Doha, Qatar: Enjoying the Karaq tea scene


Karaq tea is available throughout Qatar and also in Emirates. There are two special memories I have about Karaq tea. There is a place in Doha which is actually an old van run by some Indian guys which make Karaq tea. Later at night I would go there with my local friends in their car, and many other fancy cars with fancy young local guys would also been seen congregating there.
                                               photo: sourced

 All of them sipping tea and, looking at the other guys in the other cars. I would smile and flirt at the cute and hunky guys in the cars across from our car and they would flash their car lights off and on, and if they were brave would come past our car with a big smile on their face! My heart jumped a few beats each time!
                                                 photo: sourced

Another time when Karaq was ever present was when my friends would call me for smoking sheesha ( bubbly pipe) late at night in a very modest and club where there would be all guys - we would drink karaq (many glasses!) and smoke sheesha ( my favourite was "zaghloul, and sometimes "Bahraini" ) until late at night!
                                              photo: sourced

These kinds of places where more older guys would meet would have music by Umm Kalthoum

 or Abdel Halim-Hafez ( I like both of these singers too!). The places where my "shabub" friends would go usually had the TV on with some sports programme which no one was watching.

I miss those times! I try to replicate making karaq at home but I can never make it taste exactly like it did in the Gulf.

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