Shut up, just shut up shut up

So nothing really pisses me off more than people talking through a movie. But when you're sitting half way around the world in a foreign culture, you have be more accepting of different social norms, so I wasn't complaining. Still, when Ketan and I sat through the Forbidden Kingdom (movies are a big part of entertainment here, we're not going to be choosey about selection) there were a few guys behind us shouting things at the screen and talking loudly to one another… in a lot of ways I felt like I was back home in Oakland. Still, it's not as bad when you can't understand the language.

The greatest source of comedy wasn't so much the movie, but the fact that one of the dudes behind us would bray like a fucking donkey exactly 3 seconds after something humorous transpired on screen. HEEE HAW HAW!!! God only knows. He went completely ape shit when Jet Li urinated on Jackie Chan (don't ask).

This was not our only exposure to the culture that day. We had lunch earlier in one of the food courts (there's great food in the food courts out here), and after eating we got up to empty our trays in the waste bin. As Ketan and I walked over to the trash receptacles, everyone there gave us these really bewildered looks. In a land where Indians and Filipinos scrub and clean for their day jobs, here were two Indian guys who even as customers were insisting on bussing our own trays. We joked later about the locals looking at us and thinking, "These Indians must have it in their genes to clean, even on their day off they just can't help themselves..."

We really had a field day at the food court that day. Lately, we've had trouble getting a glass of tap water anywhere, and that day at lunch we ordered from a friendly south Indian lady, so we tried our luck. You have to take into account the following conversation took place with a lot of laughing from both parties, so it wasn't as adversarial as it might come across…

"Could we get glasses of tap water?"

*confused look*

"Oh we don't have a tap for water."

"You don't have running water? "

"No, we don't serve it for drinking."

"Why not?"

"Because you can't drink tap water."

"What do you mean? Tap water's fine."

"No no, it's salty."

"It's not salty. Have you tried it? I mean _you personally_ have you ever tried tap water here?"

"No no, I don't drink tap water, you can't drink tap water, it's salty."

Now usually it's the Americans in a foreign land insisting on bottled water, afraid to drink what the locals do, but here it was quite the opposite. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am here to attest, the water in Bahrain tastes fine and dandy right from the tap.

Also, for your viewing pleasure here's a bit of American Arabic fusion cuisine... (you should know that I got yelled at for taking this picture)