JORDAN ETIQUETTE LIFE

 

Etiquette:

Tipping is common practice in Jordan and it’s best to tip in Jordanian dinar. Around £5 a day for a good tour driver is a decent tip, while restaurants are usually left 10% of the bill. Porters, housekeeping staff and taxi drivers will also gratefully receive a tip of £1 or £2 for a job well done. Haggling is practically an institution in Jordan and the more expensive an item is, the longer the negotiation. The bargaining process is part game, part social norm and part necessity. Take time to compare prices and decide on the figure you’re willing to pay before entering into talks with sellers. Jordan is a country where people will often address you with a smile. Greet Jordanians in their language – ‘Salam wa aleïkoum’ for good morning or ‘Leïla saîda’ for good evening – and they will be delighted. If you have accepted an invitation to eat lunch or tea in a family home, be prepared to stay a while and decline the invitation if you’re in a hurry. Always remove shoes before entering a home.

In Wadi Rum, as in any desert environment, it’s important to stay hydrated, so bring plenty of bottled water. The ecosystem is a delicate one and visitors are advised not to pick up stones and plants and leave no trace of their visit. There are some more dangerous animals, including vipers and scorpions, that roam the region, but their hibernation period often coincides with high season and meetings are exceptionally rare. As a precaution, however, there are simple rules to follow: do not raise stones or pebbles, do not walk barefoot and camps should be situated away from vegetation and stones.

Shopping:

Jordanian crafts are varied and beautiful – stunning wood-carved objects, caftans in all shades of the rainbow, metal ornaments, leather accessories, colourful fabrics, woven blankets, gorgeous ceramics, pottery and earthenware – all make excellent mementos. Many crafts bought in smaller villages can make a big difference to the lives of the creative people behind them.

Food:

Much like its historic story, the cuisine of Jordan is interwoven with its location at the crossroads of the Middle East. Food here is an intermingled delight of regional flavours and elements borrowed from neighbouring countries. Mansaf, Jordan’s tasty national dish, is a traditionally Arab medley of lamb, fermented dried yoghurt, rice, almonds and spices. Maqluba is another classic and is a stew of meat, rice and fried vegetables, sometimes served in a pita. Lebanon is a heavy influence in cooking and favourites with a Lebanese touch are mutabal, a dip made with aubergine, hummus infused with all manner of flavours, tahini, mashed beans, yoghurt cucumber, tabbouleh and stuffed vine leaves.

Kebabs (shish taouk) are widely eaten and mutton, chicken or beef are the most popular. Often on the table are also breads filled with thin slices of mutton cooked on a spit. At Aqaba, the fish of the Red Sea are served grilled with onion and garlic. Meals generally end in Jordan with a tea or coffee. That’s not to say Jordanians don’t enjoy desserts though – most Arabic sweets are packed with enough sugar or syrup to keep those with even the sweetest tooth happy. Desserts include Ma'amoul, a tasty cake with nuts or dates and perfumed with rose water, a rich cake filled with crushed nuts called kona and mohallabiah, a delightful pudding of rice flour and milk, flavoured with flower of orange blossom.