The COVID-19 pandemic has curtailed many of our social outings this previous year. And fortunately, for most of us, it has been kind on the wallet. But it was not always the case when our cash was an easy target for some crafty vendors.
Until 2020, the last time I remember being taken for a ride was 20 years earlier. Then, I recollect being led to a perfumery off a dusty street in a province just outside Cairo. The driver my wife and I had hired for the day suggested an excursion to this establishment which dealt with natural essences and oils of flowers, plants, and herbs. So off we went.
I recall walking through the place and noticing a glittering array of natural perfumes, all priced per milligram or millilitre. And the prices were dirt cheap. Just imagine! Jasmine and Rose for pennies. Lavender and Opium, a popular fragrance then, could be had for next to nothing. Or so I thought. And going along with the recommendations of the helpful salesman who was kind enough to offer my daughter a soda pop, we chose several different fragrances in average-sized perfume bottles.
When the salesman then brought the bill for the nine varieties we had selected and which he had carefully packed in a small shoe size box, I was stunned. Our foray into the world of natural perfumery came to $1800! How could that be, I inquired of our gracious host and salesman? He explained that each little bottle had a capacity of 50 millilitres, and when he added up all those millilitres at X amount a pop, that’s what he came up with.
I wasn’t about to pay $1800 for nine little perfume bottles, so after a great deal of quibbling, we managed to reduce the amount to $400 and five bottles of perfume rather than the original nine. After all, he had been gracious to my daughter. And on the ride back to our hotel with $400 lighter in the pocket and the shoebox clutched tightly to my chest I wondered if the nice man driving us about did not casually happen to suggest this excursion.
Oh well, that was then, and for the most part, I have held vigilance since in various trips around different lands. But sometimes last March it happened to me again. Déjà vu! A group of friends had thought of a dinner get-together before the impending Coronavirus lockdown did actually materialise.
I had suggested a fish outlet out of the city where I was told the fish was fresh of the sea, the atmosphere was rustic and accommodating to families, and the prices were very palatable.
My choice was eventually booted out by the ladies in the group who were not particularly happy about being in the outdoors in the dusty month of March, and our friend Hossam then recommended a fish restaurant in a five-star hotel that offered fresh catches of the day. To top it off, he added that it was in an air-conditioned environment and since he was a privileged member of this chain of hotels, we would get good service and at a good price.
At the restaurant, all the fish was stacked freshly on beds of ice. You make your choice, select the vegetables to go along with it, and tell them how you wanted it cooked. The prices are all posted next to the fish and veggies in units of 100 grams. There was a small salad bar with the usual sparse offerings of mixed pasta and vegetables that served as starters.
Since our company’s knowledge about culinary delights with different varieties of fish are limited to a few dishes, we let our friend Hossam exercise his privileged membership and make up an order for the group, and off we trekked to the salad bar. The selection was pleasant but not overwhelming. We hate to see waste, and Hossam was careful not to overdo it. For reasons of health and weight, we chose to drink water rather than those fanciful sugar-loaded cocktails. And the desert was shared between couples.
It was when the bill came that we were stunned. As we normally go Dutch, each couple’s contribution came to a little fortune! Naturally, we all forked up and paid, but in the parking lot of this huge complex facing Jeddah’s renowned water fountain, we all took another look at the receipt. It was itemised and that helped break down some of the figures.
A carrot was used along with other vegetables to accompany one of the dishes. Looking closely at the bill, I noticed a charge of SR 15 for one carrot. The price for the carrot was based on SR 80 riyals a kilo charge for carrots, a figure that would cover the vegetable needs of most families for a week. And the cooking charge for that privileged carrot and other mixed vegetables was tabbed at SR 135!
And while I still hold on tightly to those five little bottles of perfume we had purchased over 20 years ago, unfortunately, the remains of that carrot have long been dispensed with.
— Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi sociopolitical commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Twitter: @talmaeena
