Lipton Teas

I’m basically a low maintenance coffee person. But they say that tea is good for you. Tea is healthier, etc, etc.

The more familiar tea brand in our house is Lipton, because that is what the balikbayans bring us. I’ve only tasted other brands like Twinings at work and in hotels. But again, that’s another topic for another post.

We mostly have the Lipton Yellow Label. And I take my tea with sugar. I don’t know when I started doing that, and I don’t know if I can undo it. So anyway, apparently, green teas are healthier.  It took a while before I got used to the taste, but I have grown accustomed to it. I usually take green tea after a hearty meal.

When I went to Qatar, and the expats there were drinking their Lipton Green Tea, I prepared my own cup as well. So imagine my surprise when it tasted like toothpaste! How was I supposed to know that green teas have different variants as well?  The box looked the same as the green tea I’m used to. The one I tasted was mint. Well, I did not want to waste it so I used all my willpower to drink it all up. No amount of sugar can mask the “toothpastey” taste.

I am never drinking mint-flavoured teas again! Even if it is the healthiest tea in the world, I still won’t like it. If I wanted to drink toothpaste, I’ll use Colgate instead so I won’t have cavities.

#WeAreQatar

It has been more than a month since the siege of Qatar started. And I know that staying for a short time in Doha does not make me an expert in their politics and other issues, but it still feels sad.

It's like I went to visit an aunt I never knew I had. After my visit to this aunt, I discovered that she is ok, too. And if somebody were to persecute my newfound aunt, then I would feel bad too.

Malls, malls, malls Part 2

So I guess I saved the best for last.

City Center is the first mall I have visited in Doha. It was also the nearest. When I got there, I looked for Max, the clothing store. I am familiar with it because I have seen some pasalubongs from Max in the past. I loved browsing the children's clothes.

I told you I liked the children's clothes

Also, it was in City Center where I discovered this Chinese restaurant called Golden Dragon. Up to now, I can still remember how yummy their stir fried noodles is. I also had lumpiang shang hai (or whatever it's called), but it's the noodles that I love so much. I was actually supposed to order at Burger King because I also like to compare how fast foods' taste varies in different countries. But the people next to us at the food court were eating this delicious looking pancit canton, and it looked so much better than a burger. I'd like to think that choosing the pancit was one of the best decisions I have made in my life :)

Villagio Mall is so far from where I stayed. But it was worth the travel because the place is awesome. There was a gondola inside the building. And the ceiling was designed to look like the evening sky. If you are into buying high end items, there was a portion of the mall for that. I noticed, though, that not a lot of people go there. Most of the foot traffic where in the affordable section. I liked their Marks and Spencer boutique, though.

The ceiling in Villagiio

Let's go to the supermarket!

I have been to five supermarkets in Doha. Technically, it should be four because the other one seems more of a convenience store for me. And it the smallest in floor area.

FFC (or Family Food Corporation) is the one nearest the apartment. It was the smallest, but it had most of the things we need. They even offer free delivery. But there was one incident where I was dismayed by the attitude of the delivery boy. Maybe he didn't understand what we said, or maybe he doesn't want to do it. But if he were a kabayan or if we were in the Philippines, I know that we wouldn't be refused.

Al Meera is a bit further, where I also had to cross a busy highway. You could say that it was a challenge going there because I am not familiar with how the Qataris and other nationalities deal with pedestrians. The Al Meera branch near us is also a bit small. But there are other bigger branches located in malls. When I first went there, I looked at all the aisles, just to soak up on the experience.

Dairy products in Al Meera

Kabayan Supermarket is where we can buy tomato sauce. The lack of tomato sauce in other supermarkets highlights the fact that I was really in foreign soil . But I digress. At first, I thought that Kabayan Supermarket only carries Filipino products, including seafood. Thus, only the Filipinos shop there. So imagine my surprise when I saw Caucasians and Indians in the check out counter. 

Maybe it's a Filipino thing, where we buy fish in the market. And we can request the vendor to clean the fish for us. It wasn't like that in Qatar! We buy fish in Kabayan, we clean it at home. 

Carrefour has a large floor area. One corner carries electronics, another section for clothes, and so on. Since it was already evening the first time I (with other expats, of course) went there, I didn't have time to browse all the aisles. One important thing to remember about Carrefour is that you bag your own groceries. I didn't know that, so I was just looking at the cashier while she does her work. And then my companions started bagging my purchase.

Lulu Hypermarket is even bigger. When I went there the first time, one hour is not enough because I also went to the department store. And everyone knows that you do not browse for 30 minutes in a department store because you need to try on the clothes, too. I wasn't able to go through all the aisles in Lulu during my first time there. Good thing that there was a second time! Lulu always has something on sale. I especially like the 10QR items that are good for pasalubong. 

Also, if there is one thing to love about Lulu, it should be their blueberry muffin. The muffin is soft, and the blueberry has just the right amount of sweetness. Is there a similar tasting muffin here in the Philippines?

In Doha, there is no Spam

I know that by going to the Middle East, my pork consumption will be limited. But what do you know, when pork is not available in the menu, I kinda missed it. In my short stay in Doha, I longed to eat sisig and dinuguan. I missed sisig so much that when I got home, I mostly ate sisig at a buffet station. But that's a story for another post.

Since pork is not available, I discovered that some of the food choices in Doha were delicious too. I loved the shrimp siomai that we bought in Kabayan Supermarket. I forgot the brand name, of course. I just picked it up in the freezer section.

There was also this canned tuna that I liked. I also did not know the brand. But it was in the promotional section (where I can buy 3 cans for a lesser price) of Al Meera. The package looked good, but I wasn't sure whether it tasted good. There was a kabayan roaming the aisle nearby. So I asked him whether he thinks this brand of tuna is good.

I knew I should have paid more attention to the brand name I'm eating. But I guess, since I will not stay long, there was no need to get attached to all those culinary treats. Besides, when I get home, it will be back to Century Tuna and Hen Lin for me.

Did I mention that there were no canned pork in Doha? I realized that fact when I was in the arrival section of NAIA. I picked up one pack of Spam because I also missed it.

Pinoy food for the soul

One of the dilemmas during my visit is choosing where to eat. The expats wanted to eat in one of the Filipino fast food. But they worry that I might want to eat somewhere else because I just came from the Philippines and have been eating these food all the time. At this one time, we ended up eating in Max's because of its sinigang.

The menu is mostly the same, but there is no pork. They have sizzling tofu, and it was ok. Do we have sizzling tofu in the Philippines? I better go to a Max's restaurant tomorrow to find out. I also want to know if we can buy the caramel bar in a box. If I remember, there are 12 slices in the box.

And this entry won't be complete without mentioning Jollibee. We go to Jollibee for the spaghetti because I keep forgetting that McDonalds only offer spaghetti in the Philippines. It would have been so convenient because there's a McDonald's near the apartment where I stayed.

So red!

I noticed that the chicken in Jollibee are darker, and the explanation was that the chicken are frozen. I didn't try the Chicken Joy. And I'm kind of glad that I didn't because they say that the taste is different from the Chicken Joy in the Philippines.

It is worth mentioning that the set up of Chowking Qatar is fine dining. I loved the siomai and lumpiang shanghai.

Malls, malls, malls

I read from other blogs that Qataris go to the mall everyday. But really, don't we all (regardless of nationalities) love going to the mall? It's another story, of course, to come home everyday laden with shopping bags.

During my short stay in Doha, I was able to visit four malls. For now, I'm only going to talk about Gulf Mall and Ezdan Mall, in Al Gharafa. These two malls are located next to each other. There's also another mall across the busy street. 

I think there was a sale in Gulf Mall. So, the lines in the check out counter were very long. I remember finding a nice pair of pants, but decided not to buy because of the long lines. And I also reasoned out that my luggage is already full. In one of the stores, as I was paying, there were some candies near the cashier. I don't remember if I asked whether the candies are free or she offered them first. So I tried one. And because she's a kabayan, she urged me to get more. Of course, I didn't refuse.

In Ezdan Mall, on the way to the parking lot, there was a food exhibit. Being a nosy tourist, I wandered in the exhibit. The usher asked if I was one of the bloggers that they invited. I said yes, even if I have no idea what she's talking about. Here are some of the food on display. Ang sarap ng itsura di ba? I think the mall management invited their tenants to participate.

Now, having a kabayan manning the exhibit really has its advantage. In Mrs. Fields' exhibit, while I was taking some pictures, the staff told me that I can taste the pastries. But she probably realized that those on display have been exposed to a lot of people. So she offered a fresh batch of cupcakes to choose from. 

 Who would have thought that I had to go to Doha just to get a taste of Mrs. Fields?

In Souq Waqif

According to Wikipedia, souq waqif means "standing market."

I first went to Souq Waqif on Friday morning. Since it was a weekend, most of the shops were still closed. I was told that the shops open in the afternoon until after midnight (if I remember correctly). The people walking there were mostly expats enjoying their day off.

Souq Waqif is near Corniche. My companions and I first went to Kabayan Store. At first, I thought they only sold Filipino products. But eventually I was told that they also carry products from other countries. After Kabayan Store, we passed by the different stores. These reminded me of Divisoria. I also heard Indian nationals speaking in Filipino.

Though most of the stalls were empty, some other stores were open. A group of women were selling colorful items, which looked like pillowcase covers. But when I looked at the items closely, I discovered that the quality is not that good. It could be that us Filipinos can sew better than them.

And because I was a tourist, I must have proof that I went to Souq Waqif. So, this was taken in one of the restaurants. I really wanted to show the architecture, though. 

Galaxy Chocolates

I am familiar with Galaxy (not Samsung) dairy products because I always get Galaxy chocolates as "pasalubong" from somebody who has been to the Middle East. And though it was cold in Doha when I went there, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try this Galaxy Ice Cream.It tasted great. Fortunately for me, I can still eat sweet foods so I get to enjoy this chocolate ice cream. 

I wonder, though, why the supermarkets in Doha only carry the Galaxy milk chocolate variant? It seems that in UAE, they have Galaxy chocolates with rice crispy. 

I checked the ever-reliable Wikipedia to know more about the Galaxy chocolates. And I was surprised to find that these are available in UK as well. Wow, I better visit UK as soon as I can to compare the chocolates' taste there :)

For posterity, here are other Galaxy products that I have at home (Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement. I am just fond of Galaxy Chocolates).

This Galaxy Minis pack was available in all the supermarkets that I visited.

On the other hand, I didn't see this hot chocolate in the supermarket shelves. It was ok. The taste reminds me of Milo.

The Introduction

So I went to Doha for a month to care for a convalescing family member. Though I may not be able to write about my adventure in the sand dunes, as my usual destinations were the hospital, apartment and eventually the malls, I will still have some interesting tales to share.

And it will not be about Doha all the time. Marami ding adventures sa loob ng Pilipinas, syempre!