Buffets, Booze and No Bills
[I'm a little slow today because of the after-effects of last night's drinking, so apologies if this is weak in terms of creativity...]
Yesterday was the first day of my weekend, and I must say, it was sheer genius.
Firstly, I have agreed to write a Meet&Eat feature for the paper. It's a regular feature whereby the journalist interviews a person of interest over a meal in a nice restaurant. I interviewed the General Manager of Al Boom Marine at a Thai restaurant in Le Meridien Dubai.
The meal was the best I've had since I got here without doubt. And of course the fact that it was free gave it an extra sweet taste. We both ordered a set menu and the steady flow of dishes (I think I counted seven in all) soon filled us up. Lobster soup, king prawns, duck, beef, noodles, more lobster... Delicious. Anyway, you will be able to read all about that on Tuesday: Page 34.
At night, after officially signing for and taking the keys to my new car, Matt informed me that he had some media gig for me to attend if I so wished. Seeing as it was my Saturday night and he promised there would be alcohol available, I agreed. And despite the hangover, I am glad I did.
You see, this week is Gitex Dubai 2006, one of the world's top three Information Technology exhibitions. It sounds awful but, as just about every technological company you can imagine is involved, there is lots going on and every night there are functions...
Myself, Mr Matthew Smithers, Tony 'The T Dogg' Richardson and Canadian John went to this media gig, which turned out to be a beach party held by Sun Microsystems. On arrival we were given a glass of coconut punch and a Hawaiian shirt (my kind of party!) and informed that everything behind the bar was compliments of Sun Microsystems. FREE BAR!
Hula dancers came and danced on the makeshift stage as we propped the bar up demanding exceedingly more extravagant drinks; waiters walked around ensuring that everyone's drink was full, and providing a top up if you had any less than half a glass; also, an exotic buffet was put on.
After a few beers, gin and tonics and vodka red bulls, we decided to liven up the bland conversation by playing a game (not indoor tennis). Basically, having struck up a chat with a stranger, we each had to tell extravagant lies and try to get one of the other people (ie Matt, Tone, John or me) into the conversation by introducing them as something totally random. This could be as simple as, "Tell [insert stranger's name] about the time when you ended up in court for treason" or something far more elaborate. And the only rule is you have to play along with whatever the other person says. I ended up having a five-second bit-part in Braveheart, including only one line of dialogue -- which I was made to recite spontaneously when questioned by both Matt and T-Dogg: "Tell him your line!" they screamed at me in drunken anticipation.
In response though we managed to convince an unsuspecting victim, who it turned out liked reggae music, that Tony used to live in Jamaica and was once close friends with Shaggy. Shaba!
So, in conclusion, I had a great day, ate exceptional food, had all the drinks my liver probably couldn't handle and didn't spend a penny. Or even a Dirham.
Oh, and it gets better, there is another free bar tonight. This time at the world's only seven star hotel, The Burj Al Arab. It's very exclusive though and you only get in 'if your name is on the list'. Which mine is! I am very excited for this as I have yet to go to the Burj and even on a normal day you can't get in unless you are staying or eating there. My camera will be passing through the gaudy golden gates with me...
Yesterday was the first day of my weekend, and I must say, it was sheer genius.
Firstly, I have agreed to write a Meet&Eat feature for the paper. It's a regular feature whereby the journalist interviews a person of interest over a meal in a nice restaurant. I interviewed the General Manager of Al Boom Marine at a Thai restaurant in Le Meridien Dubai.
The meal was the best I've had since I got here without doubt. And of course the fact that it was free gave it an extra sweet taste. We both ordered a set menu and the steady flow of dishes (I think I counted seven in all) soon filled us up. Lobster soup, king prawns, duck, beef, noodles, more lobster... Delicious. Anyway, you will be able to read all about that on Tuesday: Page 34.
At night, after officially signing for and taking the keys to my new car, Matt informed me that he had some media gig for me to attend if I so wished. Seeing as it was my Saturday night and he promised there would be alcohol available, I agreed. And despite the hangover, I am glad I did.
You see, this week is Gitex Dubai 2006, one of the world's top three Information Technology exhibitions. It sounds awful but, as just about every technological company you can imagine is involved, there is lots going on and every night there are functions...
Myself, Mr Matthew Smithers, Tony 'The T Dogg' Richardson and Canadian John went to this media gig, which turned out to be a beach party held by Sun Microsystems. On arrival we were given a glass of coconut punch and a Hawaiian shirt (my kind of party!) and informed that everything behind the bar was compliments of Sun Microsystems. FREE BAR!
Hula dancers came and danced on the makeshift stage as we propped the bar up demanding exceedingly more extravagant drinks; waiters walked around ensuring that everyone's drink was full, and providing a top up if you had any less than half a glass; also, an exotic buffet was put on.
After a few beers, gin and tonics and vodka red bulls, we decided to liven up the bland conversation by playing a game (not indoor tennis). Basically, having struck up a chat with a stranger, we each had to tell extravagant lies and try to get one of the other people (ie Matt, Tone, John or me) into the conversation by introducing them as something totally random. This could be as simple as, "Tell [insert stranger's name] about the time when you ended up in court for treason" or something far more elaborate. And the only rule is you have to play along with whatever the other person says. I ended up having a five-second bit-part in Braveheart, including only one line of dialogue -- which I was made to recite spontaneously when questioned by both Matt and T-Dogg: "Tell him your line!" they screamed at me in drunken anticipation.
In response though we managed to convince an unsuspecting victim, who it turned out liked reggae music, that Tony used to live in Jamaica and was once close friends with Shaggy. Shaba!
So, in conclusion, I had a great day, ate exceptional food, had all the drinks my liver probably couldn't handle and didn't spend a penny. Or even a Dirham.
Oh, and it gets better, there is another free bar tonight. This time at the world's only seven star hotel, The Burj Al Arab. It's very exclusive though and you only get in 'if your name is on the list'. Which mine is! I am very excited for this as I have yet to go to the Burj and even on a normal day you can't get in unless you are staying or eating there. My camera will be passing through the gaudy golden gates with me...
posted by Sheikh Gareemi Nahan at 4:25 PM
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