In the last few years, information technology has grown so rapidly that it often blurs our memory of just how things were in the not so distant past. Some claim that change never happens here in Jeddah, but it was not so long ago that conditions existed here that would seem alien to a newcomer today. TV sets were little square wooden boxes on spindly legs and audio output was tinny at best. There was only one channel then, and it was broadcast in black and white. Programs usually started at 5 P.M. and went off the air by 11P.M. When the sequels of "Roots" the series on African slaves taken to the Americas was aired, it quickly became the talk of the town. Videos were confined to large cumbersome machines with one-inch tape. The Sony U-Matic recorder and the Barco TV set were the things to have if you wanted to view some fare other than local TV. And those who rented out movies then made a killing in the market. They were few, and they usually conducted their business clandestinely. Telephone numbers in the late 70s had only five digits. If you wanted to make an international call, you had to reserve a slot with the Central Exchange operator. If you were lucky, you might get connected within six hours of your booking. One wonders if service has improved over the years. To cash a check then at least five or six signatures of endorsement from bank officials were needed. And three or four pieces of identification. And if you wanted foreign exchange, you would have to go to a money-changer downtown for it. Thank God for ATM's. Downtown was where all the action was then. Throngs of people would overrun the little square just behind the Queen's building on King Abdul Aziz Street, or meander down the little paths to the Gold Souq or the spice market. Gold pendants with English alphabets were a big item with foreigners then. Parking was a nightmare. No one seemed to know of Tahliya Street, and Madinah Road was a two-lane asphalt nightmare. Driving was a nightmare but for a different reason. There were very few roads that were unobstructed with some kind of construction or the other. A tank of gas cost about ten riyals then, and usually lasted for a week. There were few places one could go for a drive, and only the adventurous would venture north of Palestine Street. The first supermarket had just opened on Hail Street. Before that, one had to go to a bakery for bread, a "baqala" for canned goods, and to a butcher for meat. Milk was available in the form of powder then, and a generation of Saudis grew up on Nido milk powder. Imported canned goods were usually outdated by the time they arrived on the grocer's shelves. Ships would sometimes wait months on end at the port just to unload their cargo. Computers were never heard of except for the large and bulky data-processing cabinets busily whirring away in strange languages such as Pascal and Fortran. The closest things to PCs then were the little Atari sets with Ping-Pong games. When DOS first came out, it seemed that only those with graduate degrees in mathematics from MIT could fathom this strange system. Packs of wild dogs roamed the streets of Jeddah in the early eighties. They would chase cars or pedestrians menacingly, and a week wouldn't go by without one hearing of some kind of unfortunate encounter or the other with this canine species. Rumors about their eventual disappearance centered around their being a delicacy on the dinner tables of a large labor force from the Far East busily working on developing the infrastructure of the city. Fast food outlets were frowned upon by most Saudis. Only expats on bachelor status frequented such places. There were no recognized international chains or franchises then and no self-respecting Saudi would be caught patronizing a place called “Bassam Burgers” or “Shawurmat Shakir”. A couple of reputable Indian and Chinese restaurants were the only options for having an outing and a meal. There was no Corniche or shopping malls. One amusement park on Palestine Street served the needs of the children then. And they were a happy lot. Today their grandchildren cruise Tahliya Street in exotic cars and are not so happy. Birthdays then were a logistic nightmare, for one was at a loss as to how to get one's hands on a decent birthday cake. Usually a lump of flour heavily laced with colored icing was all that was available. Donuts were still a distant dream. But people had time for one another. Family visits were an important bond against the massive social fragmentation that was beginning to take place. Most immediate family members lived together in or near the same dwelling. Today they are flung far across the four corners of the city. Those were the late 70s and early 80s. Yes, a lot has indeed changed since then.
– The author can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
