HUngarian Food industry is represented solely in Qatar by some kind of hard cheese .
It is called Hajdu cheese .Lately they came out with some new version : smoked one ,with herbs , with chili flavour .They are quite good and affordable ones .
I discovered also BIHAR cheese . It is something similar to Hajdu .BIHAR is the name of a county in Hungary. The same name goes for a state in India . These are the mysteries about us ,Hungarians and our origins ...
I was shocked to discover that the Slovaks came out with a copy of Hajdu .It is called :Hajji .Even they use our tricolor for the design .

All in all I wish there were more Hungarian food products here .When buying food here - only i understand how great is our food at home and how lucky we are to have them there .
I miss the paprika of Kalocsa , tasty fruitful jams of Nagykoros , the white cheese with no flavour (turo) .The frozen dumplings with plum , the chestnut puree .
I do not list Pick salami here because unfortunately it has not got "halal" version .

LETTER TO MY IMAGINARY ARAB FRIEND

DEAR SADIKA ,

I was really shocked to know how much you do no t like us foreigners in your country .When we met last time , you were full of woes : every kind of strange people are coming to this country and they are bringing every kind of strange ideas .You do no t like them -you said.
While your Filipino maid was serving us some tea you had complained to me about the future , about the hotels arising here in Qatar , whom will need revenue , and they will bring just more strange people with strange ideas here .
I was shocked because your country had developed at crazy speed due to these strange people who came here to this strange country ,living here among you strange people , and whom you gave not much right .While skyscrapers are rising and the camels have robot riders my husband has to apply for a permission if he wishes to leave this country . Just like a serf .
Or do you wish that the gene of the bottle jumped out and would build everything around here ?
Dear Sadika , you should have a look at your grandma s generation ,and you would understand - that how lucky you are .
Be grateful for God for all the good things that you had got in life !

middle east sunrise
by
almawad

Get this custom print at Zazzle

THE WEATHER IS QUITE HOT HERE and taxis are scares . .Especially hearttaking to see at Hamad hospital as pregnant mothers , out-patients , tired nurses are queueing in front of the Taxi station . Station ? It means you have to queue
standing in the scorching sun . Taxis if any will arrive there .There is a supervisor who does not allow anybody to jump the queue .
As a new immigration office was opened at the hospital district there are too many nowadays wanting a taxi .
The Immigration office was a nice idea . It is a lovely place , my husband has just arranged our visas there . ON the other hand it seems that nobody thought about how to arrange the increment of the passengers .

CHERRY trees are blooming in Hungary . It is so nice part of the year .Especially in the little town where I had spent most of my school age .Walking to school and coming back was a half an hour daily routine .But the blooming of the cherry trees had made it very special . Like all the streets got in their Sunday bests .There were a lots of trees in the streets in front of the houses. The dwellers of the houses regarded them as their own ones .Though I think it was rather an old municipality project due to which there were so many cherry trees in the green belt .For me it meant school is soon over , we can eat cherry while going home to school and summer and freedom is near .
Here , no cherry trees , no wonderful nice summer weather ... we got dates instead .

This was my most popular poster last month .I like Jung , dream interpretations , and collage .In this picture I tried to mix some typical elements of an easy dream : flying ,swimming , water .It was first a paper collage then I scanned it and added some digital effects as well .THe shades noble blue has calming effect so it makes lovely decoration for bedrooms ,therapist s room ,waiting rooms .

There is another version of this poster .Less sophisticated but more expressive .

easy dream by almawad
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See more gifts on dreams here !

WHERE ARE YOU FROM ?

asked me a Qatari woman while waiting at the doctor s .
From Hungary .
AAAh, Hungary ... she does not understand .
Min bilat al madzsar .Min madzsar ..
AAAh majar , anti majari ... she smiles satisfied under her veil . Then she adds : From Africa ...

I could not help laughing ...

Finally it turned out that she knows my country by the name of "hungariyyya ".It is typical .

LETTER TO MY IMAGINARY ARAB FRIEND
Dear Sadika ,
You asked me about my Easters .It was the nicest in my early childhood ,I think . That was the time when I was able to be so happy with the good weather with the fresh grass and the daffodils , with the arrival of the spring .The Easter eggs used to be red like the lipstick on the women .I remember the taste of these red boiled eggs the most .
Easter Monday is the most important in Hungary .It is almost unknown in the other parts of the world .On this day the boys and lads and men go from house to house and sprinkle some water or perfume on the ladies as a sign of well wish for the coming year .My brother always went and came home with a lots of sweets and lots of red boiled eggs .That was his reward from the ladies .I used to be very happy with his luck .Later when I grew bigger and my heart was not so innocent I kept asking why only boys can go and collect presents . Why do we have to sit at home and wait for them to give them something .
Later when in Qatar I saw at Eid boys and girls going together from house to house to wish Happy Eid I was really satisfied .
I would like to tell you more about my Easter .To choose the most memorable one .But it seems that every one gave me something and like transparent layers hey are lying on each other : my years and my Easters .Once our teachers surprised us .They took us to the forest and hid the presents there .How happy we were to find those paper bunnies with some sweets !
Then my father comes to my mind and a nice Easter in the park , when I was adult .The lights were so nice and everything and everybody was so peaceful ..I wish I had the flying carpet of Aladdin to visit him now . Or at least more reasonable air fares to go to Europe from Doha !
But the most important before Easter is the peace .As a great poet of ours Babits told : enough ,let the war end and let oh let the peace come .
Peace on the dead peace on the alive !





Your Friend : Alma

So that was my visit at the heritage village .It is worth going there : you can taste local dishes and listen to local music , you can imagine yourself into an era which has dissapeared by the oil and gas revenues .
It is found in the middle of the Corniche next to Al Bida park .I think it is only at great occasions when it is working .It was a spring cultural festival last week here .

the weaver by almawad
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The carpet weaver .

THe old man and his nets .

The room of the newly wed as it used to be .

I saw this Omani dancer at the heritage village .Their folk costume were very interesting .Their gown was not black and they were wearing colourful ,striped stockings with a lots of anklets .
Their music was very very cheerful, full of rythm.The musicmakers themselves were dancing .It reminded me sometimes Turkish music ,or Scottish ,spiced with African infuence and traditional Arab melodies .Very special one .

That is how the Omani halawa is made in huge pots .The Omani used to be the confectioners of the Arabian peninsula .You must be quite strong to be able to stir that in this huge pot .The result is wonderful jelly like mildly sweet oriental flavored delight  .Try it on a day when you are not on a diet :)

omani halawa maker by almawad
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Clothes for sale .The traditional folk wear is always colorful .The black gown has spread only later .

A local grandma and her grand daughter in Qatar heritage village.The mask/burqa/is still in use by the elder ladies .

I like the folklor , I like the nostalgia , so I visited Qatar s heritage village .Though it is nowadays only a theatre . I enjoyed it very much .
First I walked along the village . Old fishermen were mending their nets , were hammering their boats.Little girls were playing old games in front of the houses .Life was going on in the street .Housewives were sitting in front of their little houses .They were doing the little housework there .Their faces were covered by mask according to the old local tradition . It is called : burkha and it is golden colored .Craftsmen were spinning , weaving , pottering . In the market of the village /sukh/ clothes , Omani sweets / halawa/ and homemade spice mixes ,pickles and jams were sold .A woman was making and selling pancakes . It was yellow like a sponge cake , and some cardamomi seeds were added to dough . Otherwise it was filled simply either by sugar or honey .Other women were selling home cooked food: spicy rice with chicken , slowly cooked meat with cereals .
AS the evening came local men were singing . Their songs are reflecting the monotony of the desert landscape and the acceptance of it .Songs used to be very important here in Qatar . Next to the pearl divers dhow there used to be another dhow just for the singers .They used to be payed just to keep up the good working atmosphere by their songs .