Odds & Ends in KSA

Pull Tab

Hello again, we are still broadcasting to you from beautiful Yanbu, the flower of Saudi Arabia.

One of the things I enjoy about being here is noticing the differences between here and life back in Texas.  In most cases it not good or bad, just different.  For example, the first canned Coke I had here had a "pull tab" not a "pop top" or "sta tab".  If you are as old as I am, you will remember "pull tabs" were popular in America back in the '60s and early '70s and being replaced in the mid seventies with the "pop tab" and "sta tab".

Sta Tab or Pop Tab

 
 

This change was mainly introduced to stop the littering problem caused by all the discarded "pull tabs".  I can remember a "fad" from the '60s, people making pull tab chains and decorating their "pads" with them.

There is a lot of craft stuff being done with them now.






Another interesting thing is Sewak Arak or Miswak.  It is traditional Middle East alternative to a toothbrush.  You often see people using them after a meal.  At first it looks strange seeing a person with a "twig" in their mouth but you get used to it, it is just different.

 Electricity or electrical wiring is another odd thing.  I have always heard that Europe uses a lot of 220 volt appliances where in the US we primarily use 110-120 volt stuff.  Here in KSA they mostly use 220 volt stuff too.  What is odd is that our villa has mostly 110-120 volt outlets.  That is great for my computer and other things from the US but when we went to buy an extension phone it came wired for 220 and had a three prong plug.  Likewise, we had difficulty finding a fan that was 110 volts.  Just another difference you have to work around.

Anise or mukhwas is often seen in a bowl near the exit of a restaurant, it is considered a breath freshener or digestive aid.  What is odd is that it is in a bowl and everybody uses from the same bowl.  They walk by and reach in getting a "pinch" between their fingers and place it in their mouth.  Concerns over sanitation or the possibility of passing germs would rule this out in the US but here it is very common and a large number of people use it.


 

Masbaha (prayer beads) are often seen in the hands of Muslim men.  They are used in saying Tasbih (similar to the way a rosary is used by Catholics).  There are many different types, some plain and some ornate.











TJ & EA living it up in KSA.....