Coming “soon”? The Opening Soon Saloon.
Oh yeah, it’s the Opening Soon Saloon! It FINALLY happened!
My sidesplittingly funny friend, Christine, shared this photo with me yesterday because she likes to make people laugh. Like me, it gives Christine great joy to make people smile–I love her for that—especially in a place like this where some things can be, well, rather frustrating, like almost everything. You always need to have a friend here who can make you laugh or to help you see the lighter side of the absurd thing that just happened to you. This photo had me almost doubled over laughing because it represents so many things that I find funny about this town.
I blogged here about this uniquely Middle Eastern concept of “soon”; it’s not what we think in the west. Soon is kinda, sorta like whenever. It’s not really soon at all by our definition. You could wait outside the Opening Soon Saloon for years eagerly anticipating whatever sort of manscaping or lady-scaping they do in there and be utterly disappointed, and well ridiculously overgrown, when it never does open; that’s just how things seem to work here.
I felt compelled to share the Opening Soon Saloon because it does, in one photo, capture so many silly things I have mentioned here in recent months. It’s more than likely not opening soon. It’s not really a saloon—don’t get your hopes up—you know I have swaggered into more than my share of saloons here in the wild, wild Middle East only to find people who want to clean me rather than serve me a beer?! WTH! I am clean. I know my blonde girl mustache can get a little unruly, but PLEASE give a girl a break! That’s not why I am here. I am here for beer. Whatever. Take a little off the sides. Ouch! Where’s my beer. Where is the nearest Sa-LOON?
Anyway, when Christine cares to share the location on the “Opening Soon Saloon,” Who’s in? I’ll drive.