A friend of mine called a few weeks ago and invited me to dinner. An important museum director was visiting from Germany and working on a centennial exhibition in 2010 that related to the Arab world. She wanted to assemble a diverse cast of dinner guests who would be able to give him a comprehensive view of the city that is Dubai; and apparently I made the list!
Then came the issue of venue. Katrin tried to explain to me the location but I had never heard of it. Then I remembered that some other friends had asked me to join them there once. I only knew it as the fish place in Umm Suqueim.
Drive down Beach Road, take a right at Chalet cafeteria and the road will curve right again, and you'll be driving down the beach. Five minutes later you'll have the port on your left and a little shack on you right with plastic chairs and tables in front of it. There is an old dhow whose owners seem to have given up on fixing it up; it's very much part of the setting. That's it, there is nothing else.
Outside there is a white on blue sign that reads: Bu Qtair Cafeteria. It doesn't even attempt to be a restaurant. Walk in to a loud Keralite kitchen. There is no menu, only the catch of the day.
You can also order Indian saloona, a thin stew, paratha bread, and some basic greens and onions. Everything is marinated in spice. There is a fridge with Miranda, Mountain Dew and water. There is also a smaller fridge with Unikai ice cream.
What is fascinating about Bu Qtair is that it has been there for quite a while but the majority of its clientele remain South Asian, save the odd European tourist.
I am willing to attempt to draw a very distant correlation between discovering Bu Qtair and the global financial crisis. In the end, Bu Qtair was always there, but we were dining at Zuma, Bice and most recently at Rivington Grill. Sure, we knew Special Kabab Ostadi and Istanbul Flower, but the city's social vibe was different then.
They say creativity stems from restriction and so we are perhaps restrained - or required to be restrained in an act of solidarity with those who actually are - yet at the same time we are free because we now have more time. And so, discovering Bu Qtair is one of the many beautiful unintended by-products of the financial crisis.
I am sure we will now have time to reflect on where we went wrong and where did we want to go but rode the wave instead. There are no more waves now, there are boats and rafts and the sea is calm and dear.
We will not only pay less rent, or have more time to decide on buying a car, but we will also literally take back the city that was ours.
I believe the calm after the go-go naught-ies (2001-2009 as they are casually referred to) will bring much discipline and freedom at the same time.
Infrastructure institutions such as the Dubai Municipality, the Road and Transport Authority and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, will be able to finally catch up with over-zealous real estate developers. Education, healthcare and economic reform will become not the only a priority but rather the first line item of the action plan. I expect a more consistent discourse on social inclusion and the development of cohesive identity for my city.
An article was published in the Christmas issue of The Economist on property bubbles. It cited that, though excessive, the frenzy in Miami of the 1920s was necessary to establish it as one of the leading metropolitan capitals of North America.
Perhaps some will argue that Dubai is over built, but urban planners and bankers will both agree that its infrastructure is way ahead of any of its neighbours. For now, I will spend Dh210 on a grilled kingfish and some fried shrimp - both spicy - and continue to look for other gems that our earlier days prevented us from seeing.
I am not celebrating the crisis, merely making the best of it. Dubai is young and its position is assured.
Mishaal Al Gergawi is an Emirati commentator on socio-economic and cultural affairs in the UAE.
Your comments
Thank you for looking at the bright side. I love Dubai, and the negativity surrounding it has been heart breaking. Dubai is here to stay, and it will be stronger and healthier than ever.
Aman Sharma
Nairobi,Kenya
Posted: April 26, 2009, 13:20
God bless you. This is the best article I read in a very long time. That's the spirit.
Smer Karazi
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 26, 2009, 08:42
