What am I doing here, travel diary, day 9: lunchtime, a complication

In this type of coverage, with no time to stop the ball and take a moment of leisure (logical, we are working 24/7), meals are often a problem. And this World Cup, here in and around Doha, is no exception. It is that routines are subverted by the time zone (six more than in Argentina) and by the current production methods of our trade, which require us to always be with be on guard like the Gallardo river.

All this complexity threatens good eating habits. Looking at the photo and guessing the generous corpulence that follows below, you can tell me, quoting Raúl Alfonsín: “You’re not doing so bad, chubby”. And yes, I have the benefit of the reserve tank. But everything has a limit.

Nutritionists, with whom I have a long history of failures but also a couple of hiccups, always recommend eating healthy and resting well. As you will realize from what I’m telling you, we would do neither.

I’m not complaining, of course. The idea is not to be sorry. Quite the opposite. It’s great to cover a World Cup or any event of this magnitude. It’s super rewarding and a great challenge. But after a week and with only two days of competition, the body is taking over from aches and fatigue. That being the case, added to a jet lag that never subsides, they impose not to miss the elections.

Elections of what? The choice of food. And this It is very interesting to try typical Qatari dishes. It’s a completely different food culture than we’re used to in the southern tip of America. Between ignorance and spiciness that appears as a special guest in almost all dishes, lunch and dinner of your choice -breakfast is Home made– it can end up being a bad drink.

It is true that one can be more result-oriented than Bilardo. Nothing to prick the ball in the penalty. Strong in the middle and bet on fast food that are around the world to satiate your hunger without the risk of complications. However, living 40 days, or the duration of this journey, between hamburgers and fries, fried chicken or pizza, would not be the healthiest thing in the history of mankind.

What do we have left, you must be thinking. He will neither was nor does. There is no food that suits him… Neither typical nor disgusting. That’s not quite the case though there is nothing comparable to Puppi’s Milanese. There are very tasty dishes. Most come with rice, as happens in all countries in this part of the world. It is known that rice, like bread, serves to appease the effects of spicy foods. Y It’s the great foundation of all foods, as the old 80s ads said.

It is also the basis of machbooswhich is a dish that is usually on the menu in both Qatari restaurants and homes. Also known as Kabs it is eaten in many homes and restaurants in Qatar. It is cooked with rice, as I told you, different spices and fish or meat.. what meat? Chicken, lamb, prawns or camel… I think I got chicken. But we didn’t get on well with the waiter who spoke even more rudimentary English than mine.

The other day I finally figured out why Arabic bread has that shape. I had already seen it in films and also on gastronomic channels, but here I ended up falling in love with the he You eat, of course, generally with your hands. The three fingers we use to make a deck or label someone a coward (ca…) are used, but pointing down and used as a gripper.

Bread is the ideal wrapper for lifting food. So you can eat all kinds of food. I tried some kind of appetizer that had hummus, an olive marinade (how nice, let’s say olives), a deconstructed caprese (everything was finely chopped), some kind of Russian salad, and a spicy pasta that almost made me make a wrong move .

Luckily, Come dessert time, I was phenomenally successful. And that the photos of the dish look much more succulent because it has a better texture. No more mystery. The sweet is called ahem wings, meaning “Ali’s mother”. It is actually of Egyptian origin and is a sort of custard that has a flaky pastry – it can also be bread – ground almonds and pistachios. It is usually served hot, but can also be eaten cold. It’s a delicacy.

How many? In fast food, they start around $10 a combination. In slightly more nutritious and elaborate restaurants, the problem, at least, triples.

This story will continue…

Doha, Qatar. Special delivery.