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in the old part of the city comprises 400 selling outlets.
There are, however other larger and more comprehensive
stores where one can buy all sorts of commodities: from
needles to large pieces of furniture of various kinds. They
are also known for perfumes, natural oils and henna
(camphire). In these places one can bargain. Thus if
you can show your ability to speak Arabic and earn the
appreciation of the seller, you may get a good discount.
I should not omit saying a few words about restaurants
and cafeterias. The latter are situated near shops that sell
the daily necessary commodities such as bread, meat,
vegetables. These cafeterias are designated for men only,
but some of them have special places for families. As to
restaurants, these are numerous and variegated: Turkish,
Indian, Moroccan, Japanese, Korean, Italian and many
others. They are usually very large and divided into
beautifully engraved and decorated girders and beams,
secluding partitions and curtains so that the clients are
isolated in groups of friends. Their entrances are usually
divided into two doors: one for men and one for families, so
that when they enter they do not see one another. Chinese
restaurants are particularly famous for their exquisite,
colorful decorations and the lamps that are suspended
from the ceiling, as well as the small ringing bells. There
are also artificial ponds with water jets and large glass
basins that rise higher than men’s stature, in which exotic
fish and other marine life swim, all this being for the
entertainment of customers. One may also choose to sit
with one’s friends and acquaintances in a closed hall.
The staff of these restaurants receive guests and bid
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them farewell with friendly smiles and faces. At the end
of the meal, they provide you with boxes that contain
whatever was left of the food you were unable to finish,
thank you for your visit and invite you to come again, thus
bidding you welcome in advance. The walls of the fronts
of all Chinese restaurants are decorated with an original
picture which you can easily recognize wherever you
happen to be in the city.
There are Korean restaurants, Kentucky, Macdonald
and other restaurants that have traditional and bright
decorations as well. There are also restaurants that are
annexed to major luxurious hotels. Here also there are
small halls and large ones.
In such places, all sorts of receptions, including
diplomatic receptions, celebrations, parties and weddings
take place. We celebrate the national day of our Republic
in the celebration hall of Riyadh Palace Hotel, which is
the same hotel we stayed at on the first day of our arrival
in this country. But this is not a mere coincidence, for my
husband has, since then, made friends with the manager
of the hotel and we have discovered that he and his wife
are kind and courteous and are of Jordanian origin. Our
friendship has probably been cemented by our common
love for this magnificent country. Since then, he has
always shown all signs of respect and appreciation to
our embassy – to our country as well - and given us good
discounts for all our receptions that take place there. In
April 2002, there was a great exquisite exhibition of
Azerbaijan carpets at this hotel under the auspices of the
Emir of Riyadh, Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz. Generally
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speaking, and throughout our long years of diplomatic
work, my husband and I have become convinced of the
importance of personal contacts and relations with people
in this kind of business.
To conclude my talk on restaurants, I will simply
add that these are surprisingly different from ordinary
restaurants in that there is total absence of alcoholic drinks
and music. But the food is excellent, both that served at
luxurious restaurants and that provided by more modest
ones, which makes it possible for foreigners who come to
work unaccompanied by their families to have their meals
at such restaurants. I may mention in passing that many
very small cafeterias that offer Turkish “shawerma” and
fast food, attract passers by with the scent of their grilled
and fried meat, which is sold in the form of sandwiches that
are stuffed with delicious food and sold at three Riyals per
unit, i.e. less than s Dollar, which anybody can afford.
For the entertainment of citizens, in addition to camel
racing, which I will take up below, horse racing and football
matches are frequent and create a lot of noise among the
youths, which noise reaches the streets (particularly after
the winning of a local team). Thus the youths would drive
their private cars at top speed waving their head dress
(kufiyya) as a sign of pleasure and exultation. As to horse
racing, this is organized pursuant to all international rules
and attract great interest, but, obviously, there are no
brokers and betting.
Among three hundred parks and recreation grounds in
the capital, there is a place which has a special appeal,
not only for children, but also for adults. This is the zoo,
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