December 2016
evolution
I had been in Abha for two and a half years. I was getting used to Saudi Arabia, but also tired of how provincial Abha could be. Riyadh (as opposed to Jeddah or Dammam) actually became my favorite place to "get away" from my overly austere life. By that time, my ex-student AQ had an excellent job working for the US military as an interpreter in the Saudi capital. A visit to Riyadh meant we could meet up and I could feel a little bit "normal" just by going to a big city and hanging out with someone I liked.
Saudi Arabia moved from Nescafe to gourmet coffee at lightening speed. Of course there was always Arabic coffee [see: coffee and dates], but that was not "coffee" for me (even though I loved it). European-style coffee in the Kingdom had remained Nescafe for many years and then Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Costa Coffee arrived. The coffee culture exploded and even little Abha had cafes that served gourmet coffee [see: Java Beans]. One thing was missing - coffee roasters. When I arrived in Riyadh, AQ excitedly took me to this new place I "had to see" - Camel Step Coffee Roasters.
That new kind of shop in Riyadh was a bellwether of the cataclysmic social changes that were about to take place in one of the most conservative Islamic countries on earth. For roasting beans and serving up freshly ground coffee made by SAUDI baristas who really knew their shit about coffee? No. It was because men and women were freely mixing inside with only one queue from which to order. I was gobsmacked and AQ watched my shock with sheer delight. He was desperate for KSA to change - and his wish was starting to come true.
Every kind of coffee preparation was available and the staff could explain the differences of each process (in English or Arabic) as well as the different beans. The spotless roasting equipment behind glass in the rear of the faux-industrial interior churned out beans for the voracious new market. I was not in Riyadh - I was in Manhattan at one of the newest chic coffee shops. After Camel Step I knew things were changing. I felt happy for my students (and for AQ) that their lives might actually stand a chance of being "normal". I felt sad that those changes most likely would not reach Abha for a long time.
Of course, I returned to Riyadh and hung out with AQ (one of my favorite people) many more times. In fact, on my next visit he had a gift for me on my next visit to Camel Step.
I got the t-shirt!