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Jasem Alsanea is a Kuwaiti multidisciplinary artist who caught my attention with his incredible hyper-surrealistic installations inspired by Kuwaiti culture. The two sculptures I’ve shared above are titled ‘Dana in the Desert’ and ‘Bū-Daryā’.

‘Dana in the Desert’ depicts an old lady and draws upon the Kuwaiti mythology of Hmarat Al-Gaylah, addressing the aftermath of the Gulf War and the landmines left in the Kuwaiti desert. The second installation, inspired by Khaleeji mythology, portrays the water djinn Bū-Daryā, who roams the Arabian Gulf Sea. Through this artwork, Jasem explores the connections between Kuwait’s historical pearl diving economy and its current oil production economy, while also reflecting on the 1991 Iraqi invasion’s oil spill into the Kuwaiti sea.

Since childhood, Jasem has had an extremely vivid imagination that he wanted to bring to life. He began his artistic journey with performance and special effects makeup, then moved on to painting and mixed media before enrolling in the sculpture program at the Rhode Island School of Design. Today, Jasem uses sculpture, film, and virtual reality to bring his imagination into the real world.

His installations have only been exhibited in the United States so far, as he was studying and living there. However, Jasem plans to return to Kuwait this autumn, where he hopes to exhibit his work. In the meantime, if you’d like to see more of his work, including behind-the-scenes photos, check out his Instagram @jasemalsanea

A friend of mine sent me the video below on Tiktok a couple of weeks back where supposedly a guy in Kuwait (@moneir_almousawi) found a 20 calorie brioche roll at the supermarket. That video was shared with Blake from @thenutritionnarc who ended up posting the video below.

@thenutritionnarc Are these 20 cal brioche buns legit? @RIENOM | منير الموسوي #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen ♬ Paris – Else

Obviously something was up, but I figured maybe the guy had misread the label. But it turns out he hadn’t misread the label since someone else went and checked on the label and sent Blake a message with a breakdown of the ingredients who ended up posting the updated video below.

@thenutritionnarc Update on the 20 cal brioche buns, we got to the bottom of it @RIENOM | منير الموسوي #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Blake | NARC

Makes you wonder how big of an issue this is in Kuwait with restaurants and brands not being accurate with their calorie count.

Update: According to Wooden Bakery, there was a misprint on the brioche packaging, and this batch of products has already been recalled from the market.

I found these really old aerial photos of Kuwait City while browsing through the Tareq Rajab Museum photography archive so decided to scan them to share. There wasn’t a date on them but I’m assuming they were taken in the early 1950s. I came to that assumption since in one of the photos I could see the Thunayan Al Ghanim Building under construction, and that was completed in 1954.

Thunayan Al Ghanim Building is the old building on the corner of the Sheraton Roundabout. It was considered to be one of the most advanced buildings in Kuwait at the time, and one of the first to have an elevator. There are stories of bedouins coming in from the desert to watch “the flying horse” that could go up and down. The Thunayan Al Ghanim building housed the original KOC offices, the British Consulate, the first English bookshop in Kuwait, as well as the Sultan Gallery and the Rolls Royce dealership.

It’s kind surreal looking at these photos since it was really that long ago. In some of the photos you can make out the new buildings that were popping up beside the old houses. If you want to see how it would have looked like if you were in one of the alleyways looking towards the more “modern” buildings, click here.

All these photos were taken from a plane and I’m assuming on the same day, but don’t quote me on that.

I’ve been using my Fuji X100V camera since 2021. It’s been a great camera and one I’ve previously posted about being the best travel camera. But, I recently purchased the Ricoh GR III and I think I might have to take that comment back.

The Fuji was a pretty nice travel camera upgrade compared to the camera I was using before that, a Sony A7 III with a prime lens, and the Sony RX1 full sensor point & shoot I had before that. But, over the past couple of years I’ve been finding it more of a hassle to carry the Fuji around when traveling, especially because phone cameras have gotten so much better. Also, because of how popular the Fuji camera has become (thank you TikTok) and the prices gone up due to scarcity, I stopped slinging it across my shoulder out in the open like I used to before. That means I need to carry it in my shoulder bag making it a hassle and a slow process to use.

So I started looking at alternatives and decided on the Ricoh GR III. It was the camera I was initially deciding on when I got my Fuji. It’s got a similar sized APS-C sensor but in a body that is a lot more compact. I also went with the 28mm version (they also come in 40mm) so that it’s a wider field of view than my Fuji’s 35mm which should be better for travel photography.

Similar to the Fuji, the Ricoh has a cult following and so the cameras are also out of stock all the time. But, I got lucky and found the Diary Edition on BHPhoto. It was backordered like all the Ricohs, but the Diary Edition with my luck had an estimated in-stock date of around 2 weeks. I guess someone must have canceled and I was checking the website at the perfect time. I placed the order and once it was in stock they shipped it straight to Kuwait.

First impressions, I love it. I got the Diary Edition because it was the one that was available but the only difference over the regular version is the color. The normal GR III is black, Diary Edition is a warm grey, I have zero preference, both are nice in their own way and I wouldn’t care less which one I had.

The camera is tiny, it’ small enough to fit into my tight jeans pocket which means it can easily fit into all my other pockets as well. In winter it definitely won’t be an issue stuffing the camera in one of the may jacket pockets so it already has a big advantage over the Fuji. The other thing I really like about it is the fact I’m shooting more with the camera. This is going to sound weird but the best thing the Fuji has the Ricoh doesn’t have is the electronic view finder. It makes shooting a lot more enjoyable. But, because the Ricoh doesn’t have a viewfinder, it’s making me shoot more. Mainly because it’s quicker since I don’t need to raise the camera up to my eye. And also by not raising the camera up to my face, it makes me less noticeable that I am taking pictures, so I take more. I know I could shoot with the rear screen of the Fuji which also has the advantage of tilting, but because I like using the EVF, I’ve just gotten used to using the Fuji that way and I’ll always prefer the EVF over the rear screen.

I have a trip coming up in two weeks time and will be taking my GR III with me. Once I’m back I’ll post about the experience. For now, if you have any questions let me know.

Arabia is a new local brand aiming to represent culture and heritage through a product line that includes perfumes, room and linen sprays, and artworks. Having opened in March, they hope to capture people’s hearts with a collection that embodies both nostalgia and luxury.

Gifting plays a huge role in the local culture, and Arabia hopes to eventually become a premier destination for elegant gifts. They are starting off with a fragrance line and artworks but will add more items as they continue to grow.

Their fragrances come in beautiful packaging and bottles that represent heritage in a modern way, but they also pride themselves on the quality of oils and ingredients they use.

The flagship Arabia store is located in Kuwait City on Ahmad Al Jaber Street, but they also have an online shop that delivers worldwide. This is perfect for those who used to live in the region and feel nostalgic, or for those planning to gift to people living abroad. With their different themed bottles, you can gift based on either the scent or the artwork.They even offer a discovery set with all their scents, but for the summer, they recommend trying Al Hambra or the Noble perfume.

Arabia is also open to collaborations with local talents to create products and stories together that feature cultural richness.

To find out more about Arabia, head to @by.arabia or shop-arabia.com to shop.

Broskis Deli has been open for just over a month now, and I think I’ve been there five or six times already. It has quickly become my go-to place when I’m in the mood for comfort food, in my case, a good filling sandwich.

I’ve tried most of the sandwiches on their menu, and here is a list of my favorites, ranked from best to least favorite so far:

Meatball Hero
Chopped Cheese
Broski Burger
Chicken Parm
Club Sandwich
Pastrami Reuben

The Meatball sandwich caught me by surprise since it’s not something I had considered ordering, but I was with a friend who suggested we share it, and it’s now my favorite sandwich there. The Chopped Cheese is what you get if you merge a burger with a Philly Cheesesteak and it’s their most popular sandwich. The burger is also really good, but the main reason I go to Broskis is for the sandwiches. So, although it’s tempting, I try to avoid ordering the burger. If I’m with friends, I might order the burger to share as a side, but that’s also a difficult choice because if I want a side, I’d prefer their Truffle Mac & Cheese, which is the best in Kuwait.

Their portions are really huge, which is why I always prefer going there with a friend so we can share sandwiches and sides. For two people, the optimal amount of food is probably one sandwich to share (they come cut in half), a burger to share, one side, and a cookie each for dessert. That actually might still be too much food, but you can’t go to Broski and not overeat when there are too many good options to pick from.

Their prices are a bit on the high side, but that most likely has to do with the fact that they use a wagyu blend for their sandwiches and because the portions are large. For example, their burger is KD5.750, while their Chopped Cheese sandwich is KD5.250. Truffle Mac & Cheese is KD3.250, and the cookies are KD1.250 each.

Broskis is located in Sharq, near the British Embassy (Google Maps). It has a casual, come as you are vibe and there is plenty of seating. They’re on instagram @delibybroskis

This week has been an uneventful TV week for me. Both the last episodes of House of the Dragon and Sunny were pretty boring, but Presumed Innocent I guess made up for those two with its last episode. Other than that been binge watching House of Cards and sometimes had The Veil playing in the background (pretty bad show).

Oh, I finished watching the last episode of the season for The Boys as well. The last episode wasn’t that great, not sure what I was expecting, maybe an end to the show but obviously that can’t happen since the show is still ongoing.

On the bright side, Deadpool & Wolverine is out this weekend, can someone let me know if anything is cut in it since I might watch it at the cinema.

Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Deadpool & Wolverine (8.3)

Other Movies Showing:
A Quiet Place: Day One (7.0)
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (6.8)
Despicable Me 4 (6.4)
Fly Me to the Moon (6.7)
IF: Imaginary Friends (6.5)
Inside Out 2 (7.9)
Longlegs (7.3)
The Garfield Movie (5.8)
Twisters (7.0)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

There is an Instagram account I find visually very interesting called @Dihrez. It’s run by a Kuwaiti designer fascinated in creating an alternate history for Kuwait, which is a subject I find very captivating.

I got in touch with the designer to find out why he started the account and what his story is. It turns out he works in the educational field, which is partly why he wants to stay anonymous for now.

Dihrez has always been interested in the concept of ‘alternate history’ in literary and artistic works. Similar to shows like ‘The Man in the High Castle,’ which is based on an alternate reality in which Germany wins World War II, or ‘For All Mankind,’ where the Russians were the first to land on the moon, Dihrez wanted to create an alternate reality for Kuwait.

The account is only two months old, so you can see how Dihrez is still figuring out the kind of content he wants to share and how it’s all evolving

In the beginning, for example, he started experimenting by creating visuals from old everyday life (1950s-1980s) and then adding imagined elements to them. The idea was to make the viewer feel that the scene is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. This feeling creates a momentary paradox and raises the question: Is this real?

Later, he started creating imaginary posters and ads. A few days ago, he began experimenting by taking popular old Kuwaiti photographs and animating them into short videos (the results are super cool). He uses a combination of techniques, including AI and his graphic design background, to create his work, resulting in pieces that are somewhat like collages.

You can see some of my favorites here, but definitely follow his account to see more of his work including his latest animated one @Dihrez

This is a summarized repost of the original post I published a few years ago. In case you’ve never heard the story, read on. I decided to repost it on Instagram since there is a chance Saif will be performing in the UK later this year with the help of Habibi Funk.

I found out about The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr through the former Australian Ambassador to Kuwait who one evening made me listen to their album ‘Jazz, Jazz, Jazz’. The album was a reissue by the label Habibi Funk and they had included an interview with the band who were Sudanese and had performed on KTV and in various hotels around Kuwait in the 70s. I took some photos of the album and shared them on my personal account when to my surprise, I got a message from a follower telling me that Saif was a colleague of hers and she was surprised to find out he used to be part of a popular band. She put me in touch with Saif and I invited him to dinner over at the ambassador’s house.

Saif was full of interesting stories. He was never meant to come to Kuwait, when he turned 18 he decided to leave Sudan and head to Germany. His plan was to head to Lebanon first so that he could then take the train to Germany, but due to a series of events and the fact he needed to make money, he got convinced to try his luck in Kuwait.

When he arrived, he met up with an old friend who hooked him up with a job as an English teacher for air traffic controllers, and a side gig where he would perform music on a KTV talk show. One day one of the producers at KTV asked him if he could put together a band because he wanted to record a performance for the station. Saif told him he could and called up his friends in Sudan whom he used to perform with called The Scorpions. The band ended up on KTV and you can actually watch that performance on YouTube since Habibi Funk uploaded the whole thing.

Saif eventually performed for a Kuwaiti event organizer back then called Hussein Abul. Hussein was the guy who brought the likes of Boney M, Demis Roussos, James Brown and Santa Esmeralda to perform in Kuwait. Saif actually had the job of driving James Brown around when he was in Kuwait.

Saif is still in Kuwait today and until recently was teaching English at a local aviation school. He still performs in Sudan every now and then with his old band. Jazz Jazz Jazz is available to stream on Spotify and you should check it out.

I watched Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes this past week and I didn’t really like it much. I also just realized that I hadn’t I watched the previous Planet of the Apes but thats not why I didn’t enjoy the new one, I just find the series boring now. There are just too many Planet of the Apes films similar to how there are too many Fast and the Furious or too many Transformers movies. I don’t enjoy any of them anymore, it’s just recycled content.

But, speaking of recycling, the new Terminator anime series looks like it’s going to be cool just based on the trailer above. I’m not big on anime but this is one I want to really watch.

This past week I also started rewatching House of Cards since my wife hadn’t watch the show before. I’m still 4 episodes into season 1 and I remembered how great a show it was. Over a decade later it still holds up really well and I now recognize so many actors who are now much more famous than they were back then.

Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Clawfoot (5.7)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Classic) (7.7)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Classic) (7.9)
Inspector Sun (5.2)
Longlegs (7.3)
Twisters (7.0)

Other Movies Showing:
A Quiet Place: Day One (7.0)
Arcadian (5.5)
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (6.8)
Despicable Me 4 (6.4)
Fly Me to the Moon (6.7)
Inside Out 2 (7.9)
The Garfield Movie (5.8)
The Last Breath (6.1)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

Eid Sari Al Azemi has a farm in Wafra and proudly calls himself the first banana farmer in Kuwait. While others have grown bananas in Kuwait before, Al Azemi stands out with over 2,000 trees supplying the local market daily with his Kuwait-grown bananas.

Al Azemi initially started with just eight banana trees as an experiment to see how they would turn out. After growing and tasting them, he decided to expand and grow more. Despite his friends and fellow farmers advising him to stick to tomatoes and cucumbers, Al Azemi was determined to innovate. He chose not to follow the crowd and instead pursued his vision of bringing something new to the table. So, he started growing bananas, and not just one kind, he grew bananas from Ecuador, Oman, Philippines, and Turkey.

He considers himself the first banana farmer in Kuwait since he was the first to grow over 1,000 banana trees with plans to expand to 30,000. While bananas are his primary focus, he also cultivates papayas, figs, and mangos. I thought mangos would be the hardest to grow in Kuwait, but interestingly, bananas were the most challenging in his experience.

Right now his bananas aren’t widely available yet due to the limited number he produces. He currently sells to a wholesaler in Sulaibiya but he recommend you pass by his farm and buy directly from him. He says he sells them cheaper than the imported bananas in the market, and you’ll also be getting them straight from the farm.

If you want to pass by his farm, here is a link to it on Google Maps. You can also follow Eid on instagram @kes.1971, and on TikTok @eid_alsari and Twitter @h_asdasd where he is more active

If you ever need an English copywriter, I’d highly recommend a friend of mine, Naz. Naz has been copywriting for over 20 years and was my editor for our school paper, the Voice of AIS, back in the mid-90s. Speaking of which, I need to try and find copies of those if they still exist.

If you’re a business, Naz can help you with your website content, write press releases for you and even help you come up with a name and slogan for your new business. To get in touch with her, send her a message on instagram @nazwriteswell

Four years ago I posted about the Burgan Blowout, an incident that took place back in 1964 and is now long forgotten. The Burgan Blowout was the largest oil well fire in Kuwait before the 1990 invasion. It took six weeks to extinguish and for that short period of time, was the biggest touristic attraction in Kuwait. Since I originally posted about the event I’ve now come across a lot more photos so I’m reposting the story again with a bit more details as well as the new photos.

The explosion took place at Burgan oil well No. 331 on December 29th, 1964. The gas was ignited by a spark as a worker tried to control a sudden upsurge of mud. Once work started on putting out the fire, it became the biggest tourist attraction in Kuwait. So, a plan was put into place to let the public come and see it, but in a controlled manner, so that it was safe and so that no one got in the way.

Once you got to Burgan you followed in a convoy to a designated parking area a safe distance from the fire. You’d then would walk the remaining way towards the viewing grandstands that were set up for the public. According to a reader (John Beresford) who was 10 years old at the time, as they drove towards the oil well, they could hear a moan that kept getting louder and louder. The force of the gas coming up was so powerful it was causing the ground to vibrate, and this was from quite a distance from the well. It was winter but the heat coming off the fire was so strong that the climate was getting warmer as they walked towards the viewing area. The sound was also getting louder to the point where they had to speak more loudly, almost shouting at each other. By the time they reached the viewing area the temperature had increased to a level that was unpleasant causing the skin facing the flames to get quite warm.

A couple of days after the fire started the famous American oil well firefighter Red Adair was called in to help. Adair became notable internationally as an innovator in the specialized and hazardous profession of extinguishing oil well blowouts. Amazingly, at the age of 75, Adair was called again 26 years later to help extinguish the 1991 oil well fires set by retreating Iraqi troops after the Gulf War.

The first image is from the @trmkuwait family archive, the second was taken by the John’s parents, and the remaining black and white photos were provided by @badshaiji

Interesting tidbit, the photo above is of Red Adair (left) and his fellow fire fighter lieutenant Coots Matthews (right). Coots formed his own competing company in 1978 called Boots & Coots. Combined, Red Adair Co. and Boots & Coots were responsible for extinguishing more than a third of the 700 oil well fires set by the retreating Iraqi soldiers in the Gulf War.

Kings of Maillard is one of those hidden gems that not many people know about, but it offers really great food. This fairly new concept opened this past February and is a chef-driven fire bistro created by the same team behind one of my favorite restaurants in Kuwait, Oak & Smoke. I’ve visited a few times since their opening, and this past week, I was invited to try their new summer menu.

One of the things I really like about Kings of Maillard is how they manage to blend flavors and influences from different cultures. It’s always interesting having dinner there since I tend to experience new flavors, or at the very least different flavors from my usual. You’re not going to find any sort of maple shrimp or popular pasta on their menu, that’s not what they’re about. Instead, they believe that food should excite, surprise, and delight customers and I think it works. Their long term goal is to eventually get a Michelin Star so that should give you an idea of how dedicated they are to this.

When I passed by earlier this week I got to try a few items from their set menu and ended up leaving with some favorites including the following:

Beef Tartare
nori crisp, green almand, arabic seven spice, shallot, red yuzu koshu

Wood Fire Roasted Cabbage
blue cheese emulsion, brown butter miso hollandaise, pickled apples and shallots, pistachio gremolata

Wagyu Picanha
truffle potato espuma, squid ink butter & dashi emulsion, fried enoki mushrooms

But I’d honestly go back just for the delicious complimentary bread with their pistachio flavored butter on the side.

If you’re looking for a new place to try, Kings of Maillard is open for lunch and dinner and they just launched their summer menu. They’re located in Shuwaikh right next door to Oak & Smoke. Check them out on @kingsofmaillard

Bentoyaki is a new and interesting local concept that brings the Korean BBQ experience to your home. The concept revolves around box kits that include everything you need to have your very own Korean BBQ wherever you are.

The owner, a fan of Korean BBQ, wanted to open a restaurant but also wanted to offer something different from the typical burger joint or other readily available options. Bentoyaki is a simple yet fun idea where people can order a kit containing all the items needed to replicate the authentic Korean BBQ experience at home.

The Bentoyaki Boxes come with the following items:
250g Sukiyaki beef (Angus or Wagyu)
150g White rice
Teriyaki Sauce
Garlic Sauce
Kimchi

In addition to those items, the box also includes a grill, instant lighting charcoal, and tongs. They sent me a box to try, and it was very easy and quick to set up. You just need to light the charcoal, and you can start grilling your beef right away. Once you’re done grilling, simply empty the small pouch filled with water (included) into the grill to extinguish the charcoal. That’s it, super easy.

Other than their boxes, Bentoyaki also have other Asian dishes you can order including plenty of appetizers and sides to pick from. They’re currently available for delivery only from 1PM to 10PM. You can order their boxes straight from their website orderbentoyaki.com or through the delivery app Cari. For more information you can check out their instagram account @bentoyaki.kw