The One Where I Started To Cook!

What's a girl to do in Saudi? Some would say not much, but I have no problem with boredom so far.

However, kids and husband all at school, there is a whole day there where I could be working, and let's be honest money is always needed for something!

I have been offered a few jobs since being here, being English is a real plus for teaching work overseas. But if I am honest the pressure of being away from home all day when the kids could need me made me anxious. In other countries it wouldn't be so much of an issue, you need to get home, your drive, call a taxi, here it really isn't that simple! So we decided it was for the best that I stayed at home!

But I still needed a job!

Well everyday, I cook for the family, or at least I am supposed to! What's a few extra meals added to the mix? Here, Ellie's Kitchen was born.

I made up menus, cake choices, order forms, bills, price lists, and we even started doing a pizza night on a Thursday (which is our Saturday!) First few weeks were great, everyone supported my new little enterprise, and I am pretty sure they even ordered dishes they wouldn't normally eat! After a few weeks the ordering began to quieten. So a little injection of life into the kitchen!

Here I started doing choices every night, whereas before it was a case of one meal a night. I now have a menu of up to 6 o r 7 choices every evening, including vegetarian dishes. Also the pizza nights and the cakes are still going strong. I am able to make an honest and somewhat respectable living! And the added bonus is that I have tried dishes I wouldn't have done before, I can now make fajitas from scratch!

I am sure everyone thinks that it all runs smoothly when they receive their food and it is all prepared in a dignified manner! Mmmmmmmm - they didn't see me drop the lasagne the other night, nor do they see the panic when I realise I am an ingredient short! :-)

Why has it worked?

Well in a western country this probably wouldn't work, but when you have a group of expats from various countries living in a small community things are very different. Here there are many single people, who quite honestly don't want to bother with cooking every night and who can blame them?! Yet this said, they still want home made food. Not only for nutritional reasons but also emotional. For some it reminds them of home.

It also works because things round here spread like wild fire!!! I began with just a small group of the teachers we knew and before long people noticed us driving around every night with little parcels of food, and they wanted in on the action, and I was more than happy to oblige!

This week, I am now preparing almost 60 evening meals for people on our compound. I had a huge order of cakes and food at the weekend for parties and again this weekend.

It works!

I now work!

This is just another example of making the best of what you have to hand and that you can do whatever you set your mind to! Not only do I get the pleasure of people eating every night and enjoying my food, I get paid for it and my family are happy as they get a choice of food every night, not to mention that they are actually getting their dinner on the table every day!

Bon Appétit!!!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Ellies-Kitchen/121966614540742