The Dining Hall

Dhahran Diary

Title: The Dining Hall

DD11

At $15 million, the Dhahran dining hall was a worthwhile and welcome addition to the community. (rcc)

Dad told the story about the first refrigerated shipment of fresh food: celery. He said everyone in the room was crunching their celery like there was no tomorrow. That was before the new dining hall, but it illustrates the importance one places on quality of life. The new dining hall certainly improved the community's quality of life.

The new dining hall was a big success. It was clean, modern, and versatile. ARAMCO used it for all big professional and social gatherings. Even Christmas shopping was staged there. Buyers went to Europe and the States to order toys. A few weeks before Christmas, the west room was packed with toys and Christmas trimmings. There were rules about purchases but they escape me; I remember walking between the tables stacked with games, chemistry sets, magic tricks. It was a real feast.

The dining rooms were huge and designed for multiple functions. Room dividers, planters, and creative seating played a big part in the way the facility was used. Scouts held meetings and awards banquets. All the clubs used the facility for lunches, teas, and evening bashes. We'd walk by in the early evening to see people going in wearing formals and evening jackets. The big dances were called formals and taxi drivers were delivering people in a steady stream. Scents of Shalimar and Chanel No. 5 wafted about.

ARAMCO lunch time was from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM. Admin employees could catch the shuttle bus at South Admin, take a two-minute bus ride to the dining hall for the meal, hop the next bus to the pool or home for a nap in the sun or in bed. A warning whistle blew at 12:45 PM and everyone scurried back to work. The noon meal was a choice of cafeteria style or sit down. Everything was tailored for the employee to have choices.

Entertainers came to Dhahran from time to time. I recall Bruno Martino performed in the west room. Volari was a popular tune then; I think the Sadiggi Sisters, Tori Collins and Barbara Lucher, sang it around camp. They were always taking the newest fad to the next level.

The proms and the Tri-District dances were held in the dining hall. Committees would blossom at school and plans would result in banners, pictures, and decorations. In summer, returning students played a big part. One year Paul Hennig was a returning student; I got to work on a committee with him. He was in college taking the Arts, so he had a lot to contribute. We had some talented people too: Henry Dorsey, Linda Hawkey, and Betsy Ford were artistically inclined. In 1958, my last summer in Dhahran as a student, the Tri-D, as we called it, used a fake ID card as a ticket. We still had to pay the five riyals at the door since tickets were mailed in advance of the event.

The Tri-D Dance was the biggest event of the summer. Old friendships rekindled and students had a chance to talk about summer employment and prospects for the future. It was a good time to see and meet new kids.

ARAMCO always allowed their professional facilities to be used for student activities. These fake ID tickets were typeset and printed at company expense. ARAMCO employees jumped at the chance to help the kids have fun.

Parties usually preceded or followed the Tri-D. Most students stayed over night and sampled the hospitality of the host community.

Each community tried to outdo the others. Most kids rode the district bus between communities. It was free.

In the early 1980s, the dining hall was still an important social center. I noticed my boss having breakfast with his boss on numerous occasions. There were some changes. The bathrooms off the foyer were now Eastern and Western style, and a small, exclusive dining room was set aside at the far end of the east room. It was carpeted, used overstuffed furnishings, and the waiters were attired with tie and jacket. The room was dark and tastefully decorated. There were even fresh cut flowers now that a shop owner in al Khobar received regular air express shipments from Amsterdam.

Bill and Janine Larson join Clarice and the author for an exclusive dinner at the Dhahran dining hall in 1982. The company was approaching its fiftieth anniversary and many changes were occurring as Saudis played an increasing role in management as Americans were replaced.

The dining hall has been refurbished several times over the years. In the main dining rooms, digital cash systems replaced the old cash registers, but bills were still rung up the old way. The cash drawer was left open and after the cashier rang up the sale, he just dipped into the till to store cash and make change. This practice is frowned on in the West since it reduces the integrity of the sale. If the drawer is left open, the operator can still ring up the sale but instead of totaling it, he can hit clear after change is made and no record of the transaction will remain.

Another change at the dining hall was in the parking lot. We could get our car washed while we ate. Numerous contract workers hung around parking lots to make extra cash. This is a major change, since in the early days almost no ARAMCO employees owned their own cars. In the 1980s, however, most employees owned a car, with General Motors products being the most popular.

Copyright ©1999-2006 Rolf A. Christophersen
All Rights Reserved.

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			The Tri-D Dance was the biggest event of the summer. Old friendships rekindled and students had a chance to talk about summer employment and prospects for the future. It was a good time to see and meet new kids. ARAMCO always allowed their professional facilities to be used for student activities. These fake ID tickets were typeset and printed at company expense. ARAMCO employees jumped at the chance to help the kids have fun. Parties usually preceded or followed the Tri-D. Most students stayed over night and sampled the hospitality of the host community. Each community tried to outdo the others. Most kids rode the district bus between communities. It was free.
In the early 1980s, the dining hall was still an important social center. I noticed my boss having breakfast with his boss on numerous occasions. There were some changes. The bathrooms off the foyer were now Eastern and Western style, and a small, exclusive dining room was set aside at the far end of the east room. It was carpeted, used overstuffed furnishings, and the waiters were attired with tie and jacket. The room was dark and tastefully decorated. There were even fresh cut flowers now that a shop owner in al Khobar received regular air express shipments from Amsterdam.

	Bill and Janine Larson join Clarice and the author for an exclusive dinner at the Dhahran dining hall in 1982. The company was approaching its fiftieth anniversary and many changes were occurring as Saudis played an increasing role in management as Americans were replaced.
The dining hall has been refurbished several times over the years. In the main dining rooms, digital cash systems replaced the old cash registers, but bills were still rung up the old way. The cash drawer was left open and after the cashier rang up the sale, he just dipped into the till to store cash and make change. This practice is frowned on in the West since it reduces the integrity of the sale. If the drawer is left open, the operator can still ring up the sale but instead of totaling it, he can hit clear after change is made and no record of the transaction will remain. Another change at the dining hall was in the parking lot. We could get our car washed while we ate. Numerous contract workers hung around parking lots to make extra cash. This is a major change, since in the early days almost no ARAMCO employees owned their own cars. In the 1980s, however, most employees owned a car, with General Motors products being the most popular.
		Copyright ©1999-2006 Rolf A. Christophersen All Rights Reserved. Email