k, sleeves and hem with gold or silver thread. Over the kandura is the thaub, a rectangular piece of cloth with holes for the arms and head. When women go out they wear a black cloak called an abaya which covers them from head to foot. The Islamic religion requires women to cover their hair in public. Most women wear veils, and some wear masks called burqas.Since the right hand is always preferred over the left, eating is always done with the right hand, even if a person is left-handed. The left hand should only be used when handling something that is considered unclean. Utensils are only found in the most westernized of Saudi homes. According to the Lonely Planet's Guide to United Arab Emirates, The UAE's cuisine is the staple Middle Eastern fare of fuul (paste made from fava beans, garlic and lemon), felafel (deep fried balls of chickpea paste served in a piece of Arabic flat bread), houmos (cooked chickpea paste served with garlic and lemon), and shwarma (usually lamb or chicken served on a flat bread or pita) (Lonely Planet's, 2000).Alcohol can be purchased in restaurants or bars that are attached to three-star hotels or better, but the prices are very expensive. During the religious holiday Ramadan (the Muslim month of fasting), no eating, drinking or smoking in public is allowed from sunrise to sunset. In the United Arab Emirates, this is strictly enforced. If a restaurant is open during this time, the government will shut it down.The Islamic calendar uses lunar months of 28 days, so an Islamic year of 12 months is 354 days long instead of 365. When scheduling appointments, it is wise to only schedule one in a day as an Arab could possibly show up late or not at all, as punctuality is not an important issue.The United Arab Emirates is a male dominating society. Boys and girls remain segregated throughout their childhood, even attending separate schools. Women, while in public, must keep most of their body covered by wearing a veil...
