cooking

There are all kinds of odd things masquerading "healthy food" here. I am not sure what this is about exactly, they say for some people from very poor countries who come to Dubai it's a dietary minefield. Perhaps because every food is available here, and it is pretty cheap considering it all has to be flown in. Maybe people really are that susceptible to marketing when it is sort of new to them.

The (in point of fact, amazing) wall of chocolate cereal in EVERY supermarket comes to mind. A full section dedicated to only chocolate cereal. And every one of them covered in health claims. 'Now with Whole Grains!" or "Low Cholesterol!" or "Balanced Nutrition!" I have to have a whole discussion with baby Chuck about why chocolate cereal is not food at least once a week. The worst part- chocolate wheat-o's is one of the lowest sugar cereals available here. Boys wont touch puffed wheat or rice crispies unless they are coated with marshmallow...
Click here to play the WheatO's kitchen assault game (caution: it may take over your life...)

Nutella is advertised as health food. Well, its like that in Europe too, but there are these really weird Nutella ads where the mom, in her abaya, makes sure her kids get off to school with heaping piles of nutella on their toast and a bit more nutella with little dipping breadsticks in their lunches. Then after the little ones are off, she sits down smilingly across from her husband who looks like a young Yassir Arafat to their own platter of nutella and toast with tea. Nutella, the new Arab superfood!

The kinder bar. The kinder bar is THE ubiquitous candy bar here and in the EU, and is advertised as a healthy food for kids. I personally hate kinder milk chocolate, burns the back of my throat. All they will admit to it having going for it is milk. Newsflash: this is a candy bar it is not qualified as food.

Pocari Sweat. Which is some kind of Japanese Gatorade, but its called POCARI SWEAT for heaven's sake. They actually advertise that because you might sweat while you are sleeping, you should drink this garbage first thing in the morning!!! The name is just so unbelievably foul, its supposed to taste nice, but I cant bring myself to try it.