This is one of many massive stores, advertised as a "bulk" food store, but really by American standards, it's about Whole-Food sized (although not quite so organic, nor quiet so expensive). It does, however, stock A-1 Steak Sauce, Hooter's Wing Sauce, organic maple syrup, limes (see previous post), and spinach lasagna pasta. Maybe you don't understand how remarkable this is...but it is.
Anyhow, needless to say, my husband George and I spent far more than we intended (which usually happens when we discover the wonders of a new Muscat specialty store). We did find some dearly need (or dearly wanted, in some cases) items. We just haven't been able to find these things at other places in Muscat: standard car thermoses, hanging plant pots, ground beef, brie, an alarm clock, and parsley. I'll pass on the Hooter's Wing Sauce, but why are these other items so hard to find in Oman?
Perhaps I haven't grasped the fact that Oman is still considered a third-world country and survives on a sometimes confusing mix of prosperity and deprivation. That in mind, I would still take a decent internet connection over most western items.
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... and the biggest temptation in the Sultan Center is upstairs: the kitchen equipment. It is rivalled only the ultimate expat foodie's best-kept secret... don't tell anyone... Tavola is a kitchen gadget store tucked away behind the Costa in Madinat Qaboos, just up the road from the British Council and French Institute. They have one room dedicated just to baking and confectionery equipment... and you didn't hear it from me. (Nor the Arabian Nights delights of Kargeen, further up the alley...)
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to Tavola, I will look for it next time in MQ. Thank you for the info. The only place so far I could find a pizza stone was in Dubai! I could really use a deep-dish pizza pan, though. Maybe Tavola would have one.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're passing on the Hooters' Wing Sauce - I just read the ingredients on a jar I found in my local grocery store (nothing so elegant as Tavola). The first three ingredients, in order, are butter, margarine, and soybean oil. Next come salt and chemical additives. American goods are not what people who live in other countries want - it's American brands. The name, and the fantasy world that goes with it - not the junk inside. In fact, if we Americans would stop to think about it, we wouldn't want it either!
ReplyDeletei completely agree! there is definitelt a frenzy for american brands here, both among the wealthy westerners and the wealthy arabs. but i can get my taste of home elsewhere, especially seeing as i've never even been to hooters in America.
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