Dubai bans then allows alcohol in food preparation 21, April 2010
Posted by thegulfblog.com in The Emirates, The Gulf.Tags: Alcohol banned in Dubai's food, Alcohol in Dubai, Arab Bureaucracy, Dubai, Dubai alcohol, Dubai's restaurants
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On the 20th March Dubai’s authorities announced that they were unequivocally banning the use of alcohol in food preparation in the Emirates.
The letter, a copy of which has been seen by Arabian Business, states the use of alcohol in the preparation and cooking of food, and the display and sale of food containing alcohol was “strictly prohibited”.
This caused varying degrees of outrage from hoteliers and restauranteurs fearful that this would take a significant chunk out of their profits. The stink created was so bad that only a few days later Dubai changed their minds.
‘It’s all just a little mistake’ they tried to say. ‘All we wanted was to make the segregation clearer on menus,’ someone probably added in a desperate attempt not to look like a complete idiot.
Does this remind anyone of anything?
Once again we have a clear example of ‘a’ Shiekh wielding his power and making a drastic decision regardless of consequences of planning or an able bureaucracy to temper, evaluate or implement the decision. Once again, some time later, after vested powers have used their own wasta to go above the head of this Sheik, the decision is rescinded.
Being as I write this from France, I’ll finish with a ponsey Frenchism:
Plus ça change, plus ça reste la même chose
The Gulf blog 
[…] rules but believes that what he says needs to go. This is similar to the Emirati who didn’t want alcohol in any food preparation in Dubai who was subsequently overruled and the Qatari who wanted to […]