Oditity - Tissues, Marvel - Dates

 Oddity - Using facial tissues as paper towels

Dates and sweet treats are very popular here. On my first day in Qatar, I was offered dates by every colleague (I think I ate 20 that day) and gifted a bowl of dates from a colleague who grew them in her garden. When you eat the date, you have to spit out the seed so you need something to collect the seed. 

I noticed a very odd thing. When you eat dates or most any food, they offer you a tissue to clean your hands. It is the same type tissue you would use to blow your nose. It is very thin and fine, versus a paper towel that is thicker and strong. 

At first I thought this was due to convenience. They gave me a tissue because it was close by and the paper towels were far away. But every time I was offered a date by a colleague or a friend, I was also offered a tissue. People keep the tissue boxes next to the dates. 

At many restaurants, there is a box of tissues on the table. The tissues are typically a little stronger than the tissues I buy in the US, but they are still finer and prone to breaking, especially when wet. The dates are very sticky so you need to get your hands wet in order to remove the stickiness but the tissue can not handle it. 

When I eat out, my fingers are covered with the stickiness and I have to go through 3-4 tissues in order to clean my hands. It seems silly, especially since I could use a simple wet towel to clean off the fingers at once. Perhaps one day someone will explain why you use a tissue instead of a napkin or paper towel. 

Marvel - The filling power of dates

Dates are ubiquitous to the middle east. Many Muslims break their Ramadan fast with dates. The reasoning is that dates have a high sugar content which helps quickly restore energy. Dates are also high in fiber so they help fill you up. It is traditional (and tasty) to eat dates with your coffee. The dates add sweetness so you do not need to add sugar. 

I started adding dates to my yogurt in the morning and found that it fills me up. I already added dates to my smoothies in the US, to help add sweetness and a little bit of extra fiber. Now that I'm here, I find that I just need to snack on 1-2 dates to get an energy boost and feel better for the day. Its amazing - such a tiny little thing can pack a powerful punch.