Taste of Abu Dhabi

My weekends here vary greatly from lounging in my pyjamas, refusing to move, to discovering new places and events occurring around this new home of mine.

Three weekends ago I went to Taste of Abu Dhabi with some of the angels I've met here. Taste of Abu Dhabi is founded by the organisers of Taste of Dubai and from what I witnessed is only set to get bigger and better. It’s only in its first year and the presentation, atmosphere and food was amazing. 

Taste of Dubai is in its 7^th successful year and hopefully, Taste of Abu Dhabi will follow in its successful footprints with an annual memorable event filled with food, entertainment and hospitality. There were over 50 exhibitors providing us with everything from Japanese to Italian to McGettigans pub thrown in the mix. Anything your heart desired (food wise) was easily had. Taste of Abu Dhabi also showcased many programmes and culinary workshops dedicated to cooking and eating, however, we didn't sample any of those.

Any, and all, “foodies” will enjoy this festival. I don’t know if I could accurately define myself as a “foodie” but I do enjoy most foods and embrace food with the kind of love parents reserve for a returning travelling child. When we arrived, which was later than most, there was an amazing, happily content vibe around the Arena. There were food stalls everywhere and a mind blowing aroma swirling around providing the temptation needed to spend slightly too much on far too many calories. 

The stalls all provided an option of sample sized dishes ranging from dhs15-30. The sample sized dishes were handy so you didn't purchase a full dish of something you weren't too fond of, however, with the dishes being quite small it meant that you could eat several of them, all adding up meaning that it could result in quite an expensive evening. I sampled butter chicken from Angar in the Yas Viceroy hotel which was UH-MAZING. The sauce was perfect and the chicken tender. There’s no denying that getting a sample size whets your appetite and would definitely result in further custom for the restaurant. I then purchased an Italian Gelato which was equally as impressive and left me wanting more.

My friends and I arrived late because, given limited funds, we decided to do the Walk for Diabetes first on the Formula 1 track and avail of the free ticket you received on completion. Thousands of people joined us on this walk to promote a healthy lifestyle and it really cultivated a community feel for a group of girls who feel like they've left that feeling behind for quite a while. It was a happy event with a common goal and entertainment provided, water stops and a wonderful atmosphere. It was a 5k walk that you could take at whatever pace you liked and was participated in by all ages and types from strollers to zimmer frames, from families to lone rangers and to top it all of you got a ticket for free entry into Taste of Abu Dhabi afterwards. So, you could eliminate all the good the 5k walk did ;) hahahah.

After we stuffed ourselves full we sat down on some of the bean bags that were strategically placed around the arena to watch the entertainment. The only entertainment we caught were South African Band, 4TheMusic. They were a wonderfully vibrant and energetic band with a superb front woman. She had a great energy and a wonderfully soulful voice, however, I got the impression she wasn't fully comfortable in front of a crowd the size of the crowd there. She was trying very hard but sometimes it was too much. There was an area to dance right up beside the stage and then various areas to sit and relax further back without missing out on all the action.

I left du Arena feeling cheerful, content and happy to be where I currently am geographically, career wise and mentally. Being away from home can be stressful and overwhelming so these weekends make it all seem worthwhile. All in all, I can’t recommend Taste of Abu Dhabi enough and with 21 other festivals like it dotted around the world I’m certain you’ll find one close to you. Prepare to leave feeling a clothes size larger and a bucketful more satisfied.

xo

Recent going-ons

I've been pretty quiet around here lately with the whole moving across the world thing going on (who knew a move like that would keep you so busy) of course, a dash of laziness combined with completing final year have also contributed to my prolonged absence here.  

But, here I am, starting the next chapter in my life, ready to share it all, whether you want to hear about it or not. I’ll, hopefully, be updating you on all things Abu Dhabi seen as THAT’S MY NEW HOME, plus, whatever takes my fancy.

It’s been scary and overwhelming and sometimes felt like it was too much to handle but it’s also been wonderfully eye opening, exhilarating and reassuring. Reassuring in the way that I've met people so similar to me that I didn't think existed, and maybe don’t in “real life” but are omnipresent in this brief moment in time. Which can only serve to clarify that serendipitous fate is always in play around us.

Most things I needed in life I had before leaving home. Values, morals, support, a great family unit and friends I could rely on for everything, so, hopefully, with this move I'll get everything else I haven't been blessed with thus far, and I’ll be fully aware of how great an opportunity this is, because, I’d be lying if I said that sometimes I wasn't so certain about the intelligence of my decision to put off real life and come out here and teach for, hopefully, two years.

But I have gotten a little more settled, I'll keep this little blog of mine better updated.  

After all, there's so much more I've been meaning to write. 

xo