Leading women of Sharqiya’s food blog scene.

Al Maha Al Dossary

Instagram: almahadossy / simple_desing

What do you want to tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a food critic from Dammam and the owner of Simple Boutique.

Tell us about your challenges as a female blogger in Saudi.
Impersonators are a major annoyance, using my name, pictures and comments and twisting them in inappropriate ways. Ignoring them and focusing on my goals was one of the best solutions that worked for me.

Was your family supportive of you being a blogger in this society?
Every day I’m grateful for having supportive parents and a wonderful family.

What’s your favorite restaurant in Sharqiya?
Well, I can tell you what are my favorite qualities of a restaurant: polite staff, quality service, spotless hygiene and, of course, yummy food!

Any advice for your followers who want to get into blogging?
Always remember to be yourself.

Sara Al Suwaigh

Instagram: _instacafe_

What do you want to tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Sara, and I’m a Saudi who likes to share her experiences with others about the places I discover.

Tell us about your challenges as a female blogger in Saudi.
The most difficult thing I faced is that I can’t take photos easily in public. But, I simply ignore the looks or comments and focus on what I’m trying to accomplish instead.

Was your family supportive of you being a blogger in this society?
Once my family realized how passionate I was about trying out new foods and sharing my experiences, they actually were the ones who encouraged me to start my own blog.

What is the one particular top dish of choice?
Chocolate. Anything and everything with chocolate!

What is your most influential social media channel?
Snapchat. It’s great for interacting.

Any advice for your followers who want to get into blogging?
Don’t overthink! Just start doing it.

Bashayer Khaled

Instagram: ibesh88

What do you want to tell our readers about yourself?
I`m Bashayer Khaled and I’ve been passionate about food and restaurants since 2007.

Tell us about your challenges as a female blogger in Saudi.
Taking photos in public and having people get upset or make me feel awkward about it. Still, when I’m home and write about my food experience, I forget everything negative and remember how much I enjoy what I’m doing.

Do you follow any kind of diet regime or exercise schedule?
Don’t be shocked but I was a coach! I’d give exercise classes to employees in one of Sharqiya’s major companies.

What’s your favorite restaurant in Sharqiya?
I love Big Chef’s! The design, quality of the food and all the little details they pay attention to.

Any advice for your followers who want to get into blogging?
Don’t let fame or money change your principles.

Sarah Al Thenyan

Instagram: sarah_7ail

What do you want to tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a photographer and blogger who covers restaurants. I started by writing reviews of restaurants and sharing those with them. Places started to appreciate what I was doing and soon others would invite me over to review their restaurant.

Tell us about your challenges as a female blogger in Saudi.
It’s not easy in our society for a woman to go out late or for long periods of time. Thankfully I had a lot of support from the restaurant owners that would make sure I was comfortable and productive.

Was your family supportive of you being a blogger in this society?
My mother was the first person to support me and always had a lot of helpful advice.

What’s your favorite restaurant in Sharqiya?
I love burger joints like Burgers & Fries, and for non-burger places I’m partial to Conferencia Café.

What is your most influential social media channel?
Instagram, followed by Snapchat.

Any advice for your followers who want to get into blogging?
Be sincere, be honest and be dedicated and you’ll succeed.