No Reservations

In this episode, Anthony Bourdain explores Saudi Arabia in order to learn about its rich cultural traditions through food, fashion, and societal norms. What surprised me was the normalcy of the life of Bourdain's host. Some of her female relatives sat unveiled as they ate dinner with Bourdain.She shook hands with Bourdain. She had a western style home with couches and a flat screen and even watched American shows on T.V. She did not cover her face or her eyes and actually smiled. She was her husband's only wife. She could leave her home. She had an independent job. She laughed among male friends and spoke with a voice above a whisper. She walked the streets alone with Bourdain, an unrelated male. She even ate pizza.

This was all shocking because the idea I had gotten from Nine Parts of Desire was a Saudi Arabia that repressed its women to the point where they were brainwashed into thinking they had chosen to be repressed. I had pictured an image where Saudi Arabia was the most strict and oppressive country in the Middle East. But this video shows a different side of Saudi Arabia. I thought it was very interesting how there was a family side of a restaurant and a single male side of the restaurant. Brooks might say it was to cater to single males, while Danya asserts that it is to protect the family, which Islamic culture values highly(which Brooks would disagree with citing a woman's lack of custody of her children in the case of divorce). Brooks believes women are pressured into veiling and wearing the heavy, hot abayas, while Danya believes they protect a women's purity.

It is difficult to coincide  these two very different realities of Saudi Arabia, and of the Middle East in general. Perhaps Saudi Arabia has drastically changed in the almost 25 years since Brooks last visited; or perhaps Danya's life is an exception to the norm.