My Love for Culinary Tourism
I have been fortunate enough to do a bit of traveling during my semester here in Dubai. All of my trips have had one tying theme, which was partly unintended but mostly a conscious decision for me – and that has been eating. I have realized that, as of now, culinary or food tourism is my favorite way to engage with a new place. Below are some of my favorite eating experiences from the past few months in the region. Not all were as amazing as the rest, not all have as special a place in my heart, but all have contributed to some of the best experiences of recent memory for me and colored my time in the Middle East in its own unique way.
1. Dubai – Ravi Restaurant, Karachi Darbar, Antar Cafeteria, Bombay Star Juice Bar
I have some really great memories attached to food experiences here in Dubai. It’s a city for food-lovers. Since I’m on a student budget, I couldn’t really explore the high class, gourmet food scene, but I definitely tried my best to cover all the local cheap eateries and they did not disappoint.
Ravi/Karachi/Bombay Juice bar made for some of the best North Indian/Pakistani food I have had in my life and that is including India itself. The owners of these places know my friends and me by face and order by now and can probably thank us for putting their kids through college. Shahi paneer, butter naans, butter chicken and mango lassis were some of the staples, but I can honestly say there is not a bad dish on any of these menus.
2. Oman – Yemeni Mandi, Roadside Biryani
My first foray outside the UAE in early March was a weekend stint in Muscat, Oman. After a beautiful day of hiking, swimming and rock climbing at Wadi Shab, we stopped by a gas station and there were a couple of restaurants attached. I was famished and went into a small café and ordered large quantities of Biryani. After hours of hiking on an empty stomach anything would have tasted good, but this Biryani was amazing on its own accord.
Later that weekend I was fortunate enough to spend an evening with some really cool people over Yemeni Mandi. It was my first experience and my best. Sitting on the floor around huge platters of rice, meat, chicken, yogurt, bread and sauces, eating with our hands and indulging in some great globally minded conversation made for a terrific experience.
3. Lebanon – homemade Kibbeh, Seaside 4-course sea-food, Kanafah
Lebanon featured some amazing homemade Kibbeh from the amazing family that hosted us for a few days in Zgharta. After we made our way down to Beirut and the South, the food experiences really took off.
In Tyr (Sur in Arabic) I ate what was arguably the most amazing meal of my time in the region. It consisted of 5 courses of amazing Arabic sea-food. To try and explain everything involved would be doing complete injustice to the environment, tastes, company and overall atmosphere of the occasion.
Later that week, on our last night after going out in one of the best party cities in the world, I was treated to some of the best Kanafeh I’ve ever had while watching the sun come up.
4. Bahrain – Chicken Tikka, Mandi, Chocolate Special K cereal, chai
Bahrain again made for some delicious food tourism, although one of the coolest parts was a box of cereal at my host’s apartment. I couch-surfed in Manama, and one of my hosts was in the American Navy and he had a box of Chocolate Special K in his apartment. I found myself slowly eating through the entire box while watching trash American TV. It was a nice way to feel American for a bit, and it totally brought me back to my days of cereal eating in college and at home.
I also got to eat some amazing tandoor bread, chicken tikka in a nice park at sunset with some great new (and old) friends, and shared Mandi over some more amazing conversation.
5. Kuwait – street shawarma, kebabs, Indo-Chinese, Tandoori chicken, home-cooked meals
Kuwait may have been the most all-inclusive food touristic experience of all. Pretty much all I did in Kuwait was eat, and it was terrific. Starting with shawarma from a street-side restaurant in downtown Kuwait City, to a kilo of Kebabs, to Indo-Chinese Szechuan inspired cooking, to more amazing tandoori chicken, I can honestly say I ate more in 3 days in Kuwait, than I usually do in a week in Dubai.
I stayed with some family friends so I was also treated to some amazing home cooked Indian meals, including some of the best and most satisfying Biryani I have had.
Food and culinary practices are obviously part and parcel of a culture. Getting to travel was a great opportunity in itself, but coupled with these food experiences, it made for some very memorable times. I will say that my favorite part about all of these experiences was being able to share them with the friends I have made over the course of this semester. Some of these people I may have known before, but got to know better, and others I met for a short while but they added tremendously to my time in the Middle East.
I am excited to apply these same practices and principles to places in the US as I move forward. My appetite, as it seems, knows no bounds. The inevitable food-babies await my food-parenting.
Ps: I would advise against blogging about food while hungry.
The possibility of Arab Occidentalism
In one of my classes this semester, Arabic Literature, we are studying a few pieces from an anthology of Arab travel literature, called America in an Arab Mirror, The collection tracks back depictions of America and the West by Arab writers including poetry, prose, short stories and other works.
We had an interesting discussion about the concept of knowledge and power, and more specifically the constructs developed by Edward Said in his famous work Orientalism. For those unfamiliar, a short summary of Said’s work would suggest that Western scholarship on the Orient (Middle East, Far East, etc) is not an innocent scholarly look into another part of the world. He suggests it is a scholarship laden with power relationships performed through a vantage of power, making the East an exotic entity, and not objective but hand-in-glove with power.
This brought up the question of whether this kind of scholarship can turn the microscope back onto the West, and whether there is the possibility of an Arab Occidentalism. In my opinion, Arab Occidentalism is unavoidable because of the points of contact between these two regions (the West and the Arab world). Even in a pre-9/11 world, these two regions have been in contact over economic, security, geopolitical and religious reasons. And of course since 9/11, the points of contact have been ever more apparent.
The two main schools of thought that exist within the study of Arab Occidentalism suggest that Arab’s view of the West is either informed by deep-rooted cultural, religious or historical beliefs or by American foreign-policy within the Arab world. However, I think a third category must be added to this list: Arab travelers within the West who write about the West from the inside, the most contemporary such writer being Sayyid Qutb.
At first glance, it is easy to say that Western Orientalism is far more consequential than Arab Occidentalism. Western Orientalist writers are often part and parcel with policy-makers, either by working in policy spheres themselves or heavily influencing the ways in which policy is formed. On the contrary, one would be hard-pressed to find Arab Occidentalist writers within similar arenas in the Arab world.
However, I think it is important to consider Arab Occidental writing as it shapes Arab views of the West because these are the very views that groups in the Arab world play off of to promote their chosen image of the West. Taking again the example of Sayyid Qutb, in his work “The America That I Have Seen,” and Milestones Qutb clearly sets up an image of America that informs the ideology of groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda and Islamic Jihad.
It is easy to brush off Arab writings about the West because they are similarly essentialist as Western Orientalism yet lack the institutional power that Orientalism is associated with it, but I think we would be well-advised to still consider these works as they inform the larger conversation about the West in the Arab world.
A Response to “Online Status Anxiety”
A couple of weeks ago Jonah Lehrer published an entry on his blog, “The Frontal Cortex” his take on social networking on Web 2.0. I have finally gotten around to writing an entry on the matter, since a couple of things struck me in Lehrer’s discussion.
1. “Social software tend to quantify our social life” – this is not exactly an emerging feature of social networks, as Lehrer proposes. Having a list of “friends” or contacts and displaying some way in which the members of these lists are related to each other is a required feature to qualify a tool as a social software or social network.
Some of the earliest definitions of social network sites (SNS) include 3 mean features. (1) Constructing a public or semi-public profile in a bounded system (2) articulating a list of others with whom you share a connection and (3) ability to view and traverse a list of these connections and those made by others in the system. So the fact that as we are maturing through the timeline of SNSs a few services are becoming more popular than others is not a factor of or has not resulted in the quantification of connections online. SNSs by definition require this quantification in some form or another. [I know this is a cheap shot at Lehrer’s piece, but I thought it needed clarification].
2. “My worry is that our online social platforms both magnify our hierarchies (by measuring our friends, followers, links, etc.) and erase social distance, [read: Ambient Intimacy] so that we suddenly find ourselves in the same monkey cage with a far larger number of monkeys”
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Staying true to his great ability to articulate complex issues and bring in great thinkers, Lehrer ties in one of my favorite Primatologists Robert Sapolsky (this speech by him comes highly recommended) and one of my favorite philosophers (and LOST namesake) David Hume to argue that because if collapsed space we are more aware of social hierarchies and what’s more is that SNSs enhance social hierarchies by quantifying our social networks.
Although I can’t say I’ve never envied someone for an impressive and extensive social network prowess, I don’t necessarily think this is the only outcome of increased use of SNSs. In fact, I think this is one, albeit dystopian, result of SNSs. They can create anxiety among people, they can lead to a heightened awareness of our own social position and they can possibly create a new set of problems for us as social beings.
But I’m more inclined to believe that these problems are not unique to online SNSs or digitally mediated social interaction. As such, these are human concerns and obstacles that we have faced before and will continue to face as long as our nature stays on a similar socially-oriented path as it has. I recognize the point that Lehrer is making, which is that bringing in a new way to socialize (namely, online) brings a new set of problems for us to deal with. But I am more interested to see the many new ways to exercise our social nature, to create new concepts like ambient intimacy and to further communication, which in my opinion is a fundamental human characteristic and desire. We have been faced with challenges through changing societies, environments, communities and technologies but we have succeeded (with a few exceptions) in finding use in these challenges and sometimes even altering the course of our progress through them.
Small Campus Experience
One of the differences in my experience this semester at AUD has been something that is not necessarily tied to the culture or location of Dubai, but more to the differences in the size of AUD and the University of Illinois. AUD is a rather small university with a small campus. Compared to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, my home institution, AUD could fit completely in of the small quadrangle areas at UIUC. Class sizes here are small (6-30 in my classes), there are not very many academic buildings, libraries or student facilities and the relationships between professors and their students is noticeably different.
This carries with it some inherent differences, when compared to the collegiate experience I have had thus far at U of I. Being one of 40,000 plus students at UIUC really requires you to make your own place or run the risk of being swallowed up in the sea of faces and names. Here at AUD it’s pretty easy after a week of walking around campus to start recognizing faces (and beyond that, get involved in people’s gossip, a la high school).
I have been working with various members of the faculty and staff here at AUD pretty regularly throughout the semester to gain access to some of the media facilities located near my campus (mainly MBC and Al-Arabiyya) and they have been really helpful and accessible. Although it certainly took the initial impetus from my end, the ease of accessing these professionals and getting the ball rolling on this project was pretty remarkable. At UIUC on the other hand, without a great deal of courage and confidence (or even mere awareness) it is pretty easy to float by and find yourself on the graduation stage receiving your diploma.
I don’t mean to attach any value judgments to these differences, just to point out the different experience I’m having at a small school versus the one I’ve had for the last 3 and a half years at a big school. If it weren’t for my personal goals and motivations, I don’t think I would have gained as much as I did from my time at UIUC. On the other hand, there is a limited amount of things to gain here at AUD, given its small size and scope and overall lack of development.
There are many more differences I could point out between these two experiences, but ultimately what is important is that these things would have been valuable to know in high school when I was deciding about college. I think I had the best experience I could have at UIUC and it was the best choice for me, but perhaps it just happened to work out that way. I think there’s also some importance in the idea of being prepared for life after college. The immersive experience that U of I can offer (often referred to as the U of I bubble) can really be distracting for the 3-5 years that most spend there as undergrads. As with everything this has its positives and negatives. It allows you to feel like you can concentrate on being a college student and gain a ton from all the experiences you’re having, but then it also brings with it a tough reality check when it is time to leave. I would just advise those with still some time left to continue to enjoy the immersion, but also keep the reality of graduation in the back of your heads. And to those who are ready to graduate: I think we can rest happily knowing we gained a lot from our immersion the last 3-5 years, and now we can move on to another community.
I will now be dismounting from my soapbox. But not before asking for your thoughts on the matter, so do share if you care to.
Middle Eastern Millennials Survey
A recent study released by ASDAA Burston-Marsteller, a leading Middle Eastern Public Relation consultancy chronicles the demographics, behaviors and attitudes of young residents of the Middle East, across 9 countries. This survey is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in recent Middle Eastern history and provides some useful insights. This kind of information is an important insight into one of the most important segments of the Middle Eastern population. The Middle East is a very young region, by and large, and with its interesting mix between abundance of certain resources and dearth of others, provides an intriguing set of questions and concerns as we move forward into the coming decades.
Some of the most interesting points, for me, are mentioned below –
1. The single most important priority for young people in the Middle East is living in a democratic country, followed by having quality infrastructure, and access to the best universities.
2. The rising cost of living, shortage of affordable housing, and unemployment are the top three worries for Arab youth
3. Despite the rapid acceptance by young Arabs of the digital age, nearly half of all those surveyed read a newspaper every day
4. Two-thirds of Arab youth spend their leisure time in front of the TV
5. Many young people’s spending habits are leaving them in debt
6. The growing economic significance of the East, specifically China and India, appears to be influencing the way in which Arab youth regard the international community
7. Today’s Arab youth consider themselves as true citizens of the world
8. Youth in the Middle East are evenly split on their preference to work in the government or private sector
I am particularly interested to see the reactions reported related to mainstream media use versus social networking use, given the attachment that young Middle-Easterners have to their mobile devices. I wonder if the future of communication in the Middle East is headed toward a different trajectory than it is in the West. It will be interesting to see how Middle Eastern youth embrace new media in ways that work for them.
Dubai, Abu-Dhabi and the UAE
Last weekend I visited Abu-Dhabi. It was about a 2 hour bus-ride from Dubai and only 20 AED (about $6 USD). It was a nice opportunity to get outside of Dubai and check out another part of the UAE. Abu-Dhabi, the city, is the capitol of the United Arab Emirates and the emirate of the same name is the largest emirate in the federation. Below are some interesting facts about Abu-Dhabi, Dubai, the relationship between these cities and the UAE in general.
Abu-Dhabi: As I could notice while I was there, Abu-Dhabi seems far less developed than Dubai. Without describing more how glamorous Dubai is, suffice it to say that Abu-Dhabi was not nearly as glamorous. I walked around Corniche Road, which is the main tourist area including the beach front, saw some parts of the business and downtown district and the Grand Mosque (which as it turns out is the World’s third largest mosque, with number 1 and 2 being in Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia).
Although Abu-Dhabi seemed less over-the-top than Dubai, it in fact is home to more than 90% of the country’s oil revenues. It is by far the richest city and emirate, so much so that it provides a majority of the budget-needs of some of the smaller emirates. Culturally, Abu-Dhabi has tried for a long time to keep a distant relationship between itself and Dubai. According to Davidson (citation below), Abu-Dhabi has always had a tremendous amount of stability because of its oil revenues (let’s just say that certain estimates put per capita GDP in Abu-Dhabi near $275,000). This has allowed Abu-Dhabi to continue a steady sense of growth, instead of taking the risks that Dubai has taken.
Dubai: As a city and an emirate, Dubai has taken some incredible risks in its history. From opening up ports and free zones for foreign investment to investing heavily in the tourism industry to antagonizing its cultural partners in other emirates and Gulf states in order to please expatriates, Dubai has seen a dynamic development to reach where it is today.
Between Dubai and Abu-Dhabi: Essentially, these are the two emirates of 7 in UAE that really matter the most. Dubai is the social, financial and international capitol and Abu-Dhabi the economic, financial and cultural capitol (although the culture point is arguable, because Dubai has a culture of its own). Although Dubai and UAE have been at odds over many issues at times, they are at the end of the day, still very closely related and will continually come to each other’s aid in times of need.
UAE as a model is fascinating because although it is a federation each emirate really has a great deal of autonomy, and even as a federation only one emirate (ruling family in essence) controls the majority of legislation, policy, finance, etc. I’d highly recommend looking up the Davidson article, as well as some of his other works, if you find yourself interested in learning more about UAE.
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Davidson, Christopher. 2007. “The Emirates of Abu-Dhabi and Dubai: Contrasting Roles in International System.” Asian Affairs, Vol 353. No. 1.
What do Tehran and “Precious” have in common?
Yesterday I came back home after class in the afternoon and my roommate was watching “Precious,” the 2009 Lee Daniels film starring Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique. “Precious” or the full title “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire” is the story of a young girl in Harlem subjected to terrible tortures by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, lost in the education system, becoming a mother herself and having been all but given up on by everyone. Daniels paints one of the bleakest pictures every captured on film, and moves it along very painstakingly by letting the audience hang on to the slightest sense of hope for Precious. For those who have yet to see the film, I highly recommend it but you should know full and well what you’re getting yourself into, it will likely weigh heavy on your mind for a while.
After my roommate finished watching the film, we struck up a conversation about how powerful the film really was. Throughout the conversation he mentioned some really intriguing things. He mentioned that the movie had a really personal effect on him. He recalled many of his cousins and friends whom he has lost to crystal meth and other drugs, back in Tehran. He equated Tehran to the scene in the film when the social worker comes to Mary’s (Mo’Nique) apartment for a home visit. He said Tehran was a lot like the family who put on a face for the social worker, to make everything seem comfortable and put-together, only to go right back to their destitute ways when the world stopped looking.
My roommate (whose name I am consciously omitting) said that he had a hard time getting through the film because it hit home for him in so many ways. And that really struck me. A film made about Harlem, about the African American experience in modern day United States, about social neglect of a systemic problem, about forgotten individuals ended up evoking empathy from someone from another part of the world. My roommate went on to tell me about rampant drug and sex abuse in Tehran, about the ways in which the social fabric of the city has been falling apart recently. He mentioned stories about police officers watching as people were being beaten on the streets because criminals aren’t worth their time, about drug dealing and drug abuse among high school students and sex workers around the city. For an Islamic Republic with reputedly state control over so many facets of life, some of the stories he mentioned were truly shocking.
It was fascinating to talk to him about the impact of films in his life, because they’ve been such an important part of my life. There were a lot of reasons I loved “Precious” when I first saw it but this certainly adds to its prestige, as far as I’m concerned. A film that can so truly plug into humanity by discussing, in the most honest of ways, some of the worst parts of humanity certainly achieves some of the intended (and unintended) purposes of culture and art and furthers humanity itself.
Business Law in the UAE
A couple of days ago I attended a lecture on campus on business law in the UAE. It was an interesting, albeit visceral, look at the way commercial transactions law works in the UAE. As I am largely unfamiliar with business law on the whole so I can’t exactly compare it to anything else, but it was interesting in and of itself.
Below are some of the main take-home points I took from the lecture:
Civil vs Common Law: UAE has a civil law system which, unlike common law, is not based on judicial precedent. So a judge’s decision is not binding for all following judges, but because of the way the judicial system is set up, senior judges most often abide by certain principles which bring cohesion to the system of law.
Different types of companies: UAE law outlines 7 types of companies, all of which have varying types of liabilities and thereby are held to different standards under different laws.
Future changes: since the UAE is such a young country, its only appropriate that it will be going through changes as it makes it way out of its embryonic stages. One of the major changes upcoming is the possibility of 100% ownership for expatriates. This is as a result of some mounting international pressure (WTO etc) that are calling for UAE to allow for more foreign investments (especially outside the free zones, which already have high rates of foreign investment)
Currently, 50% ownership with an Emirati citizen is required. In the same breath, there is no path to citizenship in the country. So only UAE nationals qualify as citizens, and they only account for about 10% of the population here in Dubai. So you can do the math for yourself, 10% of the population required to fulfill that 50% ownership statute can create somewhat of a hurdle for new businesses.
Since business culture and practices are so closely tied to the very fabric of this country, it was interesting to learn about the legal aspects of commercial entities. I’m sure as I spend more time talking to more people, I will continue to learn more about business and the strong hold it has in the Emirates.