Scientific Literacy, Financial Literacy and perhaps a few other important ones! But here is a basic outline of "New Literacy" found on the National Writing Project website from Antero Garcia:

a list with some brief definitions:

     1. Digital Literacy- Cognitive skills that are used in executing tasks in digital environments

     2. Computer Literacy- Ability to use a computer and software

     3. Media Literacy- Ability to think critically about different types of media

     4. Information Literacy-Ability to evaluate, locate, identify, and effectively use info

     5. Technology Literacy- The ability to use technology effectively in several different ways

     6. Political Literacy- Knowledge and skills needed to actively participate in political matters

     7. Cultural Literacy- The knowledge of one's own culture

     8. Multicultural Literacy- The knowledge and appreciation of other cultures

     9. Visual Literacy- The ability to critically read images

Is Visual Literacy being addressed in a similar way to how information literacy and some others are being addressed? Is this not seen as an urgent matter? I find it disturbing that people disregard the importance of evaluating visual information. What caused me to examine this issue is the recent symbol used in the "Peace for Paris" awareness logo design all over Instagram and social media. I made the mistake of thinking just one person was posting this in very poor taste, but then realised the image became "viral" from the work of artist Jean Jullian. I don't mean to critique the work of the International Visual Literacy Association, I'm just not sure what their plan is and would like to know more about how visual literacy can be addressed.
To be clear, Instagram is bringing images to people who really aren't well informed about many things-- which is good and bad.. So many didn't go over to Google to find out what the news story in Paris is, they were just asking random others about "what happened in Paris?" I realise now that many of the people on Instagram are young-- and perhaps digital natives who aren't really cognizant of what a news source can provide or what reliable journalism is-- this is all shaky ground right now anyway.. What credentials do bloggers have? If you've read this far, you will realize, I don't have an editor! So, my questions for you are:
1. Does this look like an anarchy symbol to you?
2. Should individuals use caution in posting an image that could be seen as in poor taste or inflammatory or perhaps further exacerbate a security concern? Or is that part of the freedom of expression we enjoy in contemporary social media?
3. Has Instagram downgraded our visual experience? Or has it brought images to a wider audience in a beneficial way?

I'm not an expert in etiquette or visual literacy, but every time I see that symbol it makes me feel unsettled, as if the image is celebrating the act of terrorism. But perhaps that is just a visual literacy interpretation and overly compassionate sensitivity, fueled by self-interest and fear...
The artist himself has not addressed the criticisms of his drawing in his interview with Wired, and this is the latest interview I've read.

I realise the popularity of this image was surprising for artists and everyone else. The "viral" nature of the image circulating so soon after the event also didn't give people much time to think and evaluate. As someone form New York, who lived there in the early 2000's I also realise this is really an awful, stressful and plain disgusting time for the city of Paris. People were only trying to express themselves in a way they felt would be helpful and provide support. But a discussion about visual literacy seems to be relevant right now for the world at large. Are we heading towards being a thoughtful and well-informed society or becoming more reactionary and impulsive?
Your feedback in the comments would be helpful and interesting.

Make it rain!

It's been looking cloudy all week and we finally got rain this morning. It really blows your mind when one hasn't seen water fall from the sky in months. 

During the winter we will get maybe 4-5 rainfalls in Dubai. They get more precipitation in the higher elevations of the UAE, like the Emirate of Ras Al Khamiya gets rain, even sleet, up in the Hajar Mountains. Saudi is reported to get snow! Last winter there were cool pics of camels with flakes sitting on their lovely lashes. I ❤️ camels, I hope they are ok with a little snow.

I woke up to this view from my window, stormy eh? 

Then, there was more rain while I was in Sharjah. I even had a big puddle near my car.

It has been said that to fill the reservoirs there is a cloud-seeding program, to trigger a cloud burst when it is needed. Here is an article with more information about this: http://khaleejtimes.com/nation/weather/cloud-seeding-making-rain-in-desert-by-a-naturalised-process

It's "winter" now, so the temp is about 20C/60F- brrr! We will get more wind and dust storms. And I can't go swimming at the beach every weekend again until February! Rough...

The Forbidden Basement

There must be a word for someone who feels euphoria at waterparks? I do. I actually felt hungover from the excitement the day after visiting Wild Wadi on the Islamic New Year holiday last  weekend. Or maybe that was just dehydration?

In addition to an awesome waterpark experience there was a haunted house that truly sent my heart into palpitations. We went through it twice!! 

It stuck in my mind to once hear a comedian critique the Middle East and say that building a water park won't help with the problems of the region... Yes it does! What is more peaceful, relaxing and nation-building than a lazy river? I don't think I will ever understand this critique, but now I can't even remember who said it. Colin Quinn or someone like that, he's probably never visited Dubai. Waterparks give a huge boost to an area. Would anyone have ever visited Orlando, if not for an amusement park?

Ladies only nights are so cool! I wish every place in Dubai had this sort of night where you know that your evening will be man-free!  Waterparks usually have one night per week that are open just for girls and women to visit. The picture above happens to be the only photo I got during my Wild Wadi visit.

Also, a new thing for me: Muslim women wear a full body swim suit- often called a "burkini." Google it!

There are 5 proper water parks in Dubai and several more in the UAE. I wonder if the economic and social value of waterparks can improve the state of world affairs? It seems like it does, but perhaps that is a question of which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Build more waterparks, build world peace!

Recycling in Dubai

One of the biggest adjustments for me in Dubai is the lack of recycling. Everyone drinks bottled water, I suppose desalinated water is not great drinking water- but with all the plastic water bottles I'm using now my carbon footprint is huge!

It makes me feel slightly better that I have finally found a recycling service that does home pickup. 

You can learn about what they recycle and make a pickup request through the Keep It Clean App. If you have any questions the people who run the company are responsive by email and phone.

I'm having a large amount of stuff picked up tomorrow. I schedule a pickup once a month. I wish I could find a way to compost organic material too, but at the moment HomeCycle only does coffee grounds.

I have only done this since July and I'm happy with this free service, it's better than everything going to a landfill.

Fake Plastic Trees

At Birdsong Brewery in Charlotte North Caroilina there are (popular!) beers that are flavored with sage, and another with jalapeño. I'm an open-minded eater and drinker, but these beers taste like Thanksgiving stuffing and the floor of a Mexican restaurant, respectively. I asked the tap room attendant (maybe only 21 years old) why one of the beers is called "Fake Plastic Trees" and she proceeded to tell me it's a song by Radiohead. Thanks young lady, I bet that beer tastes like a house on fire smells.

That's a story that only weakly segues into my blog entry about incognito palm trees in Dubai, which I'm sure are concrete.

See anything interesting in this picture? Not the tallest building in the world...

To the left is a really tall Palm tree, standing alone in a sandy patch of desert. In North Caroilna we have really tall fake pine trees for cell phone towers, here in Dubai, they are palm tree cell phone towers.

Another cool fake palm tree in Dubai, which I haven't seen yet, is a wifi hot spot/ mobile phone quick charge station, which are at many of the beaches and also Zabeel park. They sound really interesting, are free for everyone to use, and are something I will take pictures of and blog about when it becomes cooler than 47 C/ 117 F.

Favorite Arabic Foods

I've heard people say they are tired of Arabic food, even hummus, and that's amazing to me. Sometimes it can be too salty and I am guilty of over-doing Arabic bread- but it's so fresh and soft!

Let me share with you some of my favorite things that I pick up regularly from the grocery store.

First, there are tons of really cool, really fresh vegetables. Through a miracle of logistics, and other modern technology, people in the UAE buy and eat lots of fresh veg. The food comes from all over and the vegetables are especially interesting, things are imported from Oman, Saudi Arabia, India, Africa, as well as North and South America. This has to be one of the most difficult places to be a locavore-- so unless you are on a date diet, you will be challenged. I'm not attempting to eat local right now. I will blog another time about the Union Cooperative grocery store and specifically the produce section, because that is a blog entry in itself. 

The prepared foods that I eat everyday are really good, and I want to share it with the world. 

Beet salad is sweet and savory, the crunch makes you think you're eating something really healthy, yet it's doused in dressing... Very pretty eh?

Another food I've only started eating in the past year is Moutabal, which is a roasted eggplant purée. It has a smoky, smooth, nutty flavor, and is one of those dips you load onto bread because you are trying to be dignified by not eating it with a spoon. The pomegranate seeds sprinkled on top are sweet and fun to eat. 

Obviously stuffed grape leaves are a Mediterranean/ Arabic delight, again you would think these are "healthy" but the kind I eat are oily and sodium rich -- but it's probably more nutritious than other fast food. Most stuffed grape leaves I have encountered here are vegetarian, it seems atypical for Arabic grape leaves to have any ground surprises inside, just rice and spices- delicious!

Salads are so nice- they tend to be like a traditional Greek salad, which does not contain lettuce, only chunks of vegetables, and sometimes other goodies like labneh, which is a rich cheese made from yogurt, and it tastes like goat cheese. Fresh basil, mint, parsley and other herby greens are the more common leafy greens to find in a salad, but there are often other lettuces too.

Last but not least hummus! I have always loved hummus and used to eat a ton of Sabra in the US. Here in the UAE it's made fresh in all the restaurants and most grocery stores, so now I'm a snob like Remy. I personally like hummus to taste like garbanzo beans, with a rich beany flavor, not drowned out with the tahini, which is sesame paste. 

Lifco, a Lebanese grocery store near my apartment on Sheikh Zayed Road has the hummus I like the most. Here's the hummus song by Remy, love it!

Ramadan is like a snowflake

View from my apartment, 37th floor. I can hear the call to prayer from neighboring mosques.

Ramadan begins at a different time every year, based on the Islamic calendar and the sighting of the crescent moon. If the UAE Moon Sighting Committee does not see the Ramadan crescent at 9:00pm (in 1.5 hours) then Ramadan will not begin until Thursday. Yet this is unique for people all over the world, for example if Alaska or California sees a crescent by the time the sun sets over there 12 hours or so from now, they could start Ramadan before the Arabian peninsula.

So, we will wait and see. The big difference for me, since I am a government employee, is that I would have a slightly shorter work day Wednesday, in addition to the rest of the holy month. Many people are observing fasting during the day, not eating, drinking, smoking or anything, until the sun sets. So a shorter work day is to help people with that and have time to take extra care in their prayers. I'm learning a lot about things that are new to me, this is another interesting hands on learning experience!

Update: no moon is visible in the sky over the UAE tonight, so Ramadan here will begin on Thursday. 

Ramadan Mubarek! Blessed Ramadan.

Zayed University End of Year Celebration

Today the end of the school year was marked with a really nice end of year appreciation lunch. The Vice President and the provost each addressed us and counted our achievements.

I got to see people I haven't seen in a while and have a fancy lunch, complete with creative fruit sculptures and delicious cakes.

Four cakes! And there were lots of other desserts to choose from. I had Oreo mousse, as well as the fruit tart seen above.

Who wouldn't feel appreciated? I was even given an external hard drive as a gift. I do miss the CPCC family now and then, but ZU also has a nice community feeling. Great way to wrap up my first school year at Zayed University.

Museum of Energy- totally electrifying

Istanbul Bilgi University Santral Campus is the site of the first power plant of the Ottoman Empire. It was operating from 1914-1983, and in 2004 the property and facility was donated to the university. They use this grant now as a center for education, culture and arts. The tour of the engine house and energy mechanism was unique and interesting, but my favorite part was playing with the science- museum exhibits. 

The director of the university library said the campus has gone from electrifying the city, to electrifying the intellect.

Afterward we had a lovely sunset boat tour around the Golden Horn peninsula. There were hor d'ouvres, cocktails, and interesting people to meet; I finally tried the anise flavored drink raki. 

I'm looking forward to the next events  of this IFLA Presidents Meeting.

 

Spaghetti Nero at Istanbul Modern Restoran

Squid ink pasta, scallop, shrimp, calamari, basil and garlic sauce is "Spaghetti Nero."

Yummy bread, olives and 

Turkish Cabernet Sauvignon make for  memorable Modern Art Museum dining. It seems that art museums have really stepped up their game on the last 20 years. When I was in college the museum cafes usually had a few unpalatable, over-priced sandwiches. Now you get an erotic flower on your table.

The only drawback is that service was poor, which gave it a European feel. It seemed like the waiters were not confident to speak to the customers, and even the managers (two guys wearing suits) were oblivious to people walking in the door waiting to be seated. Some potential diners walked out after several minutes of being ignored. Too bad for them, they didn't get to try the spaghetti Nero! A tip: if you just barge in and seat yourself, someone will bring you some food eventually, and it will likely be good food. But then the inexperienced waiter will mess up your bill.

But hey, the view from the veranda overlooks the Bosphorus and on the shore beyond is Topkapi Palace. Not bad.

Eclair Affair

When walking by a pastry shop with time on your hands and lira in your pocket, I dare you not to gaze into the sweet abyss. My reasoning for partaking in a treat right after breakfast is that baklava will help me gain energy needed for all the tourist wandering I'm doing in Istanbul... Honey and nuts are like granola right? Hiking food.

That baklava was tender and delicious, the other is a mini chocolate-filled, chocolate-covered eclair. Each have a dusting of chopped pistachios.

This presentation of Turkish coffee was new to me. The pink drink is pomegranate water, it seemed to be a palate clenser. The clear drink is moonshine- just kidding, it's water. Last, but not least, a piece of chocolate covered Turkish delight, or lokum. Lokum is chewy gel texture candy, flavored with various fruit, mint or rose water. I love it- I've enjoyed everything I've tried in Istanbul so far, a city that's easy to enjoy. Check out Faruk Gulluoglu if you are near Bilgi University, Dolapdere.

Breakfast (with pictures)

Yesterday I wrote an incomplete blog entry about Turkish breakfast, because there were no photos of the food. http://melaniesdubaidiary.blogspot.com.tr/2015/05/turkish-breakfast.html

Today I made an effort to document my breaky before devouring. 

At first, I thought we just got really lucky that the complimentary breakfast here was amazing, but I'm figuring out that with the hotels here, a nice breakfast is a major thing, many hotels in Istanbul have rival spreads. 

Front and center is, like scrambled eggs with chorizo, but with a Turkish spicy sausage. Very tasty.

The biggest surprise for me is simit, Turkish bagel. I love bagels, and had never heard of this. It's thinner than the huge NY bagels, so when I saw it, it looked to me like a round pretzel. These have very nice toasted sesame seeds and other spices, so it's like a great everything bagel that you can eat plain. 

The fried french toast seems over the top to me, I like it fine on the griddle, but that's how they do here. It's great with the nice range of preserves to choose from.

Also, you can see the plates are personalized, along with the view, this place seems super fancy to me, but is only a modest price to stay. 

I haven't stayed anywhere else in Istanbul, the Sultanamet area was strongly recommended, but I'm glad I have stayed in Beyologu/Pera.

It's a little noisy at night, because it's so fun. But I suggest you join the fun, or use the earplugs that are supplied to you, along with a shoehorn.not together of course.. 

It's also worth mentioning there are a lot of gay guy couples here. I'm not sure if Istanbul is notably gay-friendly, but the antiques neighborhood is nearby, with rug shopping not far away, so they probably regularly host same sex couples. Even more reason to party in Begoylou, I hope gay friends, and everyone actually, will come check it out.

I love breakfast, here are more pics: 

Hamam

I finally had my first Turkish bath  www.galatasarayhamami.com/hammam/ in Turkey! Done by a real Turkish lady, in a place that has been around since 1481. That isn't very old in 

the scale of Turkish places, but I was in awe of the entire experience. The nice ladies who run this place have all been there since opening.

To start, I walked in the men's baths, and got an eyeful- I always consider myself a "main entrance" kind of gal, but in the hamam world, the ladies section is the alternate entrance at the back...

I found the correct door and walked up these old marble stairs. 

Everything inside is also marble and ornate decor, but I didn't take any pictures, because there's a lot of nakedness.

I got the "pasha package" which is steam, washing, intense rubbing exfoliation, more washing and steaming, then a 20 minute oil massage, which turns you into a wet noodle. The entire thing was about an hour and a half. 190 TL = $72

I got undressed, was given spa panties, awkwardly put them on, then covered in a towel. A lot of this experience, especially if you don't speak Turkish, is like one of those "naked dreams" where you think "what am I doing? What am I supposed to do now?"

Upon entering the communal steam room, the naked bodies of other ladies somehow made me think I wasn't supposed to be uncovered, but Turkish grandma took my towel off me and told me to go lay down, I obeyed, and it was divine. So hot, steamy, and relaxing. A beautiful old place- where you lay on warm marble and stare at the beautiful dome ceiling. Can't find a good picture on the internets, use your imagination.

I followed the lead of other ladies and used the copper bowls to pour warm or cold water over my sweaty body. Sensational.

At just about the right time the lady came in and indicated it was my turn. She was also just wearing panties, whereas at other places, not in Turkey, they wear little shorts and tank tops. This little lady needed my help putting her bra on for the service, I helped, it was all part of the strange dream, which was real.

So she scrubs me down, face to feet. When she pointed for me to get up and go to the sink to rinse, a lot of me was left on the marble slab. The exfoliation took a lot of stuff off that I didn't realize was there... Gross. Good thing she washed away the evidence, from the table and from my body.. Next is the soaping, a full front and back wash that makes you feel like a newborn baby. More gray skin left behind, so icky. Thanks Turkish grandma! She was so pleasant and kind, I was very gracious and thankful for her patience and expertise.

It was indicated we were done for now, so I was to lay there and steamed a little longer. 

Some Russian ladies came in together and were chattering, they realized it was quiet in the room and started whispering to each other. I wanted to say, "it's okay, I don't understand Russian." But didn't break the peace, even though I enjoy eavesdropping on languages I do not comprehend.

 I was getting hot and thirsty now, and thankfully could feel my lingering sinus problem going away. I went and rinsed off again, perfect timing, Turkish granny came to get me and gave me a bottle of water. We all sat together, me in only a towel, drinking water, the bath attendants/masseuses talking about the gal who just came in, they seemed not to like her.

Then I was taken upstairs to get my massage, which really wasn't necessary, because I was completely relaxed. But it gave my muscles a little extra relaxation, and my skin is now glowing fresh with mineral oil. Selfie inside my little changing room. 

I saw these great pictures and graffiti on my way out the door, to the back alley. 

Paris Hilton plays the lute there on Friday evenings.

What a great time. During this trip I'm planning to go to another historic hamam that was recommended to me. At what point have you been over-exfoliated?