Bountiful Hydration!

Disclaimer: this is another food blog...kind-of...it's technically about beverages, so maybe that doesn't quite fit into the food category. I'll let you decide.

So, I'm hoping most of you have now located Dubai on a map, or at least have some idea of what part of the world it's found in (if not, go to Google maps right now and look up the Arabian Peninsula). You should then realize that we are located in a desert and therefore water and other means of hydration are VERY important! This fact is the inspiration of today's blog.

No, not all the labels are in Arabic, I just took the picture this way so it would look more impressive. Most things have either only English labels (with a Arabic ingredients label put on that English section) or an Arabic and an English side...at least for the product name (the ingredients may or may not have English listed).

Bottled water is very inexpensive here (which is good), and a standard piece of household furniture is the water cooler (just like a fridge and stove would be in the states). Milk is a bit more expensive than in the states, but it's good stuff (and no, it's not camel's milk either*). I've also discovered tons of different flavors of fruit juices here--the one pictured is red orange juice, but I've also tried out this fruit punch juice that has lemon and grape juice added (it's no Minute Maid juice, but it is interesting). I think there is still a pomegranate juice, mango juice, and a few other fruit juices that I have yet to try out. I'll keep you posted on any that are particularly note-worthy (I'm fairly sure that I'm just very uneducated in the juice section of American grocery stores and that most of these flavors can be found in the states).

I am very sad to report that I have yet to find a Dr. Pepper or Dr. Pepper substitute in this area (if you're a Coke/Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi fan, though, Dubai would suit you just fine! Hmm...root beer's kinda hard to come by, too...sorry Mom). Fortunately, I like the flavor of orange just as much as I like the color...and orange Fanta and Miranda (another orange-flavored soda) are very popular here. 

I've also discovered several other tasty beverage treats...there are the smoothies at the Phillips' favorite shawarma place--I've only tried one so far, but we go there every couple of weeks, so I'm looking forward to trying more of them (there are probably 20 different standard flavors to choose from...then there are tons more you can invent for yourself!). The smoothies are a bit more yogurt-y here than I remember them being in the states (I'm not just a huge smoothie buff, though, so take that into consideration whilst reading this!). Another place that Jerri K and I have fallen in love with is Caribou Coffee. It's a chain coffee shop, so I'm guessing there are probably some in America as well, but none that I've ever seen.
Let me tell you something about Caribou Coffee...if more people knew about this place, Starbucks would be going out of business! I realize those are probably fighting words to many of my friends...but I won't be taking anything outside with anyone until they've tried some of this stuff...it's AMAZING!!! They put real crushed up chocolate bars in their coffee...(AMAZING)...we're talking Snickers or Andes mints or your choice of milk, dark, or white chocolate...(hold on while I look in my thesaurus for synonyms of "amazing".........hmm...couldn't find just one that I liked...try these on for size....breathtaking, awesome, awe-inspiring, sensational, remarkable, spectacular, stupendous, phenomenal, extraodinary, incredible, unbelievable, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping, wondrous). So, in summary, I really like Caribou Coffee (it's cheaper than Starbucks, too!). 
One fun fact about Dubai (and probably many more of the Arab countries) is that there are essentially no alcoholic beverages served anywhere. Most of the hotels have a special license that allow them to have alcohol in the rooms, but the average person out and about dining wherever can peruse the menu to their hearts content without having to watch out for an alcohol section. I'm a fan of that, although I'm sure it's a bummer for many people.
A bummer for me is that there are no Sonics here (there are also no Chick-fil-a's...but that is a woe I'll save for another day...P.S. Mom, you can consider this my "first meal back in the States" request). My college friends will probably relate to this better than many of my Victoria friends, but I am (or rather, was) a bit of a Sonic junkie...especially with their half-price "happy hour" drinks. It's been kinda tough for Jerri K and I, but never fear...we shall survive this! ;) I did find some frozen Fanta at the movie theaters that's a pretty close substitute for an orange Sonic slush (technically it's more like an Icee, but it does the job)...so I get one of those when we go to our monthly movie.

So now you know more that you probably ever wanted to about what beverages I'm consuming over here...now that that's accomplished, I think I'll go drink some San Antonio blend coffee from home (and stay awake all night)! :)

*I've been informed that camel's milk chocolate is REALLY, REALLY good...I'll let you know my thoughts when I finally get to try some. :)




And seriously...chocolate and coffee are pretty much the two most tasty things you can consume...so chocolate IN coffee...brilliant! Way to go Caribou....