Destination Doha: On eating with your hands...

We received an invitation to have lunch at the home of a student from A's new school. We were pretty excited and wanted the kids to join as we hadn't been to a Qatari's home yet. It was a great time and his student was an excellent host.

The lunch started off with sweets (cakes, fruits etc.), coffee, and tea in the majlis (which is a large room with loads of seating and small tables for cups and plates.. Very lovely room. When lunch was ready, we were ushered into the salon (living room) where we were greeted with two massive trays filled with fragrant saffron rice topped with (freshly killed) extremely tender lamb (

A favourite dish is Matchboush, which is meat cooked until it is incredibly tender, and served with spices and rice. - See more at: http://www.qatarvisitor.com/culture/qatar-food#sthash.WOwM0WT2.dpuf

matchboosh - the name of the dish). Places were set for each of us with various drinks, yogurt (like a soured milk drink), dates, and salad. The presentation was beautiful.

The view from above.

The massive plate when we were just about done.. Lots and lots of food!

Mr. D helping us with the meat.

Friends and food.. Fun time.

There were plates and forks provided as we are all from countries that do not use the common plate for eating, nor do we eat with our hands (mostly). But we figured, "when in Qatar..." and did it the Qatari way with our hands. The nice thing is that both A and I had previous common plate experiences in Morocco. Here are some tips if you ever find yourself dining from a common plate in this part of the world:

Always begin with clean (well kept hands - clip nails etc.).
Use the right hand only.
Most people only use three fingers (maybe four) to scoop up rice and meat (or whatever is offered).
The thumb is used as a scoop to push food into the mouth.
Only eat what is in front of you on the plate, don't reach over someone else. Imagine the place cut like a pie (in wedges), what's in front of you is your lane.. Stay in your lane.
If an elder reaches over ... no problem.
The host will usually be the one to cut up and distribute meat; eat what is put before you.
Don't lick hands while eating. You don't even need to put your fingers into your mouth as you can use your thumb to sort of pop the food in.
When finished, wash your hands in the washroom. (In some places the host will provide a wash station at the table.)
All food should not be finished. If there is food left, the host provided more than enough. There is usually MORE than plenty as you can see from the pictures. It honors the host to have prepared more than enough.

Neither P nor M wanted anything to do with eating with their hands or eating the food presented and I've made a habit of not pressuring them to try or do new things just yet. A and I (along with the other guests) ate and enjoyed (first time with lamb..). After about 10 minutes, M decided he did want to try it after all. He LOVED the food and after the first couple of bites (me feeding him by hand), he lounged on my lap and let me feed him by hand like a baby bird.. Good grief, that kid could get used to that pretty quickly... After M, P decided she wanted a turn. She had several bites of rice, but didn't want to try the "chicken." We call all meat chicken as that's all the kids have been exposed to, just makes it easier especially as P's favorite animal is a baaaa sheep... I just love how they are coming out of their shells and are enjoying these new experiences.

After the meal, we washed up and headed back to the first room for more sweets, tea, coffee, and conversation. After a while, our host's older brother came in with a container full of incense. He brought it to each person and you were expected to waft it at yourself a couple of times. He explained that it helps remove the smell of food from each person. It smelled great and really did work to get rid of any meaty smells... It was a really fun cultural experience and we learned a lot from the few hours spent in a Qatari home. Amazing hospitality, great food, new friends... A good day for sure.