Last week a new directive was sent to hotels by Dubai Municipality:
"Use of alcohol in preparation and cooking of food is strictly prohibited. Display and sale of food products containing alcohol as an ingredient is strictly prohibited," said the circular, seen by The National.
As I posted on Sunday, after confusion in the industry a 'clarification' was promised for Tuesday.
The 'clarification' has been duly issued, when the Director of the Food Control Department at Dubai Municipality said that the circular was misunderstood.
It said: "Use of alcohol in preparation and cooking of food is strictly prohibited."
I just don't understand how the media and the industry could be stupid enough to think that it meant that the use of alcohol in preparation and cooking of food is strictly prohibited.
To clear up our confusion and misunderstanding the new statement actually has two 'clarifications'.
One, the use of alcohol in preparation and cooking of food is not prohibited.
Two, DM alone does not have the authority to issue such a ban anyway, it must pass through a number of governmental authorities.
The 'clarification' says that food containing alcohol must be treated in much the same way as pork - handled separately and clearly labelled.
As I've said several times before, we really should pay more attention to what we're being told. The authorities have enough work to do without constantly having to clarify things we've got wrong.
Here it is in The National and Gulf News.
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5 comments:
that's the thing with cheap imported labour; they will interpret and understand "Use of alcohol in preparation and cooking of food is strictly prohibited" to mean that use of alcohol in preparation and cooking of food is strictly prohibited.
it's all your fault seabee.
I wouldn't blame the media for the confusion, as they're only doing their jobs, which is to publish what they've been told. Now, if only the ones telling them could be sure, as to what they want to convey, this would be a great place to live & enjoy life. Well, almost!
Arabic to English translation is perhaps the most complex, and susceptible to be lost in translation.
I think there are enough good English speakers around for it not to be a translation issue. I'm afraid it is the usual "open mouth before engaging brain" phenomenon we are so used to from the UAE authorities.
Maybe a little consultation and conducting some due diligence on issues would help, so as to avoid making themselves look like idiots? If they just asked themselves "Now, what will be the result if we implement this really good idea?", they might just realise that the "good idea" is in fact a crap one and save themselves the public humiliation......
Problem is Neil, that the ones with foot-in-mouth disease are surrounded by incompetent yes men who would never dare suggest that their boss might be wrong. As long as the attitude that criticism=insult remains nothing will change
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