First Meal in Saudi Arabia
If you guessed that our first meal* in Saudi Arabia was going to be Swedish** meatballs, mash potatoes with gravy and some mystery berries that were even less appetising than the usual lingon berries, go ahead and give yourself a nice firm pat on the back, because you were indeed correct!
Also, that's a very specific guess. Don't wanna tell you how to live your life, but perhaps you should consider using your clairvoyant powers for more lucrative endeavours?
Speaking of lucrative. Total price: 23 riyals, or just under €6, which is a steal by local standards and was worth the cost just for the AC and unlimited free espressos we drank while replying to emails and having an unplanned work call. What wasn't a steal was the towel that cost almost €20 and was the excuse for paying this treacherous Swedish multinational a visit in the first place.....
*In our defence, we arrived in Jeddah close to midnight last night, the place we're staying didn't have any towels and IKEA was only a brisk 5km walk down the street. I also love Ikea. It's one of my guilty pleasures in life. Don't judge me....
**FYI, there was already a 'Swedish' meatball scandal a couple of years ago, namely, the revelation that they're actually Turkish. From Google: "Swedish meatballs, perhaps the country's most famous culinary item, are actually based on a recipe brought back from Turkey in the early 18th century by King Charles XII of Sweden. They are a part of both traditional holiday meals and a staple in everyday home cooking."
