Visit camels at Bahrain's Royal Camel Farm

Just off the Janabiyah Highway there are hundreds of camels. You can find big camels, baby camels, and camels sitting, standing, eating, and rolling around in the sand trying to scratch their back or, er, hump.

Free Lentil Soup & Garlic Sauce or: How to Get Your Arabic Restaurant a 5 Star Rating

When you've lived in the Middle East almost your whole life, and you relocate to a small city where burrito and schnitzel joints abound (seriously they're all on the same street), your eyes will be trained to be on the lookout for any restaurant selling food that has flavour. So when I saw that there was a new Mediterranean grill place in town I alerted my brother as soon as possible and we went to go check it out. When we came in to get some lunch, we were offered little cups of warm lentil soup and something delicious covered in garlic sauce. Pretty good first impression I'd say.

6 Things I Forgot to Take with Me on a Desert Camping Trip

Those who know me well, or if I'm being honest, those who have just introduced themselves to me, know that I have a bad memory. Bad memory + planning for a camping trip = forgetting stuff. Learn from my mistakes and remember to bring these six items!

Dos and Don'ts of finding the best Arabic food in a small city

Sometimes you have a craving that needs to be filled... with hummus. Or some other kind of Arabic dish. But if you don't live in a big city in North America or anywhere in the Middle East, it won't be easy to find. So I’ve taken it upon myself to compile a handy list to help you on your search.

How to actually help Syrian refugees

Twitter is a great place. You get to interact and engage with people from all over the world, hashtags are born, and memes are shared.

10 questions for organic farming activist Dr. Vandana Shiva

I met Vandana Shiva in the airport. When the automatic sliding doors at the arrivals gate revealed her luggage cart and her orange sari, I half expected a beam of light to illuminate her, such is the legend that surrounds her. Of course none did because Vandana Shiva is just a human being and not a saint. But what a human being she is.

Cellulite, armpit hair and stretch marks: Talking body positivity

I am an unapologetic feminist and an unapologetic lover of the Middle East. So when I came across a Twitter account for a company whose founder represented both, I jumped at the chance to learn more.

Home is where the food, I mean heart is

OK. So obviously it's been difficult to visit exhibits which feature Arab art or to interview Arab comedians or radio show hosts while I live in this small city in Canada. So if I can't go out and experience the culture that I love, well then I guess I'll just have to recreate it somehow at home. And one of the ways I know how to do that is to make food!

Pop Culture Middle East has moved to Canada!

What does that have to do with the Middle East? Isn't Canada cold and 239587908 miles away from that anything exciting? Isn't it just populated with maple syrup, nice people, and hockey?

Happy Birthday PCME!

lolriot.com

Well, it's been one year since I started this blog. It's grown and evolved and frankly, it saved my life. It gave me purpose when I was lost.

Artist Abbas Al Roquah paints colourful Saudi women

I was invited by my friend Hussain to attend the opening night of an art exhibition at the Le Meridien hotel as part of their Unlock Art initiative. Swanky I know. The hotel's been featuring local artists for ten years, but this is the first time they held an event celebrating the opening of an art show.

Artists, don't be afraid to show us your rough draft

All artists keep a sketchpad to illustrate ideas and to practice drawing. The "Sketchat" group art exhibition said it would give me a peek into this world.

Dark Turns, YouTube, and Laughing at Old White People

                                        YouTube

Hisham Fageeh may not be a household name yet, but you've probably seen his face and heard his voice. The Saudi comedian, alongside a couple other members of Telfaz11, were behind 2013's viral hit "No Woman No Drive." Contrary to what the video says, Fageeh does not describe himself as a social activist, but as a comedian, a role he plays while working with the Saudi comedy group and when he performs stand up. That's not to say that he doesn't care about social issues, rather he is acutely aware of them and utilizes a "push and pull" strategy to get his followers thinking. Many times that ends up with mean comments on the Internet, but hey, every comedian has its hecklers.

My beautiful work of art (view it now before it becomes famous)

Like I said in the post on my visit to Al Rashid Mall’s Ceramique A La Carte Cafe “paint your own pottery cafe,” I'd show you my artwork once it was done being fired in the kiln. Et voila!

Saudi Arabia's hip hop radio host: No booty shaking culture here

Mel de Tin

I've never met Hassane Dennaoui, or Big Hass as he's known on the Internet and radio, but to hear him talk about his passion, Arab hip hop, is to meet the man himself. This enthusiasm and his drive to promote local talent is what got him his job as Saudi Arabia's first hip hop radio host. He started off blogging (and still does) on RE-VOLT and then moved on to hosting his own program, Laish Hip-Hop? (Why Hip-Hop?) and producing his own magazine on the genre.

Ceramic zombie heads and Khobar’s "paint your own pottery" cafe

Desperate to do something different, my friends and I went to a ceramics cafe in Al Rashid Mall. It's a place where you can sit down and order food, all while painting your own pottery. On their Facebook page the cafe markets itself as a kid friendly place, but after double checking that they did in fact sell food and ceramic items to those who've gone through puberty, my friends and I indulged our inner five-year-olds and painted zombie faces.*

Be happy, Live More... Easy enough right?

By now I'm sure you're sick to death of shoes and you've read enough art reviews to keep you going until summer comes around. Let's watch some TV then shall we? Let's.

Like mother like daughter: "Shoes of Saudi Arabia"

Emelda is a 32 year old housemaid from Tarlac in the Philippines.

When I interviewed Datiba I wasn't able to sit down with her daughter Emelda, who works at Saja's house as a housemaid. Thankfully I was able to return and interview Emelda.

What happens when urban goes corporate

Tucked away in a little corner on one of the Amwaj Islands, you can find a creative space called Malja. Calling itself a hub for contemporary artists, designers, and musicians, the Malja building is relatively new, only opening its doors at the end of January. Owned by Red Bull, the space is multi-purpose as it has a gallery, DJ's stage, recording studio and a small art/dance room inside.

I'm fabulous: "Shoes of Saudi Arabia"

Sharifa is a 23 year old graphics designer from Dammam. 

I met Sharifa through my friend Todd and we sat down one rainy(!) afternoon to talk about her famously large shoe collection.