Whereas the crux of this article will cover the Riyadh Saudia Alfursan Lounge, I will also cover some aspects of the Riyadh airport (RUH) experience, as well as Saudia business class from Riyadh to Dubai. From Check-in to the Lounge Riyadh airport is huge. However, Terminals 1-4 are interconnected; if you happen to be leaving […]
Food & Drink
Dubai Emirates Business Lounge, Concourse B
The Dubai Emirates Business Lounge at Concourse B … oh, a good* airport lounge for once. (We’ll get to that asterisk later) However, getting to the lounge wasn’t so peachy. I was in Saudia business, coming into Dubai (DXB) Terminal 1, needing to get to Emirates’ hub over at Terminal 3. For those in a […]
Singapore Airlines Trialing Paper Utensils
One of these days, I’m hoping to read that airlines will start introducing “Turkish food” as an option, but until then, I have some news about how your next in-flight meal might be presented. Per CNA (formerly Channel NewsAsia), since last month Singapore Airlines has been trialing paper wares on select flights in Economy Class […]
Language Lunes: Just a Spoonful of Salt Makes the Sushi Go Down
Years ago, before I set off to work in Shenzhen, China, I happened upon a satirical video about the traditions of eating in a Japanese restaurant. What can one do, besides wax famished about those daily searches for good eats? More importantly, what does Shenzhen have to do with this?… Once settled in there, in […]
Japanese Convenience Stores: Oh, The Flavors You’ll Try
I didn’t grow up going to convenience stores in the United States, in part because they weren’t really a thing. Then, once I started visiting other parts of the country, I found them to be torturous for the five senses. Aromas didn’t seem human — or edible — and whatever “food” that was sold was […]
Separate Checks: A Tale of Two Japans
When I was last in Japan a couple of years ago, I went with family to try the Kani Douraku (かに道楽) restaurant chain. Kani Douraku (translated as “crab hobby”) is best known for having most dishes incorporating crab in some way. Also, when you walk in — at least to the one in Kyoto — […]
Sweet! I was invited to be a Speaker at the 2023 FoodTreX Global Summit
Although I have only been writing for Boardingarea since December 2022, I’ve greatly enjoyed sharing my culinary travel-related suggestions, favorites, and foreign language menu help for whomever is interested. Clearly, since that time, many of my posts have tended towards involving food in some way. The way I see it, no matter where you are, […]
Kabsa (كبسة), Saudi Arabia’s National Dish
While teaching in Jeddah, a couple of my students took particular interest in showing me around the region (which even included an impromptu trip to Mecca). One weekend – Friday and Saturday, mind you – we went gallivanting around the austere cliffs and valleys of Taif, viewing some spectacular landscapes. On the first night, they […]
