I have let this blog lapse due to my chaotic schedule and desire to make something more out of it. In recent months, my job has settled and I have decided to “get back to basics”. I’ve been reading a lot about the history and development of food. Where does food come from? How does it get to me? I’m not an advocate of “Slow Food” or “Raw Diets”, but the concept of obtaining food intrigues me. I have friends who complain that the UAE (where I live) imports all of its food - but they continue to eat grapes from California (while in New York) - the distance is extreme. Why is importing food from India any different than importing food from California?

Another impact in my life was my recent visit to the US. A couple of my friends questioned me about basics - can we get certain foods? how much are they? Can you consistently obtain certain food products?

So, I’ve decided to take this blog and just report on my quest for food. The different prices and locations they’ve come from, as well as the quality. so…here goes another experiment.

I’ve been settling into a new job and have been reading a bit too much.  I’ve been ignoring my usual online reading haunts (ones that I either don’t want to RSS or that don’t have RSS!)   And until yesterday, I didn’t know that Mahmut Aygun passed away!!!!!! The god of drunk food, the inventor of DONER KEBAB!!!!!

For the uninitiated (hey, I never had doner until I went to Europe), this goodness is similar to a gyro, or a pita bread with lamb meat filling - and other goodness. This summer, my wife and I ate doner at least 3x a week. Simple, inexpensive, delicious goodness that you can carry home after a long night out

Mahmut - we will miss you, but we will never forget you.

Well, this is the beginning.   A brief introduction.

My name is Mike and I am a food dork.  Some people say “I work to live, not live to work”.   For me, “I live to eat, not eat to live”.  In the past year, I have relocated to the United Arab Emirates in the emirate of Sharjah.  Sharjah is adjacent to Dubai and Dubai is a 5 minute (no traffic) drive from my flat.

A little history about myself.  I grew up in the Midwestern U.S. in a small, lonely town.  I was exposed to some culinary goodness, but I started to get involved with expanded my “food horizons” when I became a vegetarian.  Being a vegetarian lasted about 8 years, but my cooking expertise expanded enormously due to having to find alternatives to animal products.    Then, I fell off the wagon so to speak.   Super Bowl + beer + chicken offals = whole new world.   I had had chicken offals before, but this was the start of…where I am now.

After many years of exploring, I have made my own beer, made sausage, ate pretty much every part of a pig, cow, lamb, chicken, and fish (and more animals - but more on that in time), baked, fried, poached, sauteed, and boiled.   I love food.  I’ll try anything.  I’m always on the hunt to try new local dishes/drinks.

Moving from Denver, in the United States, to Sharjah/Dubai has opened my eyes a bit more to the food world.   I named this blog “Shawarma and Juice” in honor of the (sometimes) excellent fast food cafeterias in and around the area.

So…this is the beginning.