Frying Pan Secrets Revealed: A Self-Guided Foodie Trail through Dubai

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blankI often don’t post up many of the articles I write for other publications on this blog (wait what? other publications actually publish what Arva writes?! yeah, I know, it’s all very shocking.) But I figured that this might be of broader interest beyond the editors who take pity on my food ramblings and slop me into a section that hopefully gets schmucked by an overflowing cup of coffee or gets shred to bits by the house doggie before it can assault the human eye.

So here it is, an article called ‘The Foodie Trail in Dubai’ for the ‘Indulge’ section of Live Mint in India. I finally penned down one of my favourite foodie treks in the city, thanks to Sidin, the Mint Indulge editor and tummy-achingly funny writer blogger at www.whatay.com. For people who’d rather not suffer through a formal food tour with me, this is for you – some of my favourite yummies in the city, all conveniently mapped out as one trail. If the thought of having this all in one easy printable format has left you so overjoyed that you’re practically speechless, then…turn on the printer and ram the print button like a sumo wrestler on steroids.

Pssst. I’m supposed to be sharing ‘soul-feeding stories’ on a Street Food panel at MAKE Business Hub in Dubai on April 9th. Judging by my blubbering posts, my verbal eloquence likely won’t scale the heights of soul-fed excellence. But if you’re interested in doing something entrepreneurial around street food in Dubai, in feeding your soul with insights from the owner of Zaroob/Mezza House and Tahir, the awesome-funny-friendly dude behind Moti Roti, in hanging out over coffee and dinner, or in hugging me for finally publishing a self-guided foodie trek in the city and saving you from the butt-pain of coming on a tour with me, then MAKE is the place to be. Check out the facebook invite here.

CategoriesCity Cuisine Deira Dubai Egyptian Iranian Lebanese YemeniTags,

Author: InaFryingPan

With a family legacy of ingenious cooks, a nutritionist and chef-extraordinaire mother, and a father who introduced me to steak and caviar when I could barely reach the table, I had no choice but to acquire a keen awareness of food during my childhood years in Dubai. But it was only after I found myself on a college campus in Philadelphia – far away from home, too cheap as a student to spend on anything other than pizza, and with dorm rooms that had little rat-holes of kitchens if they even had them at all – when I developed a heightened appreciation of food. An appreciation of food that I once ate every night at the dinner table in Dubai, but that was now an entire ocean away. I lusted for the culinary treasures that lay outside the stale walls of my college dining hall, hijacked friends’ kitchens to try my hand at something, anything , remotely edible, and greedily raided different websites in search of highly-rated restaurants. With my move to New York to work for a consulting firm that secretly harbored self-professed foodies, my appreciation transformed into a passion, an addicition. I felt like everyone around me in New York was talking about food: where to get the best cupcakes, pizza slices, banh mi, kati rolls, pho, fried chicken, and every other food item out there that is just a plain old dish in some part of the world, but that’s become hyped to unforeseen proportions in New York. What fuelled my addiction over time was travel to different cities, both for work and play, which gave me unfettered access to the culinary havens of not only New York, but also of DC, Virginia, Chicago, Houston, Vegas, Austin, Seattle and even a little city called Bentonville (Arkansas!). After 9 years away from home, I’ve finally taken the leap to come back to Dubai – with not just an awareness, but genuine appreciation and passionate addiction for what I’d taken for granted as a child. Mom, I’m back to reclaim my seat at your dinner table, and to rediscover this city with its ever-expanding menu of international flavors.

4 thoughts on “Frying Pan Secrets Revealed: A Self-Guided Foodie Trail through Dubai”

  1. Sally Prosser says:

    It’s your self-effacing nature and generosity that make your writing and tours so compelling. No one in their right mind would do a self-service tour without you!

    Reply
    1. inafryingpan says:

      @google-e765094276c1ae4f8a701898fc8a87f4:disqus – you = sweetheart. me = inflated ego.

    1. inafryingpan says:

      @facebook-284002872:disqus – duh. silly me, just corrected it! Thanks for pointing it out!

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