I’m not a big fan of fast food or junk food but the other night as I was on my way home I had this sudden and piercing craving for a milkshake. And I did not want just any milkshake, I wanted a vanilla milkshake from McDonalds. Whenever I would choose to have a milkshake in my view the ones from McDonald’s were excellent. They had such a rich flavor and just the right size to fulfill the craving. Imagine my surprise when we showed up at the drive-through. I looked over the menu and saw the usual assortment of sandwiches, chicken nuggets, ice cream cones, sodas, etc., but no mention of milkshakes. I thought to myself that was surely just an oversight. We then drive up to the service window to place our order and I requested my vanilla milkshake. The Indian clerk looked at me with surprise and confusion in his eyes as he explained he could give me an ice cream cone or a soda but McDonald’s in Saudi Arabia do not serve milkshakes. Now why is that I wonder?
Filed under: America, culture, Food, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, Saudi Living, travel Tagged: | America, culture, culture shock, customs, Food, KSA, places, Riyadh, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, travel
Hmmm….curious. Nah…not going to say it.
Don’t be shocked Carol.
When I was in Riyadh couple months ago, I went to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and ordered Blueberry doughnut( as I always do here in AUS) . The clerk was surprised and said that there is no blueberry in our menu !!
I don’t know but I think McDonalds milkshake is not popular in KSA that’s why they maybe removed it from the menu or it may contain some ingredients which are prohibited ( not Halal gelatin or not Halal Emulsifier ??). I’m not sure.
I can suggest that you try milkshakes at Baskin robins.
Ah but it seems they do, although perhaps not at that location.
Milkshakes are available in all of McDonald’s US and global markets. Permanent flavors are Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate; regional or seasonal flavors include Coffee, Cherry, Eggnog (LTO shake for Christmas), Banana, Pumpkin (during Halloween), Strawberry Banana, Mango Raspberry, Honeycomb, Arctic Orange (sherbet), Shamrock Shake (a green, peppermint LTO shake for St. Patrick’s Day), Chocolate Mint, and Rolo (available only in Canada and the UK.
Good luck in your quest for one!
I did think the 2 reasons Kalid gave were the most likely if they aren’t available anywhere in Saudi: the local yuck factor, and the haraam ingrediant.
Baskin-Robbins is very good for milkshakes … but not yet, still too cold around here.
“When I was in Riyadh couple months ago, I went to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and ordered Blueberry doughnut( as I always do here in AUS) . The clerk was surprised and said that there is no blueberry in our menu !!”
The clerk wasnt surprised because they didn’t know what a blueberry donut was… they were surprised because this was the first time some idiot was ordering something other than Original Glazed at Krispy Kreme.
Kalid, Abid – I’m not sure which one a family member went to but they found blueberry donuts at Krispy Kreme!
Funny speaking of Baskin-Robbins, we just drove for about 40 minutes trying to find one locally here in Houston with no luck. )-: Yet they are literally on every block in Riyadh!
Chiara – Sometimes your quest to inform goes a little overboard. I (and I’m sure others) are probably aware of (if out of Saudi Arabia) all the variety of choices of milkshakes one can get at McDonald’s but as my post stated…not in Saudi Arabia. You do not live in Saudi Arabia so you need to be careful on how you word things…as your first sentence implies McDonald milkshakes are available in all of its global markets. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find one somewhere but at least not at the McDonald’s on King Abdullah Road across from King Saud University!
Sorry that was a quote from the McDonald’s propaganda people not my own words. I was busy on something else, and forgot the quotation marks.
I did mean to add that in my experience elsewhere–I am well aware that I am not Saudi, do not live in Saudi, and have not yet visited Saudi–I have been told by a clerk something doesn’t exist in a country when in reality it did not exist in that particular shop which was why I thought the quote was encouraging that you might find it elsewhere.
I am sorry that something i thought was funny and positive turned out to be “overboard”.
I dont know how these places make their choices. In the UK Kentucky Fried Chicken doesnt serve mashed potatos, not at least the ones I had been to England and Belfast.
I always thought it odd because Mashed Potatos are common in the UK and Ireland, ie “Bangers and Mash”.
PS it was a direct cut and paste ie the whole paragraph was a quote
“The clerk wasnt surprised because they didn’t know what a blueberry donut was… they were surprised because this was the first time some idiot was ordering something other than Original Glazed at Krispy Kreme”.
That reflects your bad deeds and poor upbringing.
BTW original glazed is not the only variety Krisby Kreme has.
Now that you mention it Abu Sinan, I’m not sure if KFC serves mashed potatos in Saudi or not….
Now I found it interesting to see that the McDonald’s in Saudi Arabia are basically independently owned:
http://www.mcdonaldsarabia.com/
so it does make one wonder then if corporate policies apply or if they even could be enforced?
Now I’m on my own roll here….if you believe the web site, it would give one the impression that milkshakes are available…
http://www.mcdonaldsarabia.com/english/ksa/quality_highest.asp
and this short brief is from the McDonald’s Saudi web site too:
“McDonald’s cheese, shakes, McFlurry, Sundae and ice cream are made from high quality fresh milk coming from approved regional and local suppliers, whereby quality control procedures are in place throughout the supply chain – from the freshness of the milk, all the way through handling, processing, and transportation to ensure the quality of the end product. ”
False advertising or only at select locations?
Yup, for sure, there are 3 milkshake flavors in McDonald’s KSA (vanilla, strawberry and chocolate). I’m sure I’ve seen my bro drinking the vanilla one.
2 years ago I was in Riyadh for a short visit, and my friend ordered milkshake from McDonald’s, I’m not sure which branch, but it’s the one near “tamimi Safeway and shawermer” I guess this is “Al Takhasosi” isn’t it? Maybe they stopped selling it. Have you tried the vanilla milkshake from Hardiz? I’ve never tried it, but I’ve been told it’s good.
P.S. “Shawermer” is one of the few places that makes shawerma with pomegranate ….. It’s good.
PS2
I see another Khalid here 
but without “h” 
that’s good, so people will not get confused 
Welcome aboard 
Well I must admit I have some trepidation in even pursuing this theme
, however in my vast knowledge (seriously dripping self-deprecating irony here 
) of corporate governance, local franchises have a limited permission to vary the corporate menu (but not logos, nor make unauthorized additions).
Perhaps the other Saudi-based commentors will bear witness to the presence or absence of milkshakes in their nearby locations.
I also have found– again elsewhere, not yet in Saudi– that a comment like “there are no #2 crochet hooks in Morocco”, meant “I don’t have one and I would like you to buy a #3″, or “I don’t know what you are talking about, but I don’t want to look stupid”. [there are and I bought one elsewhere]
If you found that site you probably also found the, unique to Saudi, McArabia “sandwich”–intriguing example of the localization of the global junk food industrial complex
While I’m on a roll, the short answer re: KFC in Saudi is no mashed potatoes (according to the KFC Saudi website, Menu).
To combine the McDonald’s, Krispy Kreme, and KFC comments–imperialisation/acculturation by junk food, anyone?
Thanks for the leads, Khalid!
I have seen the Shawermer shops around but had not tried them. However now knowing they have pomegranate I must rectify this….
and yes…we do have another Kalid on board now!
Ah, Khalid to the rescue!
Be aware of shawermer!!!
They used to be good when they first started but their food now is bad :s They sometimes cook old shawerma!
For shawerma, I would recommend “Mama noorah” there is one on king abdullah road between takhasosee and king Fahad road. there is also one near the national gaurd hospital.
If youre looking for a good lebanese meal in riyadh (a bit expensive though) I would recomend “Balabek” on orooba street (somewhere near the end at the Panda supermarket). Another resturant is “Burj al-hamam” which is a very old well known place on takhasosee road its a little south of the King faisal specialized hospital.
As for Milkshakes I remmber mcdonalds had them ?? Havent tried ordering them in a long while though. there Is a new store open on Tahlya street called “Jhonny Rockets” which is supposed to be famous for thier burgers and shakes.
Never seen mashed potatoes at KFC. but I wouldnt eat that greasy chicken if you paid me! If you ever pass by Jeddah I higly recommend you try “Al-Baik” which are very famous for thier fried chicken.
nope no milkshakes in the khobar area either. Tried when I was pregnant, french fries and a choc shake.. nope. They guy was not happy telling a very pregnant woman there wasn’t a shake either.
No mashos at KFC either to the disapointment of my daughter.
There are a few american chains where I have asked for things and they didn’t have it. And I asked “Why not they have it in America aren’t you an American chain?” just to totally confuse the guy working there if nothing else.
simple saudi- I had my son taken to al baik to get the whole 3 am feeding freenzy that goes on there w/ all those guys. I don’t quite get it.. the husband tries to convince me it is the best in the world blah blah blah but its fried chicken all fried chicken is greasy. Of course he thinks anything from jeddah is the best..
McD’s dont serve breakfast here in Bahrain either…I miss the pancakes.
Whenever I go home to visit my family…the very next morning pancakes from McD’s are waiting for me on the kitchen table…dont know why they dont serve breakfast here….but thinking about it maybe its cause all the sandwiches have bacon in them
i was craving Hardee’s strawberry milkshake the other day, i used to love it as a child (in saudi arabia). so i go to Hardee’s and order a large strawberry milkshake, apparently now they only have one size of milkshake, so i order that. as i started drinking i realized it was actually vanilla milkshake with sunday strawberry topping added to it, not mixed together so well and with bits of strawberry in it… not what i was hoping for…
Mc donald’s in Spain also hasn’t milkshake, I think that it’s because here in Spain is not popular. While travelling around Europe and north african countries I noticed that every countri has its own way of mc donald’s, kentuky fried chiken, dunkin’ donuts…
And the difference is biggest in “muslim” and no “muslim” countries.
KFC did have mashed potato here in Jeddah then they discontinued it, don’t know why! For a while MCd in Jeddah did have milkshake, they also discontinued it. Mcd try adopingt local marke standardst, and taste for instant they have Mcarabia, whiich is a hamburger patty in pitta bread.
Khalid, haaa, I was getting confused! So the one with the ”h” is the only original one?
Nzingha, how dissappointing! I think it’s criminal to deny a pregnant woman chocolate!
Bedu, Shall I tell you why milkshakes are not available anymore in Riyad? I mean really, haven’t you figured it out yourself? I mean, I want to tell the story but I’m really worried I’m getting boring.
Hello Aafke,
If nobody else is curious as to the reason why Milkshakes aren’t available, I for one, would like to know.
You should read “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser
Then you will find out that the milkshakes taste “perfect” because they are infused with chemicals that have been tested on humans to give it “just the right flavor”. The strawberry milkshakes have 0% strawberries in them. That nice “charbroiled” flavor in your Big Mac….yep, you guessed it. It’s FAKE charbroiled “flavoring”.
McDonalds can keep ALL of their bio-engineered flavored crap in my opinion.
I’d rather eat real food, thank you very much.
I look forward to Aafke’s hypothesis.
In the meantime along with the yuck factor (likely), and possible worry about haraam ingrediants (less likely), the high prevalence of lactose intolerance among Arabs (reliably studied at 71-78%, including “my Arab” LOL
), would make milkshakes (somewhere between a drink and a dessert) perhaps less desirable in Saudi, where one might want to save one’s lactase for a dessert sundae or flurry–especially since the milk more than the ice cream induces lactose intolerance.
Bedouin’s have fewer problems with lactose intolerance (25%)–maybe a Bedouin McD’s has them.
Different things are popular in different countries probably. My fav. “shake” is Wendy’s Frostie. Love those!
Anisah
Chiara-
That must be a Semitic thing. My husband is severely lactose intolerant (Ashkenazi Jewish ancestory). When you think about it, it only makes sense. Cows are not natural to the Middle East.
Maybe “goat milk” milkshakes would work?
Almond milk too could be good.
Khalid,
I cannot believe there are Krispy Kremes in KSA or Australia!!! That is so awesome. It is originally from the south in the US, and they tried expanding to the north a few years ago, but didn’t do so well as it was already Dunkin’ Donuts territory. Do you have Dunkin’ Donuts there?
Lara,
I beg to differ on McDonalds in different countries – there is McCalamari in Italy – which is pretty freaky if you ask me. And, in India they only have veggie burgers! In Argentina they serve the pancakes with dulce de leche. We saw they don’t have milkshakes in KSA, but is there anything specifically Saudi that they do have? That is always the most entertaining to me….
ps Chiara – unfortunately, McDonald’s milkshakes are not even made from milk products
ps Chiara – unfortunately, McDonald’s milkshakes are not even made from milk products
no joke.
Sabiwabi–you are right! Additionally just about everyone except North Western Europeans has much higher levels of lactose intolerance than the 5-15% of those Europeans and their American descendants. East Asians have levels approaching 100%. Eastern Europeans, Mediterraneans, Latinos, Indians, and Africans (except for tribes that herd goats, and drink the mild) as well as Arabs and Jews notably have more difficulties. Bedouins have less because of drinking camel’s milk at a young age.
Maybe a side order of LactAid with the milkshake, or milkshakes made with lactose free milk and lactose free ice cream might boost sales!
Fabulous article with great maps for the interested
http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/00365529409091740
just be sure to scroll down the article is sitting there after the first couple of pages.
Tanya– the McArabia sandwich (in a pita) is a Saudi specialty and only there.
To requote American Bedu’s quote from the McD’s Saudi site:
“McDonald’s cheese, shakes, McFlurry, Sundae and ice cream are made from high quality fresh milk coming from approved regional and local suppliers, whereby quality control procedures are in place throughout the supply chain – from the freshness of the milk, all the way through handling, processing, and transportation to ensure the quality of the end product. ”
Obviously by the comments, we take our junk food whether indulging or not LOL.
I once threatened to quit the university synchro team if we stopped once more at Mc D’s, so the coach ordered Domino’s pizzas and eliminated all stops so she could get home to her son faster!
ugh edits:
Africans (except for tribes that herd goats, and drink the milk)
Obviously by the comments, we take our junk food seriously whether indulging or not LOL.
It seems the key to lactose tolerance is a tradition of drinking milk (cow, camel, goat) from an early age–which is why East Asians have so little tolerance. Adults generally have diminished tolerance.
PS Tanya–we now have a Kalid (Krispy Kreme fan) along with Khalid (McD’s milkshake expert).
susan, funny you should say that, I just made my husbands’ favorite stuffed crepes last night for dinner and used almond milk in the batter as a substitute. they turned out great and had a nice hint of sweetness. Almond milk is great. Soy and Rice milk is gross.
Chiara- 73% of Ashkenazi Jews are lactose intolerant. It is hard for me to plan meals because I am purely NW European stock and LOVE milk and cheese. Needless to say, I have my own stash of dairy. I even have a whole drawer in my fridge devoted to cheese. We tried soy cheese once and it was so foul we couldn’t even finish the bite. There’s no good dairy cheese substitutes out there.
Sabiwabi–the little know travails of the truly mixed marriage (lactose tolerant/lactose intolerant)!!!
I spend alot of time boiling milk for the hub’s cafe au lait because he thinks it doesn’t bother his stomach as much–and who am I to argue!
Apparently fermented milk is better for the lactose intolerant. McD’s fermented milkshakes?
Chiara,
Lets keep in mind this is the Middle East. Maybe they should have Vanilla Camel’s Milkshakes? How about Vanilla Goat’s Milkshake, or even the Nido Milkshake!?
Abu Sinan–Indeed!
Vanilla Fermented Camel’s Milk Shakes w/without LactAid
Vanilla Fermented Goat’s Milk Shakes w/without LactAid
Vanilla Fermented Goat’s Nido Shakes w/without LactAid–Children’s size special
**the above shakes are also available in strawberry, chocolate, and Saudi McDate
Um, isn’t fermented milk just called “cheese”?
LOL
I got it! Cheese-shakes!
They’d have to use those extra wide straws like the ones they have at Starbucks.
Ok let’s clear up some things here:
#1 Shawermer discontinued their pomegranate syrup Shawerma. I was dismayed but my brothers were like “you were the only one who would it that abomination”
#2 There is no “yuck” factor for milkshakes. Baskin Robbins make a killing and is one of the hugest brands in Saudi Arabia. Nearly all kids in Saudi Arabia have been raised on Herfy Milkshakes as well. Also cool drink+desert=$$$
#3 Saudis regularly consume two things on a near daily basis: Yogurt and Laban (liquid yogurt) with rice so I don’t think lactose intolerance is the problem.
#4 Bedouins ARE Arabs. It’s like saying Chinese who live in Shanghai are different from Chinese who live in Beijing genetically. Few Bedouins actually live in the desert nowadays anyway.
Also:
What the hell is this weird picture that represents me? :O:O:O:O
Cheese shakes for the hearty appetites, butter milk shakes for the “lite” version, kefir shakes or yogurt shakes for the inbetween.
NB all shakes require an analogous frozen component!
McArabia Chicken dressed in Arabian Flatbread + Saudi McDate Shake of your choice = permanent daily special
Mohamed S.-all the more incentive to create your own avatar. After viewing your blog, I suggest a picture of Pikachu or Mario.
Mohamed S
#2 no offense to shake lovers but the yuck factor (me) is one of the ways my mother learned my sister and I were totally distinct in our tastes–glad to hear there is no cultural Saudi yuck factor–don’t want American Bedu to be deprived
#3 yogurt and laban are fermented milk making them easier on the GI tracts of the lactose intolerant
#4 Bedouins ARE Arabs–ones who traditionally raised camels and drank the milk making them more lactose tolerant than their citified fellow Arabs–much like some Subsaharan tribes are lactose tolerant because they traditionally herded and drank the milk of their animals (goats, camels) unlike the majority of African tribes that didn’t.
Since lactose tolerance/intolerance is genetic we are talking patterns over time here, ie traditional practices that affected and still affect the genetic makeup of the populace. Same way the Chinese now are more likely to incorporate “store bought” milk in their diets, though not to the extent of Westerners.
Most babies and small children are lactose tolerant (survival) but most adults have lost some, if not most, f their lactose tolerance (changed GI properties ie lactase).
China is comprised of a number of distinct tribes dominated by the Han who intermarried resulting in even more genetically distinct subtribes of the Han (mostly Northern men going forth and multiplying with Southern women). All are lactose intolerant (up to 90% of some groups).
Not sure I would mess with a Shanghaianese by suggesting other than clear superiority over Beijing
I think your avatar is cute–kind of a brown bunny with pink ears and evolutionary turquoise arms and pink legs!
PS I hope no one has taken offense to the suggestion of a Saudi McDate flavour–none was intended. Rather it was to honour the dates of Saudi and give them their appropriate McD’s identity–and to have an innocent laugh!
Wow, some of these comments made me downright nauseous. Camelshakes?? Cheeseshakes?? Oh jeez.
Anyway, my hypothesis is milkshakes melt too fast in the Saudi heat. I would say that people don’t like milkshakes in Saudi, but Baskin Robbins and the like have milkshakes, don’t they??
Hmm.
-theHalfBreed
http://beliefcan.blogspot.com
Mohammed S, the avatars are generated by AI it distills your comments to an image which is the perfect representation of your personality
Sabiwabi, that does sound good with the crepes. What did you put in the crepes?
I agree, rice milk isn’t the most palatable to my taste buds, soy milk … I can handle that in the “Silk” vanilla. The chocolate soy milk oddly enough is pretty good. But I have to say a soy latte’s not that bad – even a soy mocha latte.
About this time last year, I was looking for a new cherry balsamic reduction recipe, which I had planned to use with venison tenderloin, but no luck. Instead I subbed a beef tenderloin, grilled it to about medium rare … served it with a mixed greens including rocket, not bad.
Since then, I found the venison and made it again, tossing in a little bit of chocolate at the end of the reduction … it was goooood!
Also about that time, I came across this blog.
http://habeasbrulee.com/
And this one, which was up for a blog awards this go around:
http://smittenkitchen.com/
Laban and/or Labne is great on toast in the morning … in celery… in romaine leaves I used to put yogurt in cheese cloth, hang it up in a “pouch” over the sink and let the moisture drip out … then at long last found it already ready in the container. Oh happy day!
Sabiwabi, that does sound good with the crepes. What did you put in the crepes?
I agree, rice milk isn’t the most palatable to my taste buds, soy milk … I can handle that in the “Silk” vanilla. The chocolate soy milk oddly enough is pretty good. But I have to say a soy latte’s not that bad – even a soy mocha latte.
About this time last year, I was looking for a new cherry balsamic reduction recipe, which I had planned to use with venison tenderloin, but no luck. Instead I subbed a beef tenderloin, grilled it to about medium rare … served it with a mixed greens including rocket, not bad.
Since then, I found the venison and made it again, tossing in a little bit of chocolate at the end of the reduction … it was goooood!
Also about that time, I came across this blog.
habeasbrulee.com/
And this one, which was up for a blog awards this go around:
smittenkitchen.com/
Susan,
Generally, I do 1 fruit filling and 1 veggie filling. Last night, the fruit filling was a compote that I made from granny smith apples, bananas and blackberries. Other times I will make a filling of sauteed onions, spinach and baby portabella mushrooms. Crepes are a nice and easy way to get a starch and protein into a meal without alot of work. I make them alot.
It has been quite interesting reading all the comments that took place while I was flying today…and on arrival at my son’s, we stopped at a McDonald’s for a vanilla shake before going on to his house. It was simply delicious and long overdue!
In addition to Al Baik being so popular for chicken, some Saudi guys also wrote a cute song about Al Qassim and even mention Al Baik. It is certainly a Saudi legend.
Camel Shakes? Cheese-Shakes? Nah…I’d probably go for the McDate shake first!
AA Carol,
Are you in America? If so, please e-mail me, I would love to talk to you if you have a free moment from spoiling that new grandbaby!!! ; )
I once asked around if anyone knew wht a milkshake was. They all were surprised tht fast food stores sell them. Unfortunately not available here
The camel shakes can be named, either single hump ( normal serving) or a double hump ( large serving)
lol, Rasputin, that’s an excellent idea, very imaginative!
I like crepes too. Will have to try the Granny Smith, banana, and blackberry.
Spinach is good, I like it just “wilted” where it still has crunch. A little olive oil, some fresh lemon juice, slight sea salt, and a bit of Parmesan. I usually end up doing this in a rolled up tortilla (like jalapeno, or spinach) with sauteed tilapia … another variety with the warm tilapia but no spinach, is to put fresh salad greens with home-made mango salsa.
Because the tilapia is straight from the saute it lends itself well to somewhat wilt the greens … but again, still with crunch factor.
Have also done this with kale wilted with a little balsamic, thinly sliced granny smith apple and hummus, in small rolled up tortilla.
@sabiwabi: lol it’s not my blog, Diehard GameFAN is a website I work at. If anyone should have a pikachu avatar it’s our editor in chief. He a pokemon fanatic and actually works for the Pokemon company. He works so hard Nintendo actually named a pokemon after him!
@Chiara:
#2:
#3 Thanks for this information
#4: By that account Saudi Arabia should be a very lactose tolerant nation. It wasn’t until the 1960s that people actually started urbanizing and it wasn’t full complete till the early 1990s so it shouldn’t have worn out of our genetic code yet right?
Also, we all know people from Hong Kong can beat the hell out of Beijing and Shanghai
Also, I heard from a Canadian friend once that in Florida they serve date shakes!
Date-almond shakes … hmmmm.
@Mohamed S- my daughter is obsessed with Pokeman! I seriously think she has all the characters memorized as well as their special powers. If you have any Pokeman “insider” hookups, you have to help me out.
She even calls our 4 year old “jigglypuff!”
I still actually play pokemon and memorized all the original 151 but now there is like 450 of em! I can’t really remember all that much.
And I’d tell our chief to hook me up with some stuff but I’d just get fired.
@Tina – yes; hubby and I are now in the States for a short period and would love to chat! Email me at admin@americanbedu.com with your number and I’d be happy to give ya a call!
I’ll try a date shake but will pass on the camel shakes!
Carol—-Try the date shakes it is truly DALEESH. I drank losts of date flavored milk when I lived in the MidEast .
Ah, forget the boring vanilla shakes at Micky Dees. Everything is so natural in KSA, it is great!!!!
Now that I am not in Middle East, I cannot find rose water—makes me sad.
Mohamed S
#4–alas apparently not–on this topic I just report the findings and explanations of excellent researchers
There are others saying the same thing, but the best I found is the one I linked above, very readable on world wide lactose intolerance (hypolactasia) with good maps, and graphs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/00365529409091740
Which reminds me, pre-oil, besides fishing, pearl-diving, growing dates and other farming, seafaring, building (land based structures and boats), trading, science, scholarship, theology, and fighting (Persians, Turks, tribes, European colonizers), what did “you Saudi guys and gals” do?
Chiara
Off to boil/ferment milk and make a date-almond milk drink (stirred not shaken, and no frozen milkshaky type ingredients)! Italians have only middling lactose tolerance (41-51%)
PS Mohamed S–add to the pre-oil list, art, architecture, music, literature, etc.
Jacee–I don’t know where you are, but try the baking section of a grocery, or a special bakery supply store, or an ethnic store, or try stocking up at pre-Christmas time (rose water is an ingredient in Christmas cakes), or look online for home recipes (including how to make the still for the distilling!). I have beautiful large blue bottkes of rose water and orange water from a gourmet food shop.
PPS Mohamed S–I probably should have distinguished in my original comment between sedentary (vs citified) and nomadic Arabs–hence the genetics are easier to understand (who said word choice doesn’t matter!!
)
@Chiara: OK hold up…I’m confused. Are you agreeing or disagreeing with me?
That link you posted told me if I wanted to buy the article for 69 Euros that I don’t have. 
_________________________________________
Which reminds me, pre-oil, besides fishing, pearl-diving, growing dates and other farming, seafaring, building (land based structures and boats), trading, science, scholarship, theology, and fighting (Persians, Turks, tribes, European colonizers), what did “you Saudi guys and gals” do?
___________________________________________
Beat up on other tribes duh
Mohamed S
Sorry–the article may come up for free only where one has a university based library access–definitely not worth 69 Euros.
From the article (with bibliographic reference nos. edited out): Near East and Africa
Reliable prevalence figures based on population samples are available from some Arabic countries in northern Africa and in the Near East. The largest sample, 570 adults, was studied in Egypt by Flatz; 73% of the subjects had hypolactasia. In Lebanon, Jordan and Algeria, the prevalence seems to be almost the same. … Among nomadic Bedouins who have traditionally consumed camel’s milk, the prevalence is low: 24% in Jordan, and possibly somewhat lower in Saudi Arabia.
This article is funnier, easier on the stats and should be free: http://www.ajpe.org/legacy/pdfs/aj640216.pdf.
In short, over tens of thousands of years, North Western Europeans, and some isolated herder populations like the Bedouin developed a genetic mutation to permit lactose tolerance beyond childhood.
Other non-Bedouin Arabs, are just as lactose intolerant as the rest of the world.
All of which means, in terms of the post, that if a Saudi
wants to enjoy a McD’s milkshake without fear of tummy troubles he/she should be a Bedu (or American Bedu-Carol) or take a LactAid.
“Beat up on other tribes duh ” Glad you said it not me!
Got some date juice (nectar) from a local shop, got some almond milk from the grocery, had almonds in the cupboard, plus dates … got down the blender, some ice cubes, wwwrrrrrrrrrr, not too bad but I need a sweater right now.
Did you all make yours yet?
Date Nectar? Does it say “Dabes Tamr” (Date Syrup) on it?
It goes really great with rice.
Susan – that does sound delicious! …and healthy too.
Mohamed, the bottle says, dates-jallab-dattes, product of Lebanon, date syrup … the rest is in Arabic
Oh God. I love McDonald’s milkshakes. Especially the chocolate ones. My fiance went to McDonald’s the other day (here in the states) and when I ordered a milkshake he looked at me like I was crazy, having been previously unaware that McDonald’s even offered them. I thought that was weird but I guess this clears things up.
I’ve never had a Baskin Robbin’s milkshake. Are they nearly as good as the McDonald’s ones? The ones at Mickey D’s are like a flavor explosion.
You stated it well Majda — flavor explosion. I think that is why when I would have a crave for a milkshake, I’d want one from McDonald’s. I’ve never had a Baskin & Robbins milkshake but assume one could get one in any of their flavors…but to me, the best milkshake is just old fashioned vanilla or chocolate with its rich burst (explosion!) of flavor!
Actually Carol, a Small Milkshake from Baskin Robbins lets you pick three different scoops of ice cream of your choice! A Large milkshake 4 DIFFERENT (or the same if you want) scoops of ice cream.
The funnest part is coming up with your own recipes. I also gave my concoctions silly names like:
Poma Power+Poma Power+Poma Power= Poma to the Power of Three. (Three scoops of a Pomegranate Ice cream called Poma Power)
But they don’t serve Poma Power anymore.
:(
@Susan:
Well…If it has something like the viscosity of Olive Oil then it’s probably syrup.
Put some on rice and test it out!
Ah man Mohamed…I love pomegranate too and was getting so excited there!
And ironically I only get a craving for a milkshake maybe twice per year!
Yes it does say syrup on the label. I wonder what would happen if I mixed it with the salty spiciness, maybe teriyaki sauce and then put it on rice?
Or maybe make a chutney with it somehow?
Here we are:
http://homecooking.about.com/od/condimentrecipes/r/blcon50.htm
Instead of the “golden syrup” … use the date syrup.
What do you all think? Good, not so good?
This morning I was at Riyadh Gallery mall and after reading this blog posting I suddenly felt in the mood to get a hash brown. When I asked for one, the worker said, “no m’am no hash brown in Saudi” to which I replied “of course you have them, then what’s *that*?!” pointing my finger at a picture of one on their menu. The employee turned and then corrected me, telling me it was a chicken filet. I leaned in closer (me without my glasses) and realized he was indeed right. Crestfallen, I asked him about Egg McMuffins, and Big Breakfasts to which he said there wasn’t demand for breakfast foods as most business occurs after 4pm. So I had a hamburger for breakfast, and it was McGross. I was a bit McUnhappy about it.
By the way I always carry Lactaid tablets with me for those ice cream cravings. No need to suffer punishment for a little joy, is there? No no….human advancement trumps nature at least as far as lactose intolerance goes.
Canadian in Riyadh – my theory is the McDonald’s do not do breakfasts like they do in the USA because Saudi is overall a nocturnal society. However I can recommend Kudu breakfasts which do indeed have hash browns!
I’m seeing a lot more restaurants offering breakfast menus these days.
Maybe it’s become fashionable to go to a restaurant to have breakfast instead of having a shakshooka at home nowadays?
I know it’s kinda pathetic but when I want to save cash I get IKEA’s 4 riyal hot breakfast.
Yes, I eat breakfast in a furniture store.
Thanks for the tip, Mohamed…I was not aware IKEA offered breakfast!
Too bad Saudi did not have Cracker Barrel’s….
and in case you don’t know what a Cracker Barrels’ is, here’s their link:
http://www.crackerbarrel.com/
McDonald’s used to have milkshakes. I remember when I was a child I always ordered chocolate milkshakes… but then nowadays only McDonald’s in Sharafiah in Jeddah has milkshakes. Hopefully they still have it now…
At least I now know where to go in Jeddah!
Give it time Carol, every American restaurant gets it’s 15 minutes here in Saudi Arabia.
We shall see, Mohamed!