Day 1 Culture Shock

Made a beeline to "The Largest Mall in the UAE" – Mall of the Emirates after I checked into the hotel. Needed to get myself online again with a local handphone. When I reached the mall around 10 am, most of the shops were still closed. But whatheheck, as long as the mobile phone shops were open, I wasn’t complaining.

By lunch time, my stomach was growling. But strangely the food courts and cafes still showed no signs of coming to life. I was hoping that I could get a bite while go through the various price plans. But no such luck.

Wondered around for another hour and finally spotted a few sandwich shoppes lighted up. Ordered a double cheese grilled chicken meal. When the food arrived, she proceeded to pack them into a paperbag without asking me.

“Err.. excuse me, I think I’ll be eating here,” I said, “There’s plenty of seats around.”

“Oh! Err, you are not suppose to eat here, because it is Ramadan,” the petite Filipno staff replied.

“But I’m not Muslim!”

“Well, you can’t eat here.”

“Then where can I eat then? Is there a designated place where we can eat?”

“Eat secretly in your car or go back to your room?”

No wonder people were looking at me strangely when I too a whisk of out my bottled water bottle while shopping.

So dang, where the heck am I suppose to eat then? I’m starving. I don’t care! I need to eat!

Finally I found a spot on the top deck of the open-car carpark. Hiding within a 50 sq cm of shadow formed by a corner of a pillar, surrounded by 37 degrees of sweltering hear, I swallowed my sandwich furtively, afraid that I would be denounced on my first day in Dubai.

And yes, I remembered to check there were no security cameras trained on me.