A food lover family on their own special way…everything related to diet and healthy books…
Fat free and athletic environment…cares less about traditional food.
This is what we figured out from our meeting with um Mishaal, a 34 year old housewife having 2 attractive fit young girls.
Obesity and overweight status gets to her and she can’t stand seeing big fat persons around her.
Her daughters and husband totally agree with her way of thinking and cooking…diet and nutritious magazines are spread all over her place…though no sign of sickness or disease in the family…
“You are what you eat! According to her, “diet” doesn’t mean deprivation…Diet is an organized way of eating that by time becomes a life style…We do love food and sweets of all kinds but also quality and quantity control is “health” by itself” she clarified.
…and the idea of having 2 daughters according to her means fit shape and quality food control should start from an early age of life.
All kinds of fresh vegetables, low fat products and fresh fruits exist in her cuisine…including low fat butter… always on the menu and the provision list…Lurpak (unsalted) and Flora light. Lurpak is used in all her cooking as well as cakes and pastries…quite convinced that Lurpak is “light and easy to digest”. Flora is used at breakfast and mainly school sandwiches for the kids.
Neither heavy traditional food nor margarine is on the list of their eating habits. Grilled and boiled food are basically on her daily menu…including some light sweets from time to time…“My kids have pleasure in eating bread and butter but they always know control is there” she stated. We concluded that Lurpak is used in all her cooking, sweets, cookies and pastries...tasty, healthy and light. Mazola oil and olive oil are used when necessary. Food control lies in the quantity according to her.
Home provision is done on a weekly basis and she enjoys shopping at “Safeway” since all kinds of fresh vegetables and fruits and low fat dairy products and other diet products are always available there.
Lurpak (the silver pack) and Flora (the yellow pack) are always spotted from a distance…According to her, Flora pack is more practical and it is kept well reserved after it is opened.
We simply followed her to the kitchen to prepare lunch…spaghetti was on the menu…a small tea spoon Lurpak butter was dropped at the bottom of the pan… “Gives it flavor” she sighed. The stew was a combination of fresh minced meat, onions, fresh mushrooms, fresh green pepper and garlic. The recipe was amazing…all fried together with a little piece of Lurpak butter.
According to her butter is required and…nothing is fattening when in low quantities.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Stories from Saudi: The Husband's will
Interesting! A pure organic lady where she tries to impose her rules on her husband and 4 children (4 young gentlemen) who in turn love traditional greasy food and all kinds of junk food and care less about health and fitness…
“My husband and 4 children accuse me of being crazy, though I have to cook (against my rules) for them their requirements fear of being divorced”, she stated.
Um Nayef explained that her diversion to organic state originated 3 years ago due to a sickness she suffered from…and she feels much better today following this trend.
Five men at home with random eating habits; from bread and margarine to greasy rice and stew, fried stuff and junk food…”Lurpak and other butter brands are not acceptable by these young men…margarine their favorite…has thick taste and fulfills their satisfaction,” as Um Nayef clarified.
Funny enough, the husband does the shopping simply because he doesn’t trust her in getting their requirements the way they want. He goes to a whole sale market and gets all the groceries and required food stuff from there… fresh fruits and vegetables, family size margarine, Al-Arabi cooking oil, Shams cooking oil, meat, chicken, fish, Maggie cubes (all flavors), all kinds of spices…etc. In addition to that, he imposes a list of daily menu to be done by her on a daily basis.
She laughs sarcastically while chatting with us…”if I don’t abide by his list, he will divorce me and throw me out of the house.” Upon mentioning Lurpak, she sighed and said “I really wish to see at least one known butter brand at home especially Lurpak… great history…way healthier and lighter than margarine”.
Three main meals must be ready on daily basis…and dinner is the most important…even breakfast should be heavy with full fat milk and full fat dairy products. An extremely food lover family… with no limits and restrictions…
Cooking greasy traditional food is essential every day…Rice as a major dish cooked with margarine is a must…besides at least two heavy side dishes. Greasy traditional food gives them pleasure and satisfaction…”They love heavy food, that’s all!” It is very obvious that they care less about healthy food or light food…unlike her.
Even the selection of sweets and chocolates that were spotted in the kitchen were those of highly fatty ones.
Maybe good idea for Lurpak to be packed in margarine-like package to attract more Saudi consumers…It is all about perception…in general, Saudi’s are used to margarine and other similar packaging.
“My husband and 4 children accuse me of being crazy, though I have to cook (against my rules) for them their requirements fear of being divorced”, she stated.
Um Nayef explained that her diversion to organic state originated 3 years ago due to a sickness she suffered from…and she feels much better today following this trend.
Five men at home with random eating habits; from bread and margarine to greasy rice and stew, fried stuff and junk food…”Lurpak and other butter brands are not acceptable by these young men…margarine their favorite…has thick taste and fulfills their satisfaction,” as Um Nayef clarified.
Funny enough, the husband does the shopping simply because he doesn’t trust her in getting their requirements the way they want. He goes to a whole sale market and gets all the groceries and required food stuff from there… fresh fruits and vegetables, family size margarine, Al-Arabi cooking oil, Shams cooking oil, meat, chicken, fish, Maggie cubes (all flavors), all kinds of spices…etc. In addition to that, he imposes a list of daily menu to be done by her on a daily basis.
She laughs sarcastically while chatting with us…”if I don’t abide by his list, he will divorce me and throw me out of the house.” Upon mentioning Lurpak, she sighed and said “I really wish to see at least one known butter brand at home especially Lurpak… great history…way healthier and lighter than margarine”.
Three main meals must be ready on daily basis…and dinner is the most important…even breakfast should be heavy with full fat milk and full fat dairy products. An extremely food lover family… with no limits and restrictions…
Cooking greasy traditional food is essential every day…Rice as a major dish cooked with margarine is a must…besides at least two heavy side dishes. Greasy traditional food gives them pleasure and satisfaction…”They love heavy food, that’s all!” It is very obvious that they care less about healthy food or light food…unlike her.
Even the selection of sweets and chocolates that were spotted in the kitchen were those of highly fatty ones.
Maybe good idea for Lurpak to be packed in margarine-like package to attract more Saudi consumers…It is all about perception…in general, Saudi’s are used to margarine and other similar packaging.
Stories from Saudi: Good Food is Healthy Food
Nof, a young (28 years old) educated, newly married manages a Diet Center in Riyadh…clear enough to know how much she is picky at healthy food…and applies this at home…”My husband agrees with this healthy life since he is athletic too”, she mentioned.
Food lover family in a healthy way… “Where is the problem in that? We can eat all kinds of healthy food and sweets with passion and on calorie scale without depriving ourselves.”
Diet and healthy magazines from all around the world were noticed in her sitting room and majority of products and brands used were low fat. Three meals / day is a must (for both her husband and her) and healthy snacks in between.
Low fat butter is highly used…Lurpak was mentioned…used in frying eggs and other issues that need to be fried…also used in sweets / cakes / cookies once per week as she noted.
Though Nof comes from a traditional culture where her mother mainly uses margarine in all meals, but her domain pulled her out to follow healthy food…and for Lurpak butter she mentioned, “Lurpak has known history in lightness and taste”.
Margarine and greasy stuff is totally forbidden at home or in the diet center.
A list of “fresh” provision is set on weekly basis where she personally enjoys buying them from Safeway Hypermarket, clarifying that a variety of exported healthy low fat food is always available at Safeway. Keeping in mind, reading ingredients on each and every product / brand is a necessity when buying.
Cooking traditional food is the least of her worries. It is not the cooking of healthy food that gives her pleasure, but the fact of staying healthy and fit is the name of her game…and for this reason, she supports her cooking knowledge by reading international healthy cooking magazines and attending related seminars.
Breakfast always consists of a piece of toast with low fat butter (Lurpak – unsalted) and low fat cheese or low fat flavored yoghurt. Cost has never been her worry especially when it comes to healthy food. Trying new healthy menus from different cultures is also of her interest.
“My pleasure is to guide people (in the center) on the right healthy track…even Lurpak butter is always on the meal list; it is the quantity in-take and not deprivation,” she declared.
We realized that Nof never follows promotions when buying food products. “All I care about is the validity date and ingredients”, she stated.
It was early evening when we managed to visit her…even her hospitality was healthy…low fat croissants and low fat cookies made by Lurpak (unsalted) butter, fresh juice the herbal tea.
The dinner menu was typical healthy (protein, soup and salad)…and she mentioned that also Lurpak was within…
Food lover family in a healthy way… “Where is the problem in that? We can eat all kinds of healthy food and sweets with passion and on calorie scale without depriving ourselves.”
Diet and healthy magazines from all around the world were noticed in her sitting room and majority of products and brands used were low fat. Three meals / day is a must (for both her husband and her) and healthy snacks in between.
Low fat butter is highly used…Lurpak was mentioned…used in frying eggs and other issues that need to be fried…also used in sweets / cakes / cookies once per week as she noted.
Though Nof comes from a traditional culture where her mother mainly uses margarine in all meals, but her domain pulled her out to follow healthy food…and for Lurpak butter she mentioned, “Lurpak has known history in lightness and taste”.
Margarine and greasy stuff is totally forbidden at home or in the diet center.
A list of “fresh” provision is set on weekly basis where she personally enjoys buying them from Safeway Hypermarket, clarifying that a variety of exported healthy low fat food is always available at Safeway. Keeping in mind, reading ingredients on each and every product / brand is a necessity when buying.
Cooking traditional food is the least of her worries. It is not the cooking of healthy food that gives her pleasure, but the fact of staying healthy and fit is the name of her game…and for this reason, she supports her cooking knowledge by reading international healthy cooking magazines and attending related seminars.
Breakfast always consists of a piece of toast with low fat butter (Lurpak – unsalted) and low fat cheese or low fat flavored yoghurt. Cost has never been her worry especially when it comes to healthy food. Trying new healthy menus from different cultures is also of her interest.
“My pleasure is to guide people (in the center) on the right healthy track…even Lurpak butter is always on the meal list; it is the quantity in-take and not deprivation,” she declared.
We realized that Nof never follows promotions when buying food products. “All I care about is the validity date and ingredients”, she stated.
It was early evening when we managed to visit her…even her hospitality was healthy…low fat croissants and low fat cookies made by Lurpak (unsalted) butter, fresh juice the herbal tea.
The dinner menu was typical healthy (protein, soup and salad)…and she mentioned that also Lurpak was within…
Stories from Saudi: Inspired by foreign cuisines
A food lover family as we noticed…at least 4 types of food and sweets should be ready every day…especially that her husband comes home for lunch break…and therefore, lunch and dinner should be varied.
“We are Saudi, yet we love international cuisines especially Italian, Chinese and Indian food…Mexican food has a part too…and chef Ramzi is an ideal cook” she admitted.
As noticed, she rarely uses canned and frozen stuff…basically all fresh…from vegetables to fruits to main course ingredients. Very creative in cooking and trying new food…First and most of all to “Please” her husband then follows her children’s taste. Margarine and grease are interdicted in her menus, not that anyone suffers from sickness at home, but just for fitness and healthiness…Most of her shopping is from “Safeway” hypermarket, admitting that “Safeway is the only hypermarket that exports variety if international goods to foreigners here…and this suits our eating habits and menus…yet more expensive than other hypermarkets…but promotions are always everywhere.”
Kids sandwiches to school…breakfast is essential…Jam and butter…Sugar intake is essential in the morning to boost their metabolism.
Lurpak (unsalted) and Flora (light) butter were spotted as well as “Afia oil lite”… “Light in taste and content and the most important is their constant promotion; yes I do believe in promotions and follow their ads…like the outdoor now of Lurpak…just a great idea to win a ticket to Paris”.
(I felt) her belief was stronger in the winning issue than the loyalty of the brand, and it was obvious she might shift to another brand if other bigger prizes / trips are involved. Typical perception of Saudi people…they believe in ads…
Oil and butter are the most essential products in cooking whether sweets or food. We as a family of 7 (including 2 maids) consume butter and oil a lot. “I get bulks of butter both Lurpak and Flora and store them in the freezer…for us both brands are the same…it is only a habit of buying two different brands especially that both are tasty, healthy and always one of them is on promotion”.
It was noon time when we managed to visit her…the smell of curry powder and spices overwhelmed the atmosphere…”My husband loves Curry with chicken and rice and green salad… pizza, and other side dishes for the children, butter is used more in cooking than oil; I only use oil when frying French fries, chicken nuggets or similar to the children”.
An up-to-date cuisine…rarely cooks traditional food…always looks for new recipes of food and foreign sweets (cakes, pastries, pies…).
Mashael, a 38 year old Saudi house wife, believes in chef Ramzi’s cooking as well as “fatafeet” channel…cooking new recipes of new cultures gives her the pleasure… She finalized, “my children might end up abroad one day, and therefore let them get used to different tastes from now”.
“We are Saudi, yet we love international cuisines especially Italian, Chinese and Indian food…Mexican food has a part too…and chef Ramzi is an ideal cook” she admitted.
As noticed, she rarely uses canned and frozen stuff…basically all fresh…from vegetables to fruits to main course ingredients. Very creative in cooking and trying new food…First and most of all to “Please” her husband then follows her children’s taste. Margarine and grease are interdicted in her menus, not that anyone suffers from sickness at home, but just for fitness and healthiness…Most of her shopping is from “Safeway” hypermarket, admitting that “Safeway is the only hypermarket that exports variety if international goods to foreigners here…and this suits our eating habits and menus…yet more expensive than other hypermarkets…but promotions are always everywhere.”
Kids sandwiches to school…breakfast is essential…Jam and butter…Sugar intake is essential in the morning to boost their metabolism.
Lurpak (unsalted) and Flora (light) butter were spotted as well as “Afia oil lite”… “Light in taste and content and the most important is their constant promotion; yes I do believe in promotions and follow their ads…like the outdoor now of Lurpak…just a great idea to win a ticket to Paris”.
(I felt) her belief was stronger in the winning issue than the loyalty of the brand, and it was obvious she might shift to another brand if other bigger prizes / trips are involved. Typical perception of Saudi people…they believe in ads…
Oil and butter are the most essential products in cooking whether sweets or food. We as a family of 7 (including 2 maids) consume butter and oil a lot. “I get bulks of butter both Lurpak and Flora and store them in the freezer…for us both brands are the same…it is only a habit of buying two different brands especially that both are tasty, healthy and always one of them is on promotion”.
It was noon time when we managed to visit her…the smell of curry powder and spices overwhelmed the atmosphere…”My husband loves Curry with chicken and rice and green salad… pizza, and other side dishes for the children, butter is used more in cooking than oil; I only use oil when frying French fries, chicken nuggets or similar to the children”.
An up-to-date cuisine…rarely cooks traditional food…always looks for new recipes of food and foreign sweets (cakes, pastries, pies…).
Mashael, a 38 year old Saudi house wife, believes in chef Ramzi’s cooking as well as “fatafeet” channel…cooking new recipes of new cultures gives her the pleasure… She finalized, “my children might end up abroad one day, and therefore let them get used to different tastes from now”.
Stories from Saudi: Keeping up Traditions
“Margarine…compensates”, Um Mohammed a 45 year old lady (married, 5 children) started her conversation with. A pure believer in margarine…”gives taste to food and is healthy according to her”.
An extremely traditional woman in cooking…where she believes kitchen is the source of health and nutrition…looks for all kinds of traditional Saudi food and sweets…everything related to Saudi traditional cuisine rice, jreesh, Kabsa, Samboosa…local sweets…
A contradictive woman…relating kitchen to health and nutrition, yet uses margarine, canned and frozen stuff…easy to use and quick in preparation. We understood from her that margarine has always been used in the family (great grandmother downwards) and she believes in maintaining traditions and cultural values even within food.
Butter is not used at home… “No formula says butter is healthier”… According to her, ‘butter has no taste.”…not of her interest…margarine is even used in sweets…and as she mentioned, “why to worry about obesity or health issues…it doesn’t exist in the family and thanks God everybody is fine”.
Local supermarkets such as “Othaim” are more of her interest, since it involves all kinds of local Saudi products with cheaper prices compared to other supermarkets. “We are a big family and we can neither afford trying new sophisticated menus nor expensive products. Local supermarkets are cheaper and understand the Saudi needs more than foreign ones; plus on constant promotions all the year through within our targeted products: Macaroni, spices, Maggie flavors, family size margarine, dairy products (local milk & relevant), cooking oil (Shams)”…I basically buy local brands…everything is available within local brands and cheaper as well”, she clarified.
Indirectly, Lurpak was mentioned…spontaneous aggressive reaction: “Denmark…they insulted the Profit (Peace Be upon Him).” Already butter (all kinds) is not used at their homes (to shift brand) and the grudge was very clear towards Denmark. “Even if free of charge, we will never use products related to Denmark…it is not only my opinion but all our family”. (She was so aggressive on this subject).
Quite convinced margarine is indispensable… when cooking cakes, croissants, local sweets of all kinds and other pastries, even a teaspoon of margarine in all kinds of soup…has lots of interest to create and try new menus yet related to the Saudi culture..
Attached to the Saudi values, she roams around the old generation in her family to learn and get new menus of food and sweets. “Why should I watch cooking programs or read new menus when I can learn the original from my mother & grandmother? Saudi menus require margarine and not butter”…
We noticed even if a certain foodstuff requires butter, automatically she replaces it with margarine convinced that it is “tastier”…more important the “family size margarine” lasts longer.
Food lovers of traditional cuisine…Following family ancestors’ books is sacred…in particular using margarine in all types of food and sweets. Butter is not in their dictionary…we even realized that the kids to school are accompanied with (Marai) spread cheese / spread cream sandwiches.
Thursday night family dinner is sanctified (in any of their homes). Five to six main dishes (rice and relevant) are prepared in addition to other side dishes… all homemade…all requires butter…yet to them, margarine is tastier…margarine is the tradition.
An extremely traditional woman in cooking…where she believes kitchen is the source of health and nutrition…looks for all kinds of traditional Saudi food and sweets…everything related to Saudi traditional cuisine rice, jreesh, Kabsa, Samboosa…local sweets…
A contradictive woman…relating kitchen to health and nutrition, yet uses margarine, canned and frozen stuff…easy to use and quick in preparation. We understood from her that margarine has always been used in the family (great grandmother downwards) and she believes in maintaining traditions and cultural values even within food.
Butter is not used at home… “No formula says butter is healthier”… According to her, ‘butter has no taste.”…not of her interest…margarine is even used in sweets…and as she mentioned, “why to worry about obesity or health issues…it doesn’t exist in the family and thanks God everybody is fine”.
Local supermarkets such as “Othaim” are more of her interest, since it involves all kinds of local Saudi products with cheaper prices compared to other supermarkets. “We are a big family and we can neither afford trying new sophisticated menus nor expensive products. Local supermarkets are cheaper and understand the Saudi needs more than foreign ones; plus on constant promotions all the year through within our targeted products: Macaroni, spices, Maggie flavors, family size margarine, dairy products (local milk & relevant), cooking oil (Shams)”…I basically buy local brands…everything is available within local brands and cheaper as well”, she clarified.
Indirectly, Lurpak was mentioned…spontaneous aggressive reaction: “Denmark…they insulted the Profit (Peace Be upon Him).” Already butter (all kinds) is not used at their homes (to shift brand) and the grudge was very clear towards Denmark. “Even if free of charge, we will never use products related to Denmark…it is not only my opinion but all our family”. (She was so aggressive on this subject).
Quite convinced margarine is indispensable… when cooking cakes, croissants, local sweets of all kinds and other pastries, even a teaspoon of margarine in all kinds of soup…has lots of interest to create and try new menus yet related to the Saudi culture..
Attached to the Saudi values, she roams around the old generation in her family to learn and get new menus of food and sweets. “Why should I watch cooking programs or read new menus when I can learn the original from my mother & grandmother? Saudi menus require margarine and not butter”…
We noticed even if a certain foodstuff requires butter, automatically she replaces it with margarine convinced that it is “tastier”…more important the “family size margarine” lasts longer.
Food lovers of traditional cuisine…Following family ancestors’ books is sacred…in particular using margarine in all types of food and sweets. Butter is not in their dictionary…we even realized that the kids to school are accompanied with (Marai) spread cheese / spread cream sandwiches.
Thursday night family dinner is sanctified (in any of their homes). Five to six main dishes (rice and relevant) are prepared in addition to other side dishes… all homemade…all requires butter…yet to them, margarine is tastier…margarine is the tradition.
Stories from Saudi: Making a Living
Being overweight, I understood from her that that all her surrounding used to criticize her weight, the way she eats and her eating habits… “The more I heard criticism, the more I used eat anything that comes in front of me...especially fatty food... bread, butter, sweets.”
Through our recruiter, we managed to meet Jawaher in her simple apartment…A gifted child as I could see...food (and sweets) has always been her passion and she developed this talent into a profession…cooks all kinds of food and sweets and sells as “home-made” food to all her friends on different occasions…first to support her husband financially and second cooking is her passion.
The main source of entertainment especially here in Riyadh is either eating or shopping…and Jawaher prefers hypermarkets shopping to malls shopping…unlike women in general. “Food in general is my best friend…I seek pleasure out of eating and preparing food…I prefer hypermarkets to HFS because I guarantee that all sophisticated ingredients are there”.
Always looks for new menus yet traditional to satisfy her customers especially the old generation…those who like traditional cuisines. A very well organized lady…shopping list always ready and gets what is needed for family cooking or for outside catering… for all kinds of food & sweets…”I usually do the shopping, but sometimes when I am over busy, I send the driver with the list…”
As we noticed, rice is a must in any of her menus. Different dishes names but all consist of rice…either with meat or chicken…
“Basically, I always follow promotions on all the ingredients / products that I need, since I buy in bulks: pastries of all kinds, Marai butter, Shaley milk powder (full fat), Maggie flavors, Delico margarine, Al-Wazeer olive oil, frying oil, India Gate rice, Beshamelle sauce, Macaroni & other noodles, fresh vegetables & fruits, chicken and meat and many other issues”.
Off to the kitchen, Jawaher had to prepare dinner for husband…and a dish of rice was a must within the menu. “Dinner is our main meal, she clarified”. “Kabsa” is the dish tonight with of course other minor dishes.
On a tidy corner the ingredients were ready (by the maid). Rice, chicken, onion, Mazola oil, Al-Wazeer oil, spices, vegetables and other stuff…
No butter was spotted…I understood from her that margarine is mainly used in food…”it is tastier and also highly demanded by my customers”, and butter is mainly used when preparing some sweets…and normally she uses “Marai” butter (for sweets) due to constant promotions... “and it is not bad in taste”, as she added, “but basically I follow promotions and discounts of other brands if Marai is not available”.
(Therefore, I concluded basically she uses margarine for the taste and sometimes Marai butter in sweets / and not really loyal to one brand…she is more loyal to promotions.)
According to her, main course meals are tastier with margarine…and the old generation people like to stick to traditional fatty oily cuisines.
Jawaher is not into reading cooking books...but rather into cooking shows… “Fatafeet” channel is a great one, and whenever I’m at home, that’s the only channel I watch.”
Stories from Saudi: Mrs Butter
Before I even started my conversation about food, Abir 31 years old, teacher started her conversation as “I am just a butter lover”…Jam and butter, honey and butter, cocoa butter, peanut butter…just name it!
Mrs. Butter as she is known by her family and now by her husband. She added, “There are butter people and there are margarine people. I'm a “butter” person. A pat of butter, whether melted over a thick steak or on an ear of corn, or with brown bread makes food taste better. Margarine makes food taste oily. The price is in the eating.”
Abir spends hours in the hypermarket just to find out new butter products…She scans with passion all the butter shelves and products that contain butter…while shopping in Danube…fears no taste of butter…tries all brands and all new…Butter is on the priority list always.
Lurpak is on the list for cooking issues… yet all kinds / brands of butter spreads are considered within her shopping list.
According to her, it is neither the brand nor the promotion that attracts me to butter, it is just butter!”
It is determined in her dictionary that Lurpak is for cooking and other brands are used as spread…Lurpak according to her has an extraordinary smooth taste and flavor.
Bulks are bought…storage could be either in the freezer or in the store room…all depends on the products formula.
She is a cooking fan though…but all meals should contain butter; whether traditional cuisine or international cuisines.
We followed her to the kitchen…preparing supper for her husband…”What’s on the menu?” I asked, she replied with laughter, “Appetizer as mushroom soup with a teaspoon of butter, grilled steak and grilled potato wedges covered with pat of butter, mixed salad followed by desserts”…quite sure that the desserts had butter in within.
Though criticized by all her surrounding, she cares less…Preaches from here and there that butter isn’t healthy and is fattening…least of her worries…Regular check-ups have no signs of anything to worry about…
Her main concern is her husband’s satisfaction…new dishes are served everyday which please him… highly talented in cooking variety of meals and sweets…”So why worry?” as she says…and on daily basis, a huge bowl of popcorn is set in the TV room…of course fried with butter.
Abir stays hours and hours on cooking sites in particular dishes that contains butter and creates new meals at least 3 times a week.
On a separate note, body lotion should also be butter!
One of the funniest interviews I had☺
Mrs. Butter as she is known by her family and now by her husband. She added, “There are butter people and there are margarine people. I'm a “butter” person. A pat of butter, whether melted over a thick steak or on an ear of corn, or with brown bread makes food taste better. Margarine makes food taste oily. The price is in the eating.”
Abir spends hours in the hypermarket just to find out new butter products…She scans with passion all the butter shelves and products that contain butter…while shopping in Danube…fears no taste of butter…tries all brands and all new…Butter is on the priority list always.
Lurpak is on the list for cooking issues… yet all kinds / brands of butter spreads are considered within her shopping list.
According to her, it is neither the brand nor the promotion that attracts me to butter, it is just butter!”
It is determined in her dictionary that Lurpak is for cooking and other brands are used as spread…Lurpak according to her has an extraordinary smooth taste and flavor.
Bulks are bought…storage could be either in the freezer or in the store room…all depends on the products formula.
She is a cooking fan though…but all meals should contain butter; whether traditional cuisine or international cuisines.
We followed her to the kitchen…preparing supper for her husband…”What’s on the menu?” I asked, she replied with laughter, “Appetizer as mushroom soup with a teaspoon of butter, grilled steak and grilled potato wedges covered with pat of butter, mixed salad followed by desserts”…quite sure that the desserts had butter in within.
Though criticized by all her surrounding, she cares less…Preaches from here and there that butter isn’t healthy and is fattening…least of her worries…Regular check-ups have no signs of anything to worry about…
Her main concern is her husband’s satisfaction…new dishes are served everyday which please him… highly talented in cooking variety of meals and sweets…”So why worry?” as she says…and on daily basis, a huge bowl of popcorn is set in the TV room…of course fried with butter.
Abir stays hours and hours on cooking sites in particular dishes that contains butter and creates new meals at least 3 times a week.
On a separate note, body lotion should also be butter!
One of the funniest interviews I had☺
Stories from Saudi: What men want
“Al-Arabi cooking oil, Al-Wazeer olive oil, “Farm” margarine and black olives are a must in our daily meals”, as Im Khaled a 48 year old housewife (6 children) stated.
A food lover family of oriental cuisine…always keen on discovering and trying new recipes…Chef Ramzi, Sayidaty magazine (cooking page), Fatafeet channel, Chef Afnan Zayyan…on the go with oriental food…all cooked with margarine regardless what the recipe says!
Butter is rarely used at their homes, yet Lurpak and Marai brand are there in the fridge…A traditional family attached to the cooking culture of heavy oriental food and sweets… “We enjoy eating (breakfast) bread, butter and marmalade only when we are abroad / in hotels…and sometimes (not always) the children crave for such a breakfast.”
Culture issue …as we concluded…having 5 boys (and a girl) plus her husband forces her to cook different kinds of heavy meals on daily basis. “They are men and food lovers…at the end of the day I can’t but cook their requirements and according to their taste, otherwise a problem will take place”, she stated.
The major meal is at 8:00 pm, where all gather around the dining table…First question by either of them, “What’s on the menu tonight? Kabsa or Mandi” Nothing to worry about 3 different heavy dishes and even vegetables sauté should be fried with margarine…or else they won’t be satisfied.
High consumption of (Farm) margarine, rice, chicken and spices of all kinds…Danube Hypermarket is their favorite…According to her, Danube has everything any cuisine needs…amazing promotions and worth buying in bulks…adding to that they are cautious with products validity dates.
Just random shopping once / week…The list is only prepared for the major shopping once / month.
In their cooking process, butter is not fulfilling…butter is only a nibbling issue as appetizer or morning bite. Margarine and cooking oil are according to her are the source of energy and power…simply indispensable, bought in bulks and stored in a special cupboard…whereas few packs of Lurpak and Marai butter and other dairy products are just stored in the fridge…
The idea of shifting margarine to butter is a bit difficult for her… quite difficult to change (as she considers) their main eating habit that they inherited from the culture…plus according to her conviction, Farm margarine gives great flavor to food and sweets…and traditional oriental food is tasteless without margarine
A food lover family of oriental cuisine…always keen on discovering and trying new recipes…Chef Ramzi, Sayidaty magazine (cooking page), Fatafeet channel, Chef Afnan Zayyan…on the go with oriental food…all cooked with margarine regardless what the recipe says!
Butter is rarely used at their homes, yet Lurpak and Marai brand are there in the fridge…A traditional family attached to the cooking culture of heavy oriental food and sweets… “We enjoy eating (breakfast) bread, butter and marmalade only when we are abroad / in hotels…and sometimes (not always) the children crave for such a breakfast.”
Culture issue …as we concluded…having 5 boys (and a girl) plus her husband forces her to cook different kinds of heavy meals on daily basis. “They are men and food lovers…at the end of the day I can’t but cook their requirements and according to their taste, otherwise a problem will take place”, she stated.
The major meal is at 8:00 pm, where all gather around the dining table…First question by either of them, “What’s on the menu tonight? Kabsa or Mandi” Nothing to worry about 3 different heavy dishes and even vegetables sauté should be fried with margarine…or else they won’t be satisfied.
High consumption of (Farm) margarine, rice, chicken and spices of all kinds…Danube Hypermarket is their favorite…According to her, Danube has everything any cuisine needs…amazing promotions and worth buying in bulks…adding to that they are cautious with products validity dates.
Just random shopping once / week…The list is only prepared for the major shopping once / month.
In their cooking process, butter is not fulfilling…butter is only a nibbling issue as appetizer or morning bite. Margarine and cooking oil are according to her are the source of energy and power…simply indispensable, bought in bulks and stored in a special cupboard…whereas few packs of Lurpak and Marai butter and other dairy products are just stored in the fridge…
The idea of shifting margarine to butter is a bit difficult for her… quite difficult to change (as she considers) their main eating habit that they inherited from the culture…plus according to her conviction, Farm margarine gives great flavor to food and sweets…and traditional oriental food is tasteless without margarine
Stories from Saudi: Women's Paradise
Im Abdel-Rahman, a 44 year old housewife (4 children), believes that kitchen is the paradise of women…and nothing but cooking represents a woman’s personality in particular in the Saudi culture.
She simply stated, “If we don’t know how to cook, then we fail our test with husbands!”
“Husband phobia” …as we concluded…
She spends all day long in the kitchen from the time she wakes up her children to school…Full course breakfast (a bite on the go is not allowed)…Tea, milk, bread, butter (Lurpak and Fursan), cheese, eggs, “foul” and…etc.
Off to school…then 3-4 kinds of dishes to be prepared for lunch …Soup, salad, rice, macaroni, Maggie flavors… a must everyday…different dish names but same ingredients…all cooked with margarine and / or Shams cooking oil.
Again preparation of snacks (variety of cold cuts sandwiches with butter), then other heavy meals for dinner…A food lover family that can’t even sleep if they are not fully quenched…
We realized the consumption of (Goody) margarine overcomes that of butter…butter is only used at breakfast and snack time…the rest food and sweets are all cooked with margarine. “Tastier” as she stated.
Traditional food lovers…where she nurtures her cooking information from her mother and grandmother…convinced that they succeeded with their husbands…and she should follow their path…and because they use Lurpak, she believes in it…
Accompanied by her husband, all their shopping is done from whole sale markets. As she mentioned, “cheaper, variety of choice and fresh goods”… random shopping (without list)… they believe “why to limit their shopping within a list when they can get everything and even more with cheaper prices from whole sale markets”.
Goody (margarine) is a must at home and bought in bulks for the whole months…stored in a special room where other canned and food stuff are stored. The other extra dairy products (cheese and butter) are stored in the freezer.
A food lover family that believes and follows all kinds of food promotions and discounts…
Her main concern is to please her husband…and all kinds of heavy meals give him pleasure in particular cooked with margarine.
She simply stated, “If we don’t know how to cook, then we fail our test with husbands!”
“Husband phobia” …as we concluded…
She spends all day long in the kitchen from the time she wakes up her children to school…Full course breakfast (a bite on the go is not allowed)…Tea, milk, bread, butter (Lurpak and Fursan), cheese, eggs, “foul” and…etc.
Off to school…then 3-4 kinds of dishes to be prepared for lunch …Soup, salad, rice, macaroni, Maggie flavors… a must everyday…different dish names but same ingredients…all cooked with margarine and / or Shams cooking oil.
Again preparation of snacks (variety of cold cuts sandwiches with butter), then other heavy meals for dinner…A food lover family that can’t even sleep if they are not fully quenched…
We realized the consumption of (Goody) margarine overcomes that of butter…butter is only used at breakfast and snack time…the rest food and sweets are all cooked with margarine. “Tastier” as she stated.
Traditional food lovers…where she nurtures her cooking information from her mother and grandmother…convinced that they succeeded with their husbands…and she should follow their path…and because they use Lurpak, she believes in it…
Accompanied by her husband, all their shopping is done from whole sale markets. As she mentioned, “cheaper, variety of choice and fresh goods”… random shopping (without list)… they believe “why to limit their shopping within a list when they can get everything and even more with cheaper prices from whole sale markets”.
Goody (margarine) is a must at home and bought in bulks for the whole months…stored in a special room where other canned and food stuff are stored. The other extra dairy products (cheese and butter) are stored in the freezer.
A food lover family that believes and follows all kinds of food promotions and discounts…
Her main concern is to please her husband…and all kinds of heavy meals give him pleasure in particular cooked with margarine.
Stories from Saudi: Pleasures
Different kinds of international cooking books…in particular Chinese & Salad menus…were placed on several shelves in the kitchen…Sayidaty magazine cooking pages also had a share… remarkable enough, a flat TV screen is placed in the kitchen and “Fatafeet channel” is of her great interest.
“Outlets in KSA mean eating…whether in parks or malls (food courts), cafés or restaurants…
Food! My pleasure, my best friend, my life…I enjoy eating and trying all kinds of cuisines…all friends envy me on the way I love food especially pastries and sweets of all kinds and I’m never over weight,” Al-Anoud stated with a laughter.
A 34 year old mother of 2 lovely girls (11 & 9)… who seem to be food lovers also… and enjoy helping in kitchen issues… according to her, kitchen and cuisine knowledge should be taught at early age...convinced that men in this culture are food lovers and women must please their needs.
Following the Saudi culture, Goody (margarine) is a must in main meals, yet butter and cooking oil are indispensable and Fursan butter and Haley cooking oil are used as we concluded…
She added, “we consume butter a lot…twice a week I bake different kinds of cakes and on daily basis I have pastries or cookies in hands…I get bulk and place them in the freezer…Plus Fursan is always under great promotions…maybe other butter brands are worth trying, but is just that we got used to these brands since our childhood…
“I enjoy doing the shopping with my kids in Danube Hypermarket according to the list in hand…and browse through all promotional sections…especially the dairy products aisle, Maggie flavors, Beshamelle sauce, flour, sugar, sweets requirements and for granted fish, chicken and meat …it is great to follow promotions and save money, why not?”
She believes that Baqalas and other HFS are always far expensive and tries to avoid them…unless something urgent is required…
Her main interest is to secure her kids & husband’s food requirements. Special baguette bread for the kids to school, jam, butter & spread cheese…in addition to home- made cookies.
Her husband’s eating habits were noticed to be related to the Saudi culture…rice (of all kinds of dishes) is a priority in major meals.
“My husband loves Goody (margarine) in meals and I can’t but respect his choice and please him; nevertheless he doesn’t mind butter in pastries, sweets and other side dishes,” Al-Anoud stated.
A typical well brought up lady whose main concern is her family’s convenience and health. Yet margarine is used and she is convinced that it isn’t good for the health…but as she mentioned, she avoids “over doing”. A little bit of this just to please her husband!
Stories from Saudi: İt's a matter of taste
Al-Johara, a 36 year old working lady (2 children) sighed, “I have no time to even do the shopping…I just prepare the list and give it to the driver.”
Al-Johara does all her cooking at night for the next day… comes home tired, yet she enjoys all kinds of cooking and always follows new recipes of Chef Ramzi or through special internet cooking sites.
Butter is something she in particular can’t live without and passed it as a habit to her husband and 2 kids.
The idea of bread, butter and jam in the morning on a trolley (hotel-like) makes her day…Butter is our favorite and a must in every meal as appetizer. Lurpak and Flora are her favorite brands…whether for breakfast, appetizer, cooking food or sweets. She believes Lurpak and Flora are light on the stomach, delicious and desired by her family…so why shift brands?
According to her, frying all kinds of mixed nuts with Lurpak gives even a heavy meal like Kabsa a total different delicious light flavor. The only frying oil used at home is Mazola…basically for the kids French fries, chicken nuggets, onions and similar.
We concluded that Flora and Lurpak butter are placed together for breakfast and as appetizers before lunch or dinner, where as Lurpak is more used in the cooking process (food or sweets).
The freezer always contains enough butter of the 2 mentioned brands…on the go, international sweets and pastries are always ready with meals…and according to her, all this require butter in within… A relaxing home…all the members of the family are pleased and agree with her eating habits / daily menus.
Their menu is divided into 2 parts / day…the one hour lunch break (quick light meal) where butter is a must on the table plus a light side dish…Then the main meal is at night…also butter is there…
“All kinds of omlettes are my kids and husband’s favorite…fried with Lurpak is a must”, she added.
Margarine and other heavy butter / grease are not on her list of menu at all…According to her, neither healthy nor tasty.
As we realize, Lurpak and Flora has a big share in this house. Price and promotion don’t mean to her in these brands. “Whether they are on promotion or not, I should get them,” she clarified.
Al-Johara does all her cooking at night for the next day… comes home tired, yet she enjoys all kinds of cooking and always follows new recipes of Chef Ramzi or through special internet cooking sites.
Butter is something she in particular can’t live without and passed it as a habit to her husband and 2 kids.
The idea of bread, butter and jam in the morning on a trolley (hotel-like) makes her day…Butter is our favorite and a must in every meal as appetizer. Lurpak and Flora are her favorite brands…whether for breakfast, appetizer, cooking food or sweets. She believes Lurpak and Flora are light on the stomach, delicious and desired by her family…so why shift brands?
According to her, frying all kinds of mixed nuts with Lurpak gives even a heavy meal like Kabsa a total different delicious light flavor. The only frying oil used at home is Mazola…basically for the kids French fries, chicken nuggets, onions and similar.
We concluded that Flora and Lurpak butter are placed together for breakfast and as appetizers before lunch or dinner, where as Lurpak is more used in the cooking process (food or sweets).
The freezer always contains enough butter of the 2 mentioned brands…on the go, international sweets and pastries are always ready with meals…and according to her, all this require butter in within… A relaxing home…all the members of the family are pleased and agree with her eating habits / daily menus.
Their menu is divided into 2 parts / day…the one hour lunch break (quick light meal) where butter is a must on the table plus a light side dish…Then the main meal is at night…also butter is there…
“All kinds of omlettes are my kids and husband’s favorite…fried with Lurpak is a must”, she added.
Margarine and other heavy butter / grease are not on her list of menu at all…According to her, neither healthy nor tasty.
As we realize, Lurpak and Flora has a big share in this house. Price and promotion don’t mean to her in these brands. “Whether they are on promotion or not, I should get them,” she clarified.
Storıes from Saudi: It's a family affair
Um Talal, a 44 year old housewife (6 children), started aggressively by saying, “our culture is unlike other cultures…light food and snacks is not within our cuisine…and if we dare cook light food, our husbands will just walk away.” Cooking is a must at her home…fast food is not allowed, neither canned nor frozen food.
Heavy meals are required on a daily basis…and the big night is Thursday night where all the family gathers end up eating till dawn. Rice of all kinds, Macaroni, Sleek, Maggie, fried fish, Jreesh, Gorsan, Mandi… are constantly done.
Basically margarine is used in cooking heavy meals and Abu Zahra oil or Afia or Mazola is used for frying…all this to satisfy her husband’s needs; Marai butter or any other brand is used in sweets and pastries…which makes it lighter in taste…
As we realize, there is no brand loyalty for butter or oil…according to her, whichever is available (from the mentioned) she just gets…but for her, the available should be of a certain brand or at least heard of it…price is never a problem… Loyalty is shown for margarine…as they are convinced by the culture that heavy food is tastier with margarine (plus fear from husband)…and margarine should be as priority on the shopping list.
Her point of view, “I use margarine with main dishes just to please my husband at least within major meals…then sweets and pastries pass easily without dispute.”
Butter is also used sometimes with jam or cheese as sandwiches to the children.
Um Talal nurtures her cuisine knowledge through TV programs such as, Green Apple, Manal Al-Alam Kitchen…and sometimes through dieticians... She longs for leading an organized nutritious life style…which she finds impossible in the Saudi culture where rice and margarine are the title of any meal.
Shopping is done randomly without a list…Margarine and other major issues are always at the back of her mind. Accompanied by her husband to Danube Hypermarket, they pass around all shelves and pick up what is necessary for the whole week…where as the main shopping (even randomly) is done once a month from different whole sale market.
A food lover family of heavy meals…
Heavy meals are required on a daily basis…and the big night is Thursday night where all the family gathers end up eating till dawn. Rice of all kinds, Macaroni, Sleek, Maggie, fried fish, Jreesh, Gorsan, Mandi… are constantly done.
Basically margarine is used in cooking heavy meals and Abu Zahra oil or Afia or Mazola is used for frying…all this to satisfy her husband’s needs; Marai butter or any other brand is used in sweets and pastries…which makes it lighter in taste…
As we realize, there is no brand loyalty for butter or oil…according to her, whichever is available (from the mentioned) she just gets…but for her, the available should be of a certain brand or at least heard of it…price is never a problem… Loyalty is shown for margarine…as they are convinced by the culture that heavy food is tastier with margarine (plus fear from husband)…and margarine should be as priority on the shopping list.
Her point of view, “I use margarine with main dishes just to please my husband at least within major meals…then sweets and pastries pass easily without dispute.”
Butter is also used sometimes with jam or cheese as sandwiches to the children.
Um Talal nurtures her cuisine knowledge through TV programs such as, Green Apple, Manal Al-Alam Kitchen…and sometimes through dieticians... She longs for leading an organized nutritious life style…which she finds impossible in the Saudi culture where rice and margarine are the title of any meal.
Shopping is done randomly without a list…Margarine and other major issues are always at the back of her mind. Accompanied by her husband to Danube Hypermarket, they pass around all shelves and pick up what is necessary for the whole week…where as the main shopping (even randomly) is done once a month from different whole sale market.
A food lover family of heavy meals…
Stories from UAE: Food Love
Naila, a 21 year old, petite, Emirati, openly declares, “I love food,” as we sit down to explore where food fits into her life.
Sipping slowly her chocolate mocha shake, she recounts how her passion for food is not a current fascination but is one right from her childhood, “I used have many children’s cook book and be in the kitchen with my mum as a kid. I really enjoy the whole process of cooking.”
As she discusses food, it becomes clear that the whole experience of food – choosing what to have, making the food & eating – is a personal one. In a way, her time with food is ‘me time.’ “Having food is satisfying yourself- you sit, eat & enjoy!”
She goes out once a week with friends. Asian cuisine being her favourite and when asked to describe the food scene in Dubai, she says, “It’s eccentric. There are lots of flavours to try out. But it’s more quantity than quality.”
Knowledgeable about popular western chefs, Naila states, “Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater are my favourite chefs. I have their cookbooks and whenever I have time and in the mood definitely try out their recipes.” So impressed is she with their style & experience in cooking that when quizzed whether price is an influential factor in purchasing ingredients, she replies, “Both Nigela and Nigel clearly states we need good quality ingredients. For example, when making a chocolate desert, they say get, ‘good quality chocolate.’ This is a true point and so I wouldn’t compromise by buying a cheaper alternative.”
As we move deeper into the conversation, Naila shares that her family is a close knit one, however, everyone has different schedules and they don’t often end up having family meals at the table. They are health conscious & do have traditional dishes at home and some of these include Makbous (yellow rice mixed with chicken) & Marag (watery soup with veg/chicken/fish that poured into rice and eaten). When asked about the role of butter, she comments that butter is not used much in the traditional local food. However, in the traditional desserts they do use their own kind of oil is which made from butter & to which they add spices to.
“We don’t have a ritual at home about cooking/baking so whoever wants to make food goes to the kitchen and does so.”
For Naila, her interest lies in baking desserts & this is where butter features the most. Interestingly, while she mentions her interest is to try out the more challenging dessert recipes & in a month she would bake twice, she categories butter with basic cooking ingredients like salt, flour, sugar and explains she doesn’t go out looking to buy it. “Vanilla Chocolate mousse cake is one of the challenging recipes that I’ve tried out. It came out ok,” she shares with a smile and continues, “I don’t go shopping for butter, it’s always there at home.”
She thinks a bit before answering why butter is in the background. She states wouldn’t use a substitute for butter in her baking & while she does mention Lurpark, she admits not being brand conscious about the butter. “Butter is in our homes already so rather remind me about spreading it on bread; it needs to go a step further. They need to emphasise the difference.”
It seems butter is a not so much a boring ingredient but more a staple & basic ingredient that apart from wanting it in the food there is no extra love for it. In Naila’s case, it seems that to bring butter in the spotlight is to champion butter as being a key ingredient in making food just that much more delectable.
Sipping slowly her chocolate mocha shake, she recounts how her passion for food is not a current fascination but is one right from her childhood, “I used have many children’s cook book and be in the kitchen with my mum as a kid. I really enjoy the whole process of cooking.”
As she discusses food, it becomes clear that the whole experience of food – choosing what to have, making the food & eating – is a personal one. In a way, her time with food is ‘me time.’ “Having food is satisfying yourself- you sit, eat & enjoy!”
She goes out once a week with friends. Asian cuisine being her favourite and when asked to describe the food scene in Dubai, she says, “It’s eccentric. There are lots of flavours to try out. But it’s more quantity than quality.”
Knowledgeable about popular western chefs, Naila states, “Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater are my favourite chefs. I have their cookbooks and whenever I have time and in the mood definitely try out their recipes.” So impressed is she with their style & experience in cooking that when quizzed whether price is an influential factor in purchasing ingredients, she replies, “Both Nigela and Nigel clearly states we need good quality ingredients. For example, when making a chocolate desert, they say get, ‘good quality chocolate.’ This is a true point and so I wouldn’t compromise by buying a cheaper alternative.”
As we move deeper into the conversation, Naila shares that her family is a close knit one, however, everyone has different schedules and they don’t often end up having family meals at the table. They are health conscious & do have traditional dishes at home and some of these include Makbous (yellow rice mixed with chicken) & Marag (watery soup with veg/chicken/fish that poured into rice and eaten). When asked about the role of butter, she comments that butter is not used much in the traditional local food. However, in the traditional desserts they do use their own kind of oil is which made from butter & to which they add spices to.
“We don’t have a ritual at home about cooking/baking so whoever wants to make food goes to the kitchen and does so.”
For Naila, her interest lies in baking desserts & this is where butter features the most. Interestingly, while she mentions her interest is to try out the more challenging dessert recipes & in a month she would bake twice, she categories butter with basic cooking ingredients like salt, flour, sugar and explains she doesn’t go out looking to buy it. “Vanilla Chocolate mousse cake is one of the challenging recipes that I’ve tried out. It came out ok,” she shares with a smile and continues, “I don’t go shopping for butter, it’s always there at home.”
She thinks a bit before answering why butter is in the background. She states wouldn’t use a substitute for butter in her baking & while she does mention Lurpark, she admits not being brand conscious about the butter. “Butter is in our homes already so rather remind me about spreading it on bread; it needs to go a step further. They need to emphasise the difference.”
It seems butter is a not so much a boring ingredient but more a staple & basic ingredient that apart from wanting it in the food there is no extra love for it. In Naila’s case, it seems that to bring butter in the spotlight is to champion butter as being a key ingredient in making food just that much more delectable.
Stories from UAE: Yummy in my Tummy
Food exploring happens on the weekends & she has many tales to tell. A key learning from her food exploring, is the best food is usually found in restaurants that aren’t popular simply because of the marketing push. One such nugget of a place is a seafood joint on Jumeirah beach road. Bu Qtair is a small cafeteria style, it has around 5-6 tables and is always packed, offering the most amazing seafood & prawns. “The food is amazing!”
For a food explorer like herself, it’s not a surprise she has a celebratory view of food, “Food brings friends and family together.”
Not one to merely be on the eat side of food; she also cooks for family & friends, and when she does so she never compromises on the ingredients used. And this is where butter features. On occasions when she is cooking for family and friends, she uses butter because of the flavor it gives to the food. Some of the dishes where butter is used includes, Dal Makhani, Paneer, Butter Chicken, Pasta with Alfredo sauce & rice.
On a more daily basis, she would use butter for toast or scrambled eggs.
Interestingly, there isn’t a specific butter brand she is particular about. This means that all the importance given is to the butter, none to the brand. The brand doesn’t seem to exert an influence on the final quality of the butter.
As for ingredients, she has an affinity to pick the more local offering. For basic items such as Dal she mentions she is price sensitive. However, if she is buying ingredients like shallots, mushrooms, leeks, that will be used for specific dishes, she would pick up the exact quantity needed rather just buy a big handful.
As open as she is to food, she does have reservations about fast food. It’s not a healthy option and rather than have fast food like a burger, she would choose to have more Indian quick food snacks.
Her exploring with food has also made her observant about trends in the food scene and she shares a few major ones:
1. More people eating & experimenting with seafood. Seafood is more in the mainstream cuisine.
2. There is a greater offering in groceries to prepare different cuisines. You can make a thai green curry sauce and this helps people experiment and try new dishes from different cuisines.
3. More health conscious, so there is a move towards less snacks and the use of olive oil in foods.
4. The different kinds of diets (e.g. South Beach, Atlkins). Diets give you a more behind the scenes info on each type of food and this influences your choice and intake quantity of food.
5. The marketing push that seems to campaign for people to try out a product/ingredient
For food explorer, the adventure and the joy of exploration is ultimately boils down to the process and the experience of savoring the food. It would be interesting to consider how much of that emotion can be infused into a single ingredient to transform it into a hero ingredient or the instigator of excitement into everyday meals.
In the case of butter, there isn’t a debate of whether it’s a right ingredient, as much as, is it a healthy option or if its offering is strong enough to overlook a healthier option on a regular basis.
If it’s exciting enough, it will have pull regardless.
Stories from UAE: The Baker's Thumb
As we talk food, the frequency in which terms like ‘texture,’ ‘moist,’ & ‘crumbly’ spring up in the conversation hints her knowledge of food is not textbookish. It’s result of enjoying food. Moving deeper into the conversation, you suddenly wish, you had the same food intellect to make food connoisseur like comments like she does!
‘I’ve always been into food as a kid,” Heidi states, “In my family I’m the one who is the most enthusiastic about cooking.”
Interestingly, she recounts that as a kid, she was not excited about attending birthday parties because of food that would be normally be served, “Other kids would be happy with the hot dog and the pizza slice. Not me, I preferred a proper meal.”
Not a fast food junkie, she prefers more homemade food. She might occasionally eat fast food but it’s more a last resort scenario. “If I’ve eaten fast food I usually feel guilty afterwards. I prefer to have homemade food where I know what ingredients have gone into making the food.” A simple homemade sandwich scores high on her list of right items to eat versus a McDonald’s burger.
For a food connoisseur like her, it’s no doubt that Italy is placed as her favourite destination for good food, “I had the best pizza’s in Florence, Krusitini, awesome risotto & amazing tiramisu.” She adds that the fact the food is so fresh & because it’s not complicated –it’s not a crazy mix of ingredients that leaves you wondering what you’re eating –is what really Italian food has in its favour.
She also reveals that food blogs are a good source of information and inspiration for her. One of her favourite blogs is http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/.
While does she cook savoury and main courses, her first love is baking desserts. “I love the transformation. One moment you’re working with a mixture & in the next step of the process, the mixture has become a nice solid cake for example. The end result is beautiful.” She also comments that apart from the physical transformation and taste you also get to enjoy the wonderful smells that come with baking desserts.
So as one, who loves to bake, does butter feature as key ingredient? It certainly does. Furthermore, Heidi firmly states that you can’t replace butter for a substitute; you won’t get the same result as when you do use butter. Substitute it and you miss out on the flavour, texture etc. “I use olive oil as a substitute in my savoury cooking, it’s a healthier option. But when I’m baking, I use butter because there isn’t a substitute for butter to get the same end result.”
Apart from butter being used in baking, she also uses it when making scrambled eggs, on sandwiches or on toasted bread. Reason? Again because of the flavour.
While she doesn’t substitute butter, she doesn’t mind substituting other ingredients. For example she recounts how in Egypt it was extremely difficult to get sour cream to make cheesecake. Rather than drop making the dessert, she found that a special type of Labeneh could be used instead because it offered the same texture and flavour.
The health factor plays important role and she does mention that though using butter in food is far superior, in her savoury dishes she uses olive oil because it’s healthier. If butter could be a healthier offering, or if there was a butter brand option where using a smaller amount provided the same result in terms of flavour, then it would still be a chosen everyday option.
What also becomes clear is because of the amount of baking she does, she is conscious of the brands and the prices. She explains how Geant, a hypermarket close to her residence, had a great value offering on the butter brand President. “When normally there is a price offering, it could mean that the product has a close expiry date. In this case, it was not & I picked quite a few of the butter bars because of the value offering.”
She gives a cultural titbit as she describes the butter scene in Egypt, “Butter is Egypt is usually purchased in bulk. You normally go to the store and purchase it at the counter butter. They have in blocks and it’s not branded. If you ask the guy where the butter is from the usual response is it’s from ‘Hollandi’ (from Holland).” Egyptians also butter to make ghee, they never buy ghee. Blocks of butter is melted, with the liquid portion used as Ghee and the dense portion that settles at the base when the butter is melted, known as ‘Morta’, has a cheese like texture and taste & is eaten with bread.
With regards to the availability of products, she observes Dubai has a good product offering in the supermarkets. However, sometimes it’s hard to find certain brands, “You usually don’t have supermarkets/hypermarkets always stocking up on the best ingredients for baking, like certain premium cooking chocolate. When I do find them I usually buy a good amount.”
Ultimately, for a person like Heidi, butter scores high and it would have been more of favourite ingredient if there was health advantage to it. This is seems to be challenge – How to make butter a healthy option? It has everything else in its f(l)avour.
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Russia - South of Italy is here
Home Party with Girls
But then she decides to look up the recipe on her iPhone online and is surprised to find out that actually the respected blogger who lives in Italy advises to use the ones with the head. The head is used to give the extra flavor to the juice.
The rocket salad, sundried tomatoes and parmejano will be the accompanying salad components.
Cooking at home
All the ingredients are ready:
Elena is surprised to find out that the new salad Belaya Dacha is already washed (in the packaged on the left). She know washes the greens that were sold in a usual package:
Now the greens are cut:
And the shrimps have to be peeled:
The shells are peeled, the head has to torn off and saved for frying later, for the sauce. One peculiar detail is the removal of the intestines. "If we don't remove it will make the shrimps taste bitter."
Now the shrimps are peeled. And the cherry tomatoes have to sliced.
The whole process is carefully organized and planned. Every utensil and ingredient finds its own place. Everything is orderly and enjoyed.
"I do everything carefully and in a nice-looking way. I enjoy the cooking as much as I enjoy the grooming process. Sitting with the mirror and all my cremes and stuff."
Now stage 1 is complete and a glass of wine is well-deserved. The guests will arrive in about an hour.
"I don't like garlic and onions at all. But in this dish you have to have garlic in the sauce. You fry it in the oil until it gets brownish and then throw it out."
After the garlic leaves the pan we add the heads and the spicy pepper. We need the juice to for the sauce.
Before throwing the pasta in the water some olive oil needs to be added for the taste.
The trick with the pasta is to get it in the water without breaking:
And finally the shrimps need to be fried on a high temperature for a short period of time:
The guests have arrived and the dinner is served:
The salad comes after everyone is seated:
[Unfortunately girls object making pictures during the party itself.]
The guests tonight are the three girls who are the closest friends.
They discuss the different kinds of cheese on the plate. "This one with the fig is kinda sweet and nice."
Then they talk about the wines on the table and the wines they bought recently. The prices, the places of production, the bouquet. In the end everyone agrees that the wines of the New World are more rich in flavors and in genera are better quality then the French ones. "The French are losing the market! I will choose a wine from Chile over a wine from France any day now!"
Then they discuss different famous Russian culinary bloggers. The host is promoting the author of the today's pasta as the real whiz.
Then they move on to TV series and movies. The usual suspects - House MD, Dexter... "If you start watching Prison Break you can't stop until you watch all the episodes! I have several friends who couldn't go to bed till 8 am. They even went out in the middle of the night to buy the next season."
Then somebody mentions that you don't have to go out and buy DVDs actually. You can download everything on torrents.
One girl boasts that her provider sells the fastest connection in town - "I can download a movie in a couple of minutes. Really!"
Another girl boasts that she has a high seeding ratio on the torrent tracker everyone in the room is using. "I just download the most popular film and let it seed for several days." - "And I leave it on and seeding when I go on a business trip."
Then they move on to discussing HDMI connection formats. "The quality of the sound is really astound with this new format. The picture is good even on the VGA connection [from laptop to TV]. But the sound is something that makes HDMI worth it."
Next subject is sports. Two of the girls have started playing tennis again after a 10 year break. They discuss their instructor and how in summer they will be able to wear short tennis skirts.
"I go to the gym 3 times and I feel great. I can't imagine myself without it now!"
One girl is having a birthday soon and she wanted to order a table in one of the high-end clubs in town. She discovered it will cost her 100 thousand rubles (2300 pounds) and she decided against it. "I might as well take everybody to Turkey for 3 days instead for the same of money."
Everyone is excited about that option and go on discussing sun, sand and the sea. Two of the girls grew up on the Baltic sea and miss it all in Moscow. "You go back to your town and realize that your friends look like they are 20. That's what the sea does to you! And you don't have to spend a fortune on cosmetologists."
Conclusion: Parties for friends around the cause of serving a specialty are a great bonding session where all the subjects discussed are related to one big issue - How to improve your life - both materially and spiritually - through technology, sports, movies, food, sea, etc.
Opportunity:
We see that Food Lovers are different in their attention to details ("The head of the shrimps are used for the sauce. The intestines have to go out to prevent bitterness.")
Traditional butter users are reached in housekeeping magazines with the message of 'naturalness'.
We see that Food Lovers have to be reached in different touch points with the messages of "Pay attention to this detail and it will improve your experience" - for example in traveling magazines where non-tourist routes are covered ("Pay attention to this fact while visiting this place and you will experience the other side of the country.").
Opportunity:
We see that Food Lovers are different in their attention to details ("The head of the shrimps are used for the sauce. The intestines have to go out to prevent bitterness.")
Traditional butter users are reached in housekeeping magazines with the message of 'naturalness'.
We see that Food Lovers have to be reached in different touch points with the messages of "Pay attention to this detail and it will improve your experience" - for example in traveling magazines where non-tourist routes are covered ("Pay attention to this fact while visiting this place and you will experience the other side of the country.").
Russia - Wrap it up as a foreign culture
Restaurant critic at the publishing house that recently launched a lifestyle magazine about food - Afisha Eda. We meet at a Georgian restaurant right next door to the publishing house.
"Afisha Eda studied the oil/butter breakdown in Russia. It turned that olive oil is used by less than 1% of the Russian population. So I wouldn't say there is a significant lifestyle/quality food trend going on in Russia.
Yes, there is a trend of people who think that everyone should have a "man he buys meat from at the market", a list of restaurants with favorite dishes, a grandma that brings 'real' butter from the village.
House in the Village dairy has been exploiting this trend for a while now.
Observation: This looks like a very Russian thing. In hair care consumers keep saying they have a friend hairdresser who supplies them with professional shampoos at wholesale prices. This may be the Soviet legacy - when you could get quality food only if you had connections.
"At the same time Afisha Eda sells more copies than its elder brother [the city guide magazine]. People don't have to actually follow all the advice and recipes from the magazine. They just enjoy reading about good cuisine."
Observation: People don't have to drive Bentleys and wear Breguet to read Esquire or GQ.
"I don't cook at home because I eat out a lot. My profession requires me to do so. Plus at my age I feel like partying and going out. Plus I follow the diet called Just For You. My daily meal comes in a box and they claim it was done personally for me."
"They probably lie about it and have only several options they combine for everybody. It is like the Barnum Effect. When we are told the horoscope was specified for us - 80% will believe it.
Opportunity: communicate the product as something customized according to personal needs.
I don't see myself falling for bliny and butter but if butter served to me as a part of a different culture - for example as a croissant with butter or dairy sauces - it seems to be healthy. You want to be a part of a different cultural experience. Beurre blance is insanely fat but you feel like its equal to olive oil.
Opportunity: communicate the product as part of a different (non-Russian) culture, different cuisine.
Russia - I want to be strong
[lives with her boyfriend, odd jobs as model, translator]
We go to Azbuka Vkusa not too far away from her house. She wants to show us how to make aubergines with salad and cheese and spices.
Despite the fact that there variety of the sorts of cheese is rich Dasha chooses the Russian one - Adygei cheese:
Dasha's granddad is Uzbeki - so she knows a lot about spices, but she chooses the one that is pre-mixed.
We end up with an assortment of vegetables and "cheese to make it feel finalized".
Dasha just woke up and hasn't ward up yet for a proper conversation. She opens up on the way home and at home. So we check out and head out home for cooking.
Shopping
One the way home I find out that Dasha and her boyfriend rarely go to this premium store. They regularly go to Metro Cash&Carry. This is where she digresses from what her boyfriend likes. He can buy a big pack of waffles and she hates this kind of junk food. Dasha then likes onion in any shape but her boyfriend objects to eating it a lot. So she has to refrain.
Dasha's meal routine usually consists of just vegetables and rice or buckwheat. Buckwheat is the only dish where she adds butter.
Her boyfriend usually buys something like Valio - something from the medium segment.
She specialized in Chinese at the University and regularly goes to China. She says that China has spoilt her. In China she could eat for less than 20 cents a day. And the food is cooked really fast there.
Open Markets
In Moscow in addition to Metro they go to local convenience stores and a nearby market. This is where Dasha picks up vegetables and spices. She mentions her Uzbeki roots and the vendors immediately show respect. She starts bargaining and they show even more respect.
Dasha knows about spices, how to make "the real pilaf", she feels comfortable at the market where most of the vendors of vegetables and rice come from the southern former-USSR countries.
Maslenitsa
Every year they host a big party dedicated to Maslenitsa and the ritual of burning the effigy of winter. They make bliny and burn the real effigy.
Opportunity: become the symbol of theme food parties.
First she washes the vegetables with a brush and then pours hot boiled water over them for cleanliness.
The cheese is cut
The tomatoes are sliced while the first portion of aubergines is getting toasted.
Next she adds the spices.
Now the aubergines are sizzling:
In the meantime we notice an assortment of separate spices on the fridge:
It was brought from China. While Dasha grinds the carrot she notices that it seems OK judging by the juice. But the aubergines seem to be too dry for their price. You never know where you find the good food.
"I did a research once and bought kiwi in every place I saw in the city. My conclusion was that it must be imported from the same place. All the kiwis in town tasted like crap."
"You have to spend some time trying before you find your 'grandma' on the market who will always have good products for you."
She confesses that restaurants are the same. You come to a place where they charge you over 700 rubles for a salad (almost 18 pounds) and it's just a bag of rocket salad from the supermarket and some sauce.
While she lays pepper and tomatoes on the in the pan she tells about the baking machine in the corner.
"We make the most delicious bread with this machine. My friends come to taste it all the time, with butter. I never tried it with butter because I am afraid to get addicted."
"It is also funny that I use flour from the store, nothing unusual. But the bread from the store grows moldy and my bread never does. It dries in 2 days, that's all. I think they put something bad in the bread since it grows moldy."
By now the first portion is ready. Final touches:
We sit down to table:
The dish tastes simple, elegant and tasty but something is missing. Dasha warns that she tries to avoid salt. "Because it adds 10 years of your life".
Why the Good Food?
Soon Dasha is moving to China for at least a year. She doesn't want to work as a translator there according to her diploma. She wants to start a business of her own, to continue taking photographs, and explore the world.
"I want to eat healthy to live longer. I want to be stronger to be able to see and taste more. I want to travel before I am 30. I don't want to read about things I want to see with my own eyes."
"I am not satisfied with the way things are going in Russia [she refers to the recent scandal involving the Mail of Russia not delivering parcels from abroad on time]. I want to change what I can. And I need to be healthy for that."
Conclusion: It seems that people who are interested in quality food are the ones who are in general more inquisitive and pro-active.
Russia - The Smell of Food Creates the Mood
Veronika, 24
[Vegetarian. Single. Lives between her rented apartment (with flatmates) and her mom's apartment. Freelance PR agent.]
The Smell of Pies
We have an annual tradition of throwing a Maslenitsa party. It feels very home-like, nice, bonding. Everybody brings the different fillings for the bliny (pancakes). The dough is made in advance. Everybody enjoys the process of cooking and the atmosphere.
Honestly it feels like a matinee in the kindergarten. Even strangers felt like family members at that party. I don't eat pastry, pies and bliny but I enjoyed the atmosphere very much.
Opportunity: Communicate butter as the inherent component of bonding food theme parties.
Good Food
I used to date a boy who was a chef and I learnt a lot from him. We would buy all the premium ingredients from Azbuka Vkusa and have cooking nights. He would tell me about the combination of the sour and the bitter, the sweet and the spicy and all that stuff. I learnt from him that when all the receptors are activated that is when the real satisfaction comes.
Food is like a drug. It is the easiest way to get high and to fight depression.
My Mom and Butter
My Mom sticks butter everywhere. She cooks with mayonnaise, butter, layers of everything. She likes doing this layered casseroles with potato. It's all very heavy. But she avoids frying on butter because it is bad for health.
She shops spontaneously. She will buy 3 kilos of apples on promotion just because they were on promotion. But nobody eats them in the family.
Me and Shopping
I try to shop with a list all the time. I don't follow impulses in the store. My meal roaster is very limited now: buckwheat, rice, hummus... Hummus is my life! I can eat only hummus all my life. It is light, it spreads like soft cheese, it is not fat.
My mom knows it's futile to try to force some food on me. I can't even imagine myself right now as a good housewife. All my boyfriends run away because I don't know how to cook all those family things - bortsch, cous-cous, chak-chak... I have a friend who is married and keeps digging out all these recipes to please her man. These girls are really passionate about cooking.
In restaurants I am not sophisticated as well. I order Caesar Salad and Philadelphia rolls.
Restaurants
But I love going to restaurants. In Russia we have a few places that are similar to all those little cafes in Berlin. It always smells good inside them, it smells like different spices. Those cafes in Berlin are so varied and so unpretentious - you can't help but enjoy your time there. They have lots of soul.
In Moscow we miss the good human attitude.
In Berlin they have these regular open markets/fairs where someone is preparing food in big cauldrons. You eat that soup and you feel bonded with people around you.
Open markets in Russia are a scary place to be in general. Even premium supermarkets can literally stink sometimes. You don't feel like spending time there.
Opportunity: again food lovers shows themselves as people perceiving the world with all their senses. Impacting all their senses is sure-fire way to drive Sensuality for the brand that will make it a Lovemark eventually.
Russia - The sophisticated go back to the basic joy in life
Helen, 31
Lives alone with her mother, total income above average.
Cooking Experience
At school I was crazy about hand-written copies of recipes from whatever sources I could find. The favorite was of course the Big Cooking Book [scroll the link for pictures - this book was called "A Book anout Tasty and Healthy food"] every Soviet family had. [The internet wasn't used for recipes back then.] So I have a lot of experience of cooking. Now I don't even have to look it up online to understand how a dish is made.
I actually use internet only for email. I think people who spend all their time online are failures offline by default.
Inspiration from Restaurants
I spend most of my salary on restaurants. I love eating out. When I choose a place to eat I look at the design first. I am convinced that you can understand a lot about the food they serve by their approach to the interior design. That is why I like this fishery:
If I like the dish I will be able to copy it at home without a recipe. It's based on my experience plus on the fact that I am a 'sensoric' person. I like to touch, smell, see, taste, and so on.
If you have a passion for food - you feel it. You sense the combinations involved and you can always reproduce it.
For example in this restaurant (fishery) I like this Boston Soup. This is my favorite in this restaurant. And I have tried it at home once - successfully.
Sensoric People
I always compare food to sex. There are people who like sex and only some people really know how to do it. The same with food. Everybody loves eating but not everybody knows how to cook.
'Sensoric' people can do everything the like and know how to - dance, eat, make love, and basically express themselves creatively or artistically.
Good Food
We all grew up on the simple Soviet food which was "without the music accompaniment" so to say. It was plain and dumb.
Opportunity: Communicate the good food message with the involvement of all senses - with music in media, with tactile in-store comm's, etc.
Good Food is an Experience
You can't drink expensive wine on a bench so to say. The setting has to be proper. It is a lifestyle thing. It is also a system thing. You dress well, you drink well, you eat well - you follow one system in all your routes.
Smart vs. stupid people
Smart people differ from stupid people in terms of what they understand by pleasure. Smart people have reached the top of intellectual pleasures available on this Earth and realized that the simple pleasures is what matters.
They know that the real keif in life comes from exploring the simple pleasures. That is why my all-time favorite cartoon is Ratatouille.
Opportunity: It takes going all the way in your intellectual growth to understand that the simple pleasures of eating and drinking good are the ones to be cherished in life. (Similar to the insight behind the UK TVCs about Potato, Bread, etc.)
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