The United Arab Emirates (UAE) celebrated Eid ul Fitr on April 10, 2024. The Eid celebrations were muted in the Muslim world in general and the Arab world in particular, with the vampire terrorist Netanyahu sucking the blood and consuming the flesh of the innocent 32,000 Palestinians with an unending appetite. As the Eid festivities were closing, the Almighty decided to open the water tap over the UAE, with Dubai and Al Ain bearing the brunt of the storms. It rained camels and elephants in the country! More than one and a half years of rain ripped through different regions. Tuesday turned Dubai roads into an ocean, with water everywhere, including the runway. The Dubai Mall, the Mall of the Emirates, and the Dubai Metro were visited by rain and not by tourists! Luckily, I flew back from Dubai on Monday evening without being stranded. The next day, the Dubai International Airport was dysfunctional for some time as many incoming flights were diverted and more than 25 outbound flights were cancelled as the runway resembled a sheet of water. Emirates and Air India flights were the most affected. There was just one loss of human life.
The Sultanate of Oman, with less rainfall than the UAE, suffered the most, with different governorates experiencing floods. The worst tragedy struck at Samad A’Shan in the Sharqiyah region, where 10 tiny, beautiful flowers aged between 8 and 10 withered in flood waters while returning from school. The boys belonged to one extended family. It was a heartbreaking scene, as their bodies could be recovered 24 hours after the tragedy. The mountains roared with water, gushing down and submerging large tracts of land. There were 18 deaths in these floods in Oman.
The cheapest labor comes from Nepal and Ethiopia, leaving behind Bangladesh. Nepalis and Africans have swarmed Dubai in different work places, particularly hotels and restaurants. The Punjabi Kudis (girls) are waitresses at many restaurants who perhaps think that ho jayegi balle balle (life will be good) if they earn a living in Dubai. They work more than 12 hours a day, standing and serving throughout the day. They get one day of holiday per month. More and more Indians, after being ditched of the 20 crore jobs promised by Pied Piper Narendra Modi, are making a beeline to the Gulf countries. Taxi drivers are sailing in the same boat, but they earn more than double that of the waitresses. They survive on AED 400 for food expenses and another AED 400 for bed space. They save about AED 3,000 and send money home when the Indian rupee is bleeding against the onslaught of a resurging dollar.
The culinary scene is lip-smacking in Dubai, with different popular dishes from the Arab world, India, Turkey, and other places competing for belly effect. The Moroccan, Egyptian, Lebanese, Iraqi, Yemeni, Iranian, and Bosnian food at the Mall of the Emirates caters to the taste buds of the residents and tourists alike. I must confess that I missed my childhood pals Syed Azaz ur Rahman and Syed Mazhar while having the Laham Madfoon dish at the Zam Zam Restaurant opposite Al Ghurair Mall. Azaz, the intellectual and educationist who, when free from building careers in medicine and engineering for thousands of students, relishes good food. He has been a perfect host to the high and mighty of India at his beautiful bungalow in the enchanting hills of Ooty. Mazhar is a reputed builder. The three of us have shared chocolates, smiles, laughter, and fights at All Saints’ High School and graduated to patronizing real good food when we meet now. I fondly recall Azaz’s liking of the Mutton Curry at Fortune Sullivan in Ooty two months ago. He profusely complimented Chef Rashid for the same.
Cooking lamb meat or beef in a pit oven buried underground, we get the popular dish Laham Madfoon. It is very popular in the Arab world. It is a sort of Biryani in which rice is topped with the meat cooked in Arabic spices. But it is totally different from Biryani. Bakkalawa is an Arabian sweet full of dry fruits. You can wash it down with the Moroccan mint tea or the Arabic qahwa (coffee).
More often than not, restaurants boast about their food, only to disappoint. A case in point is the Shadab Hotel branch in Dubai. The main one is in Hyderabad. It boasts of the ‘finest Biryani from India.’ This is far from the truth. The Zafrani Kachhe Gosht ki Biryani was only in name; there was no Zafran or saffron in it. Neither taste nor smell! The chicken 65 was crisp and delicious. Haleem was understandably low on spices to cater to international guests. The Eid dinner was more than good!
Those coming to Dubai from India should avoid booking hotels before coming, as there is a chance that you may be shortchanged. The promised room is not given. The receptionists at hotels from three to five stars will assign a small room and then begin to haggle for more Dirhams for a bigger room. Even in five-star hotels, washrooms have standing water or leaking fixtures. The drainage system is much to be desired. I experienced standing water in the 5-star Hyatt Regency wash room also. The best thing is to arrive at the hotel and have the luxury of looking at two or three rooms before choosing one after haggling for a discount.
We at BeyondHeadlines do not believe in free lunches. Everything was paid for, and nothing complimentary was received at any point in time.
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