Open air eating places in south Jeddah have become favorite locations for some Africans to eat, drink and have social interaction with others from the continent. One ‘restaurant' is located under the harbor bridge near Petromin district and the Jeddah oil refinery, where many Africans work. African women can be seen sitting at intervals in a 500-square-meter area selling food. Each woman has a wooden table with four or five pots of different African meals. They also sell tea, Shaydari coffee, a well-known coffee in Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen consisting of coffee, spices and ginger. They also sell water and soft drinks. When a customer comes to order, he takes a seat on a box and waits for his meal to be served. “Zegni” is one of the most famous meals prepared by African women here. It consists of tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini and pieces of lamb served in a metal dish. This meal is usually eaten with a piece of brown bread called “Lahooh.” Some customers prefer to eat this meal as lunch, with fenugreek and horseradish. While these places are popular, there does seem to be some question marks over hygiene. During its visit, Saudi Gazette found many flies and mosquitoes around the pots of food. The dust in the area is also polluted with oil because of the many tankers which park under the bridge waiting to be filled with oil from the nearby Jeddah Oil Refinery. When they park, oil leaks from the tankers. African cooks use these restaurants to make extra money. Maryam Mohammed, an Ethiopian woman, said she works as a cook under the bridge in the afternoon and as a maid in the evening. She told Saudi Gazette that she has been selling Ethiopian food since 2008 and has become well-known among Ethiopians because of her tasty food. “I have five children - three boys and two girls. I am working almost around the clock to supply their daily meals at least,” she said. Maryam said that she goes every morning to the market to buy fresh vegetables and flour for her meals. These places are not for eating only, but also for social contact. Idrees Mohammed, a Somali laborer, told Saudi Gazette that he comes to the place every afternoon to have his lunch during his one-hour break. It is a chance for him to hear news from his country and to meet up with family and relatives. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, the spokesman for the Jeddah municipality, said that some of these Africans are in all probability illegal residents. He said the municipality was working with the General Department of Passports to deal with those who are illegal. They were also working with security and health agencies to confiscate all the foodstuff and utensils because they are considered to be a health risk.
