On December 15th, the water and electricity will stop. The demolition will, supposedly, begin shortly thereafter. Tenders have been submitted and money will be made. Hafa, former quarter to slaves and Salalah's poor, will be torn down and rebuilt. Rumor has it a Starbucks is coming. Well how about that?
I don't know how I feel about this. I grew up in Hawaii before it was the land of Aloha and millions of tourists changed its landscape forever. As a young woman, I saw newscasts of old men weeping as they were evicted from banana plantations that were destined to be golf courses. Hawaii isn't the beautiful place of my childhood. It's gone, an homage to commercial development and angry Hawaiian nationalists. It's a real mess. I've also lived in Hafa, above the Cafe de Paris. I liked seeing the Omani ladies sitting in groups on the beach at night, chatting with friends and tapping on their mobiles and iPads. Omani men sit in a circle and play cards in the sand. Indians play cricket and boys play football. It's hard to picture that continuing after hotels are built and upscale coffee shops like la Starbucks arrive.
Hafa is a crumbling mess though. It is prime real estate, and in a country that needs to diversity before the oil runs out, it makes economic sense to develop the area. I can't but feel that it will lose some of it's funky charm though. The government has arranged for everyone to move to new shops elsewhere in the city; they have tried to do things right. However, the goofy souk with the hawkers, perfume vendors, and Pakistanis fixing sandals by hand (and feet) won't look quite the same elsewhere.
Also, on December 15th, my Bengali cleaner will join 5000 displaced laborers. Housing was arranged for them, but "far." He and his two mates pay 35 omani rial a month for a room above a tailor shop, and they've lived there for years. They will be hard pressed to find something like that in the city (I think) and may have to join the squatters. For a lot of workers, the porta-camps set up are just too far from the only work they have. It's a pickle for them isn't it?
I bleed liberal blood I admit. Just gush it. My Hawaii upbringing has given me a distinct anti-development frame of thinking. But I get it. Salalah changes every day. Roads are torn up and widened. "Flyovers" are in the works to connect Saada to Auqud. The new airport will be finished soon, and more flights mean more business. More commerce comes in and out of the Port of Salalah all the time. In ten years, Salalah will be unrecognizable from the dusty little city at the bottom of Oman it was two and a half years ago when I arrived. I hope to be here to see it. Then I hope to leave, memories of my nights looking from my rooftop intact, seeing the lights of Al Baleed, listening to the waves, and watching the ladies of Salalah gather without care on the beach.
I don't know how I feel about this. I grew up in Hawaii before it was the land of Aloha and millions of tourists changed its landscape forever. As a young woman, I saw newscasts of old men weeping as they were evicted from banana plantations that were destined to be golf courses. Hawaii isn't the beautiful place of my childhood. It's gone, an homage to commercial development and angry Hawaiian nationalists. It's a real mess. I've also lived in Hafa, above the Cafe de Paris. I liked seeing the Omani ladies sitting in groups on the beach at night, chatting with friends and tapping on their mobiles and iPads. Omani men sit in a circle and play cards in the sand. Indians play cricket and boys play football. It's hard to picture that continuing after hotels are built and upscale coffee shops like la Starbucks arrive.
Hafa is a crumbling mess though. It is prime real estate, and in a country that needs to diversity before the oil runs out, it makes economic sense to develop the area. I can't but feel that it will lose some of it's funky charm though. The government has arranged for everyone to move to new shops elsewhere in the city; they have tried to do things right. However, the goofy souk with the hawkers, perfume vendors, and Pakistanis fixing sandals by hand (and feet) won't look quite the same elsewhere.
Also, on December 15th, my Bengali cleaner will join 5000 displaced laborers. Housing was arranged for them, but "far." He and his two mates pay 35 omani rial a month for a room above a tailor shop, and they've lived there for years. They will be hard pressed to find something like that in the city (I think) and may have to join the squatters. For a lot of workers, the porta-camps set up are just too far from the only work they have. It's a pickle for them isn't it?
I bleed liberal blood I admit. Just gush it. My Hawaii upbringing has given me a distinct anti-development frame of thinking. But I get it. Salalah changes every day. Roads are torn up and widened. "Flyovers" are in the works to connect Saada to Auqud. The new airport will be finished soon, and more flights mean more business. More commerce comes in and out of the Port of Salalah all the time. In ten years, Salalah will be unrecognizable from the dusty little city at the bottom of Oman it was two and a half years ago when I arrived. I hope to be here to see it. Then I hope to leave, memories of my nights looking from my rooftop intact, seeing the lights of Al Baleed, listening to the waves, and watching the ladies of Salalah gather without care on the beach.
From the roof of my old place in Hafa.
The cake of the moment was actually a crumble. A regular customer wanted something a little different, and though he would prefer rhubarb, that wasn't available this week at Lulus. I went with apple. Here is my recipe:
Felicia's Apple Crumble
Grease a 9x13 pan with butter and set aside.
Peel, core, and slice 12 green apples. I use green because I like the apples to be a bit tart. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and cup of sugar. Pour a cup of water over the lot of it, and stew for about 15 minutes. You want some chunks remaining, so don't stew it into a total mush.
Let cool for a bit while you prepare the topping. Preheat oven to 350F/180C
Mix 2 cups of oatmeal, a cup of flour, and 1/2 cup of sugar. Cut in a cup of cold butter. It helps to cut it into small cubes. I use my fingers to make a coarse mix.
Pour the apples into the prepared pan and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Spread the oatmeal mixture over the apples and bake for 30 minutes.
Delicious with vanilla ice cream!
Yeah..this isn't my pic either. I get tired of whinging at my husband to take a pic and send it to me.
The husband asked me today if I am still doing cakes. I said I am, but this week has been light on butter. Shopping tomorrow though! I feel a mango bundt cake coming on...hooray!
Love,
Felicia El Aid
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