Breakfast at McDonald's with a latte, Muscat. March 2016
I might seem odd to have a visit to McD's etched in my travel memory, but I do. I arrived in Muscat late and just stayed in my hotel room. The next morning, I went out in search of breakfast most likely because I could not bear another Middle Eastern breakfast spread (OK on occasion, but not all the time - lots of doughy-tasting breads and a vast array of condiments), There happened to be a McDonald's next to the hotel and although never a first choice, it was a lot more appealing than what the hotel had on offer.
My first culture shock was how clean and modern the restaurant was. It was only McD's, but it was very upscale. Then I looked at the menu and I noticed I could have a cappuccino which I knew to be true because behind the counter I spied a real espresso machine. Not the first time I saw an authentic espresso machine at McD's, I recalled that "McCafe's" existed solely for takeaway in Southeast Asia. I was simply appreciative of getting a decent coffee with my meal. It was a Friday morning, so the place was empty.
I had just sat down to my food when a family came in. That was my next shock. They were a Western family - a young couple with a kid. All dressed normally (read: the woman was not excessively covered up), they were sitting down to a normal McD's breakfast with their child. After Saudi Arabia, and then most recently Qatar, where Western women had to dress more locally and conservatively, it was a real shock. This was not Dubai in its own oasis of liberalism within the UAE. I was in Muscat, Oman and saw other Westerners who were acting just "normally" (well, normal for me anyway).
For some reason it hit me hard - how much of my life was boxed in in the Middle East and how totally abnormal it was for me. I was actually SHOCKED to see a family come into a McDonald's, sit down, have a meal, and NOT have to sit in some quarantined "family section". It felt like some dam of pent up culture shock was bursting. A strange experience indeed!
I got over it, of course. I enjoyed my McLatte and Egg McMuffin and went back to the hotel to figure out just how I was going to get around Muscat and see all the sights without a car and without public transportation. I calmed down and thought about the experience more. I might actually like Oman - and I did.
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