Posted by Kanga.
Another one of our favorite water features –
Is now wrapped in a death shroud.
The reasoning is
“The future is clearer. We’re clearing away obstacles to make way for better shopping. Project: Opening sight lines. It’s all happy-ning.”
I have no idea what will replace this distinctive fountain, but it sounds like it will be more kiosks selling stuff. Very sad.
Posted by DaddyBird
My First Box of Dilmah Tea
Recently, I had the privilege of meeting the founder of Dilmah Tea, Merrill J. Fernando, and his son Dilhan Fernando. For me, as a lover of tea in general, and a daily drinker of Dilmah tea, this was rather like getting to meet Steve Jobs.
My affection for tea by Dilmah started just a few years ago. Having grown up in the USA where good tea is generally difficult and/or expensive to obtain, after we moved to the UAE in 2008 I relished living where really good tea is a staple of everyday life. A visit to the average grocery store in the region reveals a coffee & tea aisle that usually has more tea than coffee, and even the cheapest and most humble brands tend to be very, very good. So, as the Mrs. can attest, I’ve taken great joy in randomly trying out various teas from the multitude available here. I am rarely disappointed. Although the flavor and character can vary quite greatly, the average quality of packaged teas is quite high. Moving to the Eastern Hemisphere has been quite beneficial to my tea-swilling.
On a work day about four years ago, I ventured from the office I was working in at the time to a nearby market and, as I always do no matter what items I may have entered the store for, I quickly perused the tea aisle. The packets of Dilmah “Ceylon Gold” tea caught my eye, as it was a label that I hadn’t seen before. A new discovery is always welcome, so I cheerfully purchased a box of 50 tea bags, headed back to the office, and immediately turned on the kettle on to try my new discovery. The aroma of the tea as it steeped was very promising, and after a few minutes I had a revelation: this was the best tea that I had ever tasted. It was hearty and complex, with satisfying flavor from beginning to end of a sip. I was, by then, used to finding satisfaction in teas from Ceylon, but Dilmah Ceylon Gold topped everything I had tried up until then.
Naturally after that first cup, I kept an eye out for Dilmah Tea while shopping, although it wasn’t so common in grocery stores. I was interested to find that while my introduction to the brand had been with a box of inexpensive, fairly basic tea, Dilmah was more frequently to be found at finer hotels and restaurants. Dilmah produces a wide variety of teas of many grades and styles, which are rightfully considered to be among the best available, so I think it only fitting when I find it served at upmarket venues, and I’m glad for their growing success in this area.
But my tea tastes are rather basic. More delicate and “refined” teas are enjoyable, but for my main cup I prefer something hearty, a tea with plenty of strength and character. So while I enjoy trying Dilmah’s more high-end offerings, such as their Single Estate teas and herb infused tea, the Dilmah Premium Ceylon, which seems to be their standard offering that is on grocery shelves these days, stands out to me as the best choice for my daily cup.
After getting hooked on the tea, it was both surprising and rewarding to find that Dilmah is no ordinary company. Dilmah was founded by Merrill J. Fernando, a native of Sri Lanka, not just as a business concern, but to fulfill Mr. Fernando’s passion for quality, honestly produced tea as well as for compassion to his fellow man. When he entered the tea business in 1950, Mr. Fernando was chagrined to find that a great deal of the business had little to do with the production and origin of the tea, and was much more concentrated on the blending, packaging, branding and marketing done by the major corporations. Likewise, the profits reaped from these endeavors went mainly to the traders and distributors, with only a tiny fraction going back to the farmers, pickers and packers who spent great effort on a daily basis to produce the fine tea that was simply a commodity to the the outside world.
And so, Mr. Fernando worked hard for many years to become successful in the tea industry, until in 1988 he was able to establish Dilmah- named after his sons Dilhan and Malik- a company dedicated to honestly growing, preparing and distributing single origin, 100% Ceylon tea. Just as important to Fernando as producing honest tea was to do so ethically, sharing the profits with those that worked so hard to grow and pack the tea. The fulfillment of this obligation eventually led to the creation in 1999 of the MJF Charitable Foundation, to oversee the many projects he had created to benefit Dilmah’s employees, as well as the general populace of Sri Lanka.
Learning of the company’s background, I found Dilmah tea to be something that I could not only enjoy, but could also feel good about drinking. So when our friend Mita contacted me and asked if I wanted to attend afternoon tea with the founder, I dropped everything and made the trip from Fujairah over to Dubai.
Dilhan and Merrill Fernando
The father and son behind Dilmah Tea were in Dubai to conduct the latest editions of Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge, a series of events which challenge teams of chefs to create High Tea dishes that are paired with specific teas. They had held the event in Dubai the previous day, and would be doing the same in Abu Dhabi the next. The practice of pairing wines with foods is well known, of course; now Dilmah is advocating the same with fine tea in order to create memorable High Tea experiences. As a tea lover and amatuer cook this sounds quite sensible and fun to me.
It was really a delight to get to meet Merrill and Dilhan Fernando. I and a few others had the privilege of sitting around a table at Amwaj restaurant in the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai to chat with them and hear about their goals and experience with the Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge as well as their business philosophy. I had read the account of Mr. Fernando and his company, of course, but naturally it was much more interesting to hear him recount it himself, with many personal insights and details added. Mr. Fernando’s passion for tea and for making the world a better place were quite palpable. What to me was already an admirable person and story became even more inspiring.
Merrill Fernando speaking passionately about his life’s work.
Also in attendance was Chef Bernd Uber, who serves as Presiding Judge for the Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge. He gave mouthwatering accounts of the fine pairings of Dilmah tea and creative dishes that have been developed by the chefs participating in the Challenge. He also spoke quite of admiringly Mr. Fernando, his family and company, which the chef has been collaborating with for several years now.
Quite naturally, the occasion was capped with afternoon tea, including a selection of treats provided by the restaurant and a wide variety of Dilmah teas. Although many tea and herbal blends were on offer, I stuck with my preference for ‘straight’ tea, sampling the Oolong and “Brilliant Breakfast” teas.
I was pleased that Dilhan expressed enthusiastic approval when I mentioned my daily preferred tea preparation: simply a large mug with three bags of Dilmah Premium Ceylon. Apparently, he likes his tea very strong too!
Previously, I already would have happily recommended Dilmah Tea to anyone who would listen. Not only is it consistently great tea, but the family-run company itself is an all-too-rare example of an firm that one can be unabashedly enthusiastic about. In times when the vast majority of goods that we depend on are produced by giant corporations with often shady practices, having a choice that offers both quality and good ethics is a relief. And now, having met and spoken with the founder, I feel even more enthusiastic about recommending my favorite tea.
For more information, see these sites:
Dilmah Tea – http://www.dilmahtea.com/
The MJF Charitable Foundation - http://www.mjffoundation.org/
Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge - http://realhightea.dilmahtea.com/
Posted by Kanga.
Photo by Shruti Jagdeesh
Here we are in our Indian attire at the wedding of Mali and Zarina. DaddyBird is wearing a sherwani and I am wearing a salwar kameez.
It was our first Muslim Indian wedding. It was held in a hotel ballroom. Men and women were separated by a partition. The event was scheduled to begin at 8 pm, but most people arrived around 9:30 pm. The bride joined the ladies and sat on a couch where she was greeted and congratulated by the guests. Many pictures were taken. Dinner was served about an hour later. Around 11 pm it was announced that the partition would be taken down so that men and women could come together. The announcement is made to allow the women who cover their hair time to wrap up. This actually happened about 45 minutes later. The groom joined the bride and the speech making by friends and family began. We left at 12:30 am because we had an hour drive ahead and I had to go to work the next morning. Word is that the party continued until 3 am. Sometime after we left there was a Star Wars Death Star wedding cake.
We wish Mali and Zarina all the best. They are wonderful people.
(Our thanks to Shruti for taking our picture!)
Posted by Kanga.
We stopped by Lamcy Plaza last night. Lamcy is a unique mall, or was. It had truly eclectic decor. When you first walked in, you saw a waterfall that stretched over all three floors.
(2009)
To the right there was a robotic clown climbing up and down a rope. And, behind you, over the entrance was the Tower Bridge, a medieval castle also stretching up three floors.
I didn’t check for the clown last night, but I don’t remember seeing him and I think he may already be gone. The waterfall looked like this:
The signs said “coming soon” a new passager elevator. OH NO!
Posted by Kanga.
Recently friends introduced us to the China Sea Restaurant. We dropped in a second time.
Ordering was a little odd because the waiter said “huh?” after everything. “Sizzling shrimps, huh?” “Crispy duck, huh?” “Steamed broccoli, huh?”
It was all very tasty. Watching the cooks through glass windows adds action. It is one hoppin’ kitchen.
China Sea restaurant is located in Deira, Dubai, near the clock roundabout. Cash only. Five items, a pot of tea and large water = 209 AED ($55.00)
Posted by Kanga.
Saturday at the festival began with Maitha Al Khayat and her newest book When A Camel Loves Loqaimat. Loqaimat is a traditional Emirati dessert similar to doughnut holes, although not as sweet as doughnuts. After sharing the story with her rapt audience –
-she shared fresh loqaimat with them. It was a big hit, as you might imagine.
And there were cookies at the book signing.
Next was John Connolly, author of The Book of Lost Things, which sounds interesting to me, but the bookstore was sold out. I’ll have to look for it later. It’s not like I’m caught up on my reading and desperately in need of it. (He didn’t intend for it to be a “children’s book,” but having a young protagonist almost guarantees being pigeon holed as children’s lit.) The book incorporates fairy tales, although they are not necessarily told the way we remember them. About a fourth of the book at the end is essays about the tales and early versions of each (before the Brothers Grimm cleaned them up).
Then I was off to a two (and a half) hour book binding workshop.
I really enjoyed this. The instructor, Mark Cockram, who is a book artist and teacher was quite a comedian. The time flew by. I was amused when one of the participants told him he should have brought some of the books he has made to sell them. He found a way to politely say “you couldn’t afford them.”
I made this!
Next was Chris Cleave, author of Incendiary, The Other Hand (aka Little Bee), and his newest Gold. It was interesting to hear the different authors describing how they write. Chris says he chooses a challenging question and then finds characters, places them in pressure situations to force them to answer the question. For example, the question behind Gold is “what would you sacrifice for your career? Family? Friends?”
Last was Anthony Horowitz and the young fans of his Alex Rider series and Power of Five series. Kids are always fun and have the best questions during Q&A time.
Addendum: More information about Jeffrey Deaver and Anthony Horowitz writing books about Bond and Holmes was requested. So, here is what I remember. Jeffrey Deaver was approached by the Fleming estate because he had mentioned in a speech that he was a Bond fan and had begun reading Bond novels when he was eight years old. He was given room to update Bond, making him a veteran of the Afghanistan war instead of World War II. He also softened Bond’s mysogyny. Other characteristics of a Bond story were retained – creative character names, the over the top villain, and, of course, gadgets. I missed how Mr. Horowitz came to write the Holmes novel, but he was given more latitude in his writing. Arthur Conan Doyle’s own inconsistencies made being faithful to the previous stories difficult. He chose not to have Moriarity be the main villain, but he did give him a cameo appearance. He pointed out that what makes Holmes stories captivating is not the plot, but the relationship of Holmes (cold, intellectual, addicted) and Watson (warm, helpful, caring).
Posted by Kanga.
We are spending the weekend immersing ourselves in the Emirates Airlines International Festival of Literature. (The conference center very kindly provided paper and pencil. It seemed like a retro gesture.)
I started Thursday evening with Alan Dean Foster, writer of science fiction and movie novelizations such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Aliens, etc. His talk was very interesting. He could not give us details, but promises that the newest Star Trek movie coming this May will be even better than the last.
Then we attended the Poeticians recitation. The Poeticians are people here in Dubai who write poetry and meet regularly to read their works. Pictured above is our lovely friend Hind.
Friday morning, I began with Jeffery Deaver and Anthony Horowitz. Mr. Deaver recently wrote a new James Bond novel and Mr. Horowitz wrote a Sherlock Holmes novel, so they were discussing the ins and outs of working with such iconic characters.
Then I went to a two hour workshop on plot development led by Greg Mosse. It was very interesting and the two hours went by quickly.
Next was Deborah Moggach author of These Foolish Things, which became The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. (If you haven’t seen the movie, you should.) She was very funny and delightful. We could have sat there for another hour or two happily.
Then I went off to a “workshop” on bullying, but didn’t learn anything new about bullying or how to deal with it.
Next was Geraldine McCaughrean. The session was designed for children. I arrived late because the bullying session ran over. When I got there Geraldine was telling the story of Perseus killing Medusa. She then went on to invite volunteers up onto the stage and led a very engaging session that had all the kids paying attention and participating. I was so attentive that I forgot to take a picture. The question and answer period was fun, too. One tiny little voice asked “Why do you EVEN like writing?” Another asked “How many books have you written?” The answer was “167″ to which there was a loud exclamation somewhere in the audience “Oh, my god!” Kids are so fun.
Posted by Kanga.
In attending a friend’s birthday party, we got to try out a “new to us” restaurant. Xiao Wei Yang (apparently means “little lamb”) is a Chinese restaurant featuring hot pots. You can order a spicy pot, non-spicy pot, or a half-n-half pot plus raw ingredients which you then cook in the boiling pot.
There is a wide variety of ingredients – lamb, beef, chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, veggies, and more. It is fun and tasty.
Posted by Kanga.
At the invitation of Rock Radio 90.7, we headed off to Jebel Ali for an afternoon on a boat.
The weather was perfect – sunny, as always, and a pleasant breeze.
DaddyBird dressed appropriately.
There were a variety of vessels out on water.
The posts in the distance are the unfinished bridge to the Jebel Ali Palm Island.
There’s no surf in the Gulf, so they do paddle boarding instead.
We got a few rounds of Guillotine card game in.
By the time the sun was reaching the horizon, our relaxing boat ride was over.
Posted by Kanga.
Thursday is the end of our week and the beginning of the weekend. We headed into Dubai to meet friends for dinner. It just happened to be sunset time. The high winds at this time of year kick up the dust and make for a pretty spectacular red glow along the horizon.
The wispy clouds were beautiful, like angel wings.
We met good friends for dinner at the China Sea restaurant. We ordered too much food and managed to eat most of it.
I am deeply impressed by our friends. They are good hearted, caring people, not just fun company.
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