Primitivist is not the polar opposite of futurist, and there's nothing prize-worthy or paradoxical about being agile enough to hold a fork at dinner after eating rice at lunch with one's hands. The UAE has long been dubbed a model of coexisting contrasts and contradictions. Unfortunately, it's also subject to tired and erroneous instances of mock sophistication acquired overnight.
People continue to ask why the UAE contains no Emirati restaurants, per se, and the topic continues to generate discussion.
I can't decide if I find the question irritatingly self-conscious or just plain irritating. It's no longer enough in the UAE to be the first to do something; if you're going to do it, it's important to do it well.
Though Emirati food can be delicious to the extreme, delicious alone does not a winning restaurant make. Sure, studying the way any culture eats is an opportunity to learn about their perceptions, but we're talking about people, not captive animals. There is a strain of Emirati nationalism so tenacious that it is at risk of essentially consuming the subtlety and mutability of our true cultural identity. Like anything, this identity needs to breathe in order to evolve or it will become obsolete.
If we assume that most of the world's tastiest dishes come out of kitchens run by people cooking their native foods, then who is going to cook ours? And who is going to eat it? If not Emiratis, then who? If it's just for tourists, how does that make it more Emirati than the Yemeni mandi joint downtown that's crowded with locals?
Emirati food wasn't made for single servings, either, so you can kiss your obsession with individualism goodbye - as well as your taste for seasonal diversity. Finally, because we don't have a tradition of pedestrian walkways, we also don't have a culture of street food.
Some passions, like knitting, tend to skip a generation before they become retro and then cool again. Given the size of our generation gap in terms of lifestyle and literacy, we don't have the luxury of time on our side. Emiratis of my generation like food but aren't interested in preparing it; they like cars but don't care much about mechanics.
What will really motivate our cuisine into modernity is a breaking down of both real and illusory socioeconomic barriers - not merely the ones that keep us from eating the same meals as our cooks (though that would be an interesting start), but also from getting our hands dirty.
In Arab countries where cooking is not stigmatised by gender or income, it's difficult to find someone who'd openly admit to not being a great cook. Here, we have the opposite problem.
In the end, all of this is symptomatic of something far greater that is in jeopardy than an oral history of machbous recipes. Some of us are actively supporting our local communities and discovering new ways to reduce our carbon footprints, but the notion of knowing the farmers and fishermen who bring us our daily bread is foreign to us. Granted, the UAE isn't Provence or San Francisco, and why should it be? It seems ridiculous to shed blood, sweat or tears over a fate it never had. We could no sooner sustain a culinary identity on a vision like that than we could electrify the stock market on a whim and a prayer.
It's disparities such as these that are so maddening. Things in the US haven't been this bad since the Great Depression, and over 25 million Americans are using emergency food assistance every year. The UAE isn't in nearly such poor shape, but just 45 minutes outside of Dubai are local women in their 70s and 80s who are so suspicious of medical doctors that they've never seen one.
And at the swanky new Jones the Grocer, the pretty packages of "Persian fairy floss" are much more expensive than the same stuff, alternately called Pashmak, at an Iranian grocery just a few kilometres away. Everyone wants to eat delicious food, not just the rich. And anyone who thinks that a keen interest in food is expensive is either in it for the lifestyle or simply lacks imagination. Some of the worst food in the UAE can be found at the most expensive restaurants.
Our current food distribution system is not sustainable, nor does it ensure a secure food supply, especially given that the UAE is a net importer of food from other countries. Our year-round food supply simply cannot continue to come from thousands of kilometres away. We are already cultivating and supporting one food system for the poor and near poor, and one for the wealthy. How is this sustainable? How is it digestible? How is it acceptable?
Elitism is a selective application of a principle, and it needs to be abolished, or we can all look forward to a future when there's simply not enough to feed all of us.
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
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Jawan
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD5
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Men's football draw
Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica
Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea
Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA
Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Bahrain%20GP
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now