Abu Dhabi, UAE
15 years ago, when I set foot here in this foreign land, one of the first things (apart from the weather) that I noticed was the stark difference at how people here tend to buy things. I mean simple things like a can of soda, cigarette, an emergency ingredient for your cooking, etc.
In the Philippines, where I came from, when we need something, we walk up to a nearby sari-sari (convenience) store and personally get what we need. Here, we just call the shop and ask them to deliver. And yes, they would deliver even just a single can of soda if that's all that you need. That still stands true up to now.
The same can be said for food. There are now lots of food delivery services that we can call to enjoy our favorite restaurant/fast food at home.
But this is not what I want to talk about today.
Why don't we talk about Drive-Thru?
We are mostly familiar with fast food drive-thrus like McDonalds or Starbucks, or Jollibee in the Philippines. There's a lane where we can find a menu, talk to an attendant over the intercom and wait for our order at the end of the lane.
Here in Abu Dhabi, almost all fast food shops have "drive thru". However, it is not a single dedicated lane for ordering food. It could be a whole block of street or parking area.
There are some streets where the whole block would be lined with coffee shops, burger joints, or shawarma shops. When you happen to pass by these blocks at night, do not be surprised when you find lots of car parked around the area.
Nothing special going on, just people trying to get dinner!
Don't get jumpy when a you hear cars honking here and there. They're not honking at you. They're trying to call the food attendants to place their orders.
See that guy in white shirt standing next to the Pajero? That's a food attendant taking a customer's order. The customer would then wait for his food at the comfort of his car.
These guys on the other hand are waiting for their would be customers.
These shops normally have very small seating capacity that people especially locals, just prefer to drive by and buy their take-aways. These also benefit the local ladies, who, culturally would not sit in a crowd with lots of men. In a normal restaurant setting here, there would be "family areas" where ladies can sit and dine. These small joints obviously do not have that option.
Though, there are some restaurants that still have that "drive-thru" option even if they have enough seating, like Salt.
This Salt branch is located just outside the Umm Al Emarat Park. People come here for their very delicious beef sliders! Yumm! And! Don't forget the oh so yummy Lotus Shakes. Anyway, they have ample space for dine in, but a lot still just drive thru to place their orders.
They have outdoor seating, too, but since the weather is not yet conducive, nobody eats here. They wait for their food inside.
But some would not want to dine in, especially during these times when people would like to minimize contact with others as much as possible. These people are the ones who "drive through".
Who park with their headlights on? Oh, they are not there to park. They are waiting for the food attendants to bring the menu so they can place their orders.
That's it! My #marketfriday contribution for this week. I'm glad to have shared this unique way of buying food in this part of the globe, which I believe is driven by both convenience and culture.
Do you have "market" experiences you'd like to share? Anything where you spend money in exchange for a service or a merchandise? Share away at the Market Friday Community, initiated by 
See you!
❤️Arlyn
for this beautiful Hiveph badge!