Arabs slap, not punch.

And I wish I would have had my camera for this one. I saw my first Arab fight!!!! Scott and I took a cab to the British Club last night for dinner which leads me to a by the way. By the way, we have our own personal cabbie now, he'll take us pretty much anywhere for a dinar or $2.65. Scott randomly flagged this guy down the other day, but he's so laid back and nice (and very, very cheap, might I add) that Scott asked for his phone number and got it. Mr. Hussein the Arab cabbie will come get us and pick us up 6 out of 7 days of the week--FOR A DINAR. Anyway, back to the fight. So here we are having dinner and a beer at the BC at the sports bar on the last night of our vacation. The sports bar is relatively small, it only has one 'billiards' table and 4 or 5 large plasma TVs that are always showing soccer. So last night there were probably 10-15 British guys standing around shooting the shit, a few random people at tables like ourselves, and two tables of middle aged Arabs playing doubles on the 'billiards' table. One table of Arabs were wearing mandresses (thobes) and the other table of Arabs were dressed in what I guess you could call "western" outfits, although I doubt you'd see anyone in America dressed like they were. So all of a sudden I hear a chair being shoved against the wall, I look over, and one of the non-mandresses bitch slaps a guy in a mandress hard enough to knock his head gear (cords and towel) off. So then the mandress just up and WHAM bitch slaps the other Arab dude. He was slapped so hard he fell to the ground, and had a hard time getting back up because he was A. bitch slapped too hard or B. was completely hammered. Which brings me to another point. Muslims aren't supposed to drink, yet you see Saudis--one of the most conservative peoples in the world--come over here by the thousands on the weekends to party it up, and then you'll see local Muslims drinking at places like the British Club. At the liquor stores there is a sign that resembles the ones back home that say "Under state law we are prohibited to sell alcohol to people under 21 years of age" but say "Under state law we are prohibited to sell to Muslims." I shit you not. No mention of a age law anywhere, just the fact that they can't sell to Muslims. So, and here's another I shit you not moment, the guys in mandresses just stand outside and have Indians go in and buy it for them, then they take the booze, throw it in the trunk and drive away. It's just like in college when we were underage and would throw a few bucks to someone over 21 to run into speedway to get us some bud light. Amazing. So if Muslims are prohibited from drinking booze, hell, even PURCHASING booze, then why do establishments around the island serve them? I guess it's all about the power of the almighty dinar, but at least make them look semi non-Muslim. Don't serve 'em if they are in mandresses, I say. If I have to abide by your fucked up laws (such as Ramadan) as an outsider, then YOU, as a native, should have to abide by your fucked up laws as well. I guess the religious hypocrisy exists worldwide. Anyway, back to the story. So security is there is a flash and escorts the guy in the mandress out but allows the other dude, who threw the first punch, I mean slap to stay. Speaking of which, what the fuck is with the slapping? I saw an article in the Gulf Daily News the other day about a guy that died in a "slap fight." Apparently, some guy slapped some other guy--just like what I saw--and when he fell to the ground he hit his head and died. I honestly thought when I was reading that article that because it's Queen English that they use and not American that 'slap' meant 'punch.' Apparently they actually do slap instead of punch. What a bunch of pussies. If you are intending to strike someone because you are angry, make it worth your effort. Punch the motherfucker! Females slap! Men punch, goddamn it. Didn't your father teach you anything? Hasn't the western movies that you people are so in love with teach you how fighting is done? I really could not believe my eyes when I saw them slap each other. I really wanted to just bust out laughing, but that probably would have been very inappropriate considering the bar was absolutely silent. So anyway, like I said, the security guy hauls the thobbie away but leaves the western dressed Arab. Why? As Scott pointed out any bar back home where they happens they throw both of them out. I dunno. If anything that experience is just another I can file away in the culture shock book.