There’s a lot in the old adage that “you are what you eat”. While the saying once meant simply that a healthy diet leads to a healthy body, it now speaks to the rapidly changing role of food in society. Not so long ago, people’s choices of nutrition were pretty much made for them, based on what ingredients were available and how they happened to be cooked in their own discrete cultures. Now, for those of us fortunate enough to live in nations where food is abundant, what we eat has increasingly become a marker of the identities we have chosen for ourselves.
Just take a look at your own kitchen cupboards. There are few better indicators of what kind of person you are. Mine, for instance, are packed with home-made pickles, a large selection of international hot sauces, Oxo cubes and various bottles and jars with the word “artisanal” somewhere on the label. It doesn’t take Holmesean powers of deduction to work out that I’m a British man of a certain age, with a beard and several tattoos, who lives on his own and likes to cook.
Whether you’re a similarly reluctant culinary hipster, a lover of French fine dining or a dedicated vegan, the idea of eating as locally and as seasonally as possible cuts across all boundaries. As you’ll no doubt have read before, reducing the distance our food has to travel before it hits the table is better for the planet, allows us to eat fresher and more nutritiously, and fosters a better understanding of the world we live in.
The only problem with this idea is that it has largely been formulated in temperate – and affluent – western nations that are capable of producing a broad and changing range of crops. Countries with less water and harsher climates have a much tougher time meeting their own food needs.
Take the UAE, for example. When I first moved here, 10 years ago, embracing the locavore philosophy would have been challenging in the extreme. Back then, the overwhelming majority of vegetables and meat came from overseas – the catchment area ranging from relatively near neighbours such as India, Pakistan and Lebanon to much further afield, including the Netherlands, Brazil and Australia.
Of course, there is still plenty of imported food here, but having recently returned to the country – and The National – it is clear that "majority" no longer means "just about everything". A trip to any of Abu Dhabi's excellent supermarkets now reveals a vastly increased range of UAE-grown produce. From peppers, aubergines and cucumbers to courgettes, tomatoes and cauliflowers, the choice is ample and the quality superb. Far from being the impossible task it once was, it is now relatively easy to make great meals without racking up countless thousands of food miles.
And if you’re a little forgiving in your definition of local, the options are bounteous. Just including Oman, the border of which lies less than 200km away from the capital, opens up a whole delicious world of okra, beets, papayas, bananas, mangoes and coconuts – in fact, I’ve come to refer to it as “the garden of the Gulf”.
In our own backyard, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment recently released a report stating that 20 per cent of all fruit and vegetables consumed in the UAE are now grown here. The same document goes on to detail how at least Dh35 million worth of local produce was sold at Carrefour, Union Co-op and LuLu stores nationwide in the last year. These statistics are impressive, and with events such as Deerfields Mall’s Friday and Saturday farmers markets, and LuLu’s promotion of UAE-grown food, it appears that demand and accessibility are rising hand in hand.
None of this is down to happenstance. In October last year, the UAE government announced that it was reaching the final phase of its plan for food security. Part of this strategy is globally focused, as illustrated by the inking of an agreement with Uganda to establish an agricultural free zone in the country for Emirati companies. However, efforts to increase domestic production with the use of the latest technology are just as important. To that end, Dubai has recently committed to building 12 vertical farms, based on cutting-edge hydroponic systems, which will be capable of producing a colossal amount of fruit and vegetables.
There is also a growing choice of local meat, dairy produce and eggs, and let’s not forget that there has always been a plentiful supply of high-quality seafood here. For me, the best way to purchase these items is to head to dedicated spaces. Mushrif Mall’s meat market, for example, is a convivial, hands-on kind of place, offering a wide variety of imported and UAE-reared livestock – from chicken and quail to goat and gazelle. Mina Port fish market, meanwhile, is a living history lesson in the heart of Abu Dhabi. Its dhows dock every day laden with shrimp, crab, lobster and fish from nearby waters, and if you’re feeling particularly lazy, several stalls will even spice and roast your purchases for you, ready to take home. Try it and you won’t have a better dinner all week.
And that’s the key to it all, really. In addition to being ethically sound, eating local makes food a more interesting and involving experience. What better and more immediate way is there to engage with the place you live than buying what’s grown and reared there, direct from the source? You don’t have to commit your life to it, either. You can start small and aim for a meal or two a week, or just make an effort to cut down on your use of imported products. Next on my UAE menu is a gazelle neck, tomato and pepper ragu. It won’t even go near an Oxo cube.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
Champion%20v%20Champion%20(PFL%20v%20Bellator)
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Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)
Company%20Profile
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ATP RANKINGS (NOVEMBER 4)
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts ( 1)
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1)
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190
4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 ( 1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 ( 1)
9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 ( 1)
10. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 2,530 ( 3)
11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 ( 3)
12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290
13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2)
14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 ( 1)
15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 ( 13)
16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000
17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9)
18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775
19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2)
20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,747 ( 7)
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.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
