Q

You know how Arabs are supposed to be useless at queueing? Well yesterday we met the exception to the rule - a guy who started a queue where none was needed and no-one was serving it. Kinda comical really.

Here's what happened: we were at the Madinat Arena, and as is usual in the pre-show drinks and nachos scenario you elbow your way to the bar and try to attract a server's attention. This I did, when a guy (wearing a dishdasha) standing a few feet away, behind someone who had his elbows at the bar, said 'there's a queue here'. So I went and stood behind him. Other people came and stood behind me.

More sensible people further down the bar were just walking up to it and after a minute or two were walking away with all manner of goodies. But our little queue was not moving at all. After about five minutes we got the organiser of the queue to ask the girl behind the bar, who had had her back to us the entire time and was busy messing about with nachos or popcorn or something, if she was ever going to serve this queue he had built. She looked absolutely astonished, and said it wasn't her job to serve drinks.

Sheesh. We ran and joined the melee further down the bar, and fairly soon our needs were attended to. Oh, but don't get me started on the outrageous prices!