Food food food

Some of the food from my trip, in chronological order:

1) A hole in the wall Iranian restaurant in the Al Satwa shopping district (where Cheryl got touched up last year). We weren't sure what to expect when we sat down, but as soon as the pleasant man started filling our table with fresh greens, homemade curry soups, fresh arabic bread and piles of other tasty morsels, a sudden happy satisfaction fell over the table. What had previously been an assortment of hungry, grumpy and sweaty film fest staffers, became a smiling, contented and well fed bunch of folks. Seasoned chicken, cool yogurt sauce, fresh veggies and plates of tahini and olives were SO GOOD at that moment. And all for the low low price of $4, or $2 for the vegetarians at the table.

2) Question: what is the best meat in the world? Answer: Fresh whole roasted lamb, stuffed with seasoned rice and served in the middle of the desert. Sweet and impossibly soft, this lamb was really, really impressive. This party also included smoking copious amounts of shisha, and climbing a sand dune in bare feet.

3) Artfully displayed plums, courtesy of the Grovenor House Hotel. Esthetically pleasing, but sadly lacking in flavour.

4) Our colleague and fellow Canadian Ron is to thank for hooking us up in business class for the flight from Dubai to Heathrow. This was lunch... grilled lobster tail, veggies, selection of fresh bread and some lovely wine. On linen. With a purple orchid as garnish. At 35, 000 ft.

When travelling it's often a challenge to find healthy quality food. We did pretty well most of the time. And as I've come to realize (and as my friends got tired of me pronouncing) for me, food is just as important for mental health as it is for simple nutrition.