Grocery Shopping in Dubai . . . A Never-ending Scavenger Hunt

Oh Dubai! How I love the adventure of living with you! 

The thrill of navigating your roads, the adrenalin-pumping gauntlet of your bureaucratic mazes, the tongue-twisting test of translating your many English dialects  . . . and the adventure of foraging for groceries! 

Life is a never-ending adventure here!

When one relocates to a new locale, it doesn't have to be as exotic as Dubai just any ordinary city will do, it is always a challenge to locate the right outlets to purchase the food stuffs with which you love to cook. In my case, we are talking American food products.

Be you a lowly beginner, a seasoned chef or an intrepid food explorer we all face the same dilemma. Where do you find the ingredients for that most perfect dish that makes your family sing your praises?

Read on, you will be very surprised to learn what is the hardest product to find in Dubai!

Where is the most unique shopping scene in Dubai?

Dubai, like everything else here, takes shopping to the ultimate!

This amazing city is infamous for the extravagance of its shopping experiences. You can gorge yourself at the mega malls, one has more than 1200 stores, packed with every ultra-expensive designer and luxury brand known to woman. You can click right through ever expanding online shopping sites, save at multiple Duty Free Stores at the airport or scrounge for bargains at an outlet mall located in the desert. Shop around the world at Global Village or wander narrow passageways scavenging the traditional souqs for spices, textiles and heaven knows what else.

To tempt shoppers even more, Dubai offers two city wide shopping festivals a year where more than 6,000 stores offer heavy discounts. In fact, retail accounts for around 30 percent of the gross domestic product in Emirate of Dubai.

This is all well and good but maybe you are looking for something more? . . . something priceless?

Where is the most unique shopping experience in Dubai?

TripAdvisor EveryTrail Walking Guides . . .Dubai Souqs & Bastakiya

I recently picked up a small assignment from TripAdvisor that has been so much fun - create 5 walking tours of Dubai. 

It was easy to come up with the first four – 1) my favorite place in all of Dubai – The Souqs; 2) a very close second - the historic Bastakiya area in Burj Dubai; 3) DIFC Art Galleries – something that has been on my bucket list for some time and so glad I finally went; and 4) The Ultimate Dubai – I was amazed to find so many world records all in one place – Downtown Dubai.  

But, number 5 has been a bit more difficult to identify. 

36 HOURS in DUBAI . . . Top 10 Things to Do and See in Dubai!

Jon & Elaine & the Burj Al Arab

Expats living in Dubai are delighted to have friends and family visit their adopted city. The lucky ones get to stay for an extended period but in many cases it is simply a pass through on the way to/from other travels.  So in a limited amount of time, what are the “must do/see” places in Dubai?

I had to make this decision recently when good friends Jon and Elaine Krupnick stopped by on their way home from an extensive trip to Sri Lanka and India, immediately followed by my sister Paty Barr and her friend Kathryn Brandt who were stopping by to pick up me and Jani Diedam on their way to our excursion to India (more on that later).

Paty & Kathryn's first trip to the desert

DOING MORE . . . Beshtar High-Fashion from Afghanistan found in Dubai

Note: This article was originally published in fancyzipper.com (second part).

Can one be socially conscious and fashionable at the same time?

If you are shopping at Beshtar, Livia Firth, the unofficial spokeswoman for socially conscious fashion, says you can.

Images of Afghanistan include haunting visions of women covered head to toe in blue fabric with only a small screen to peek through; scenes of a war ravaged countryside where homes and farmland are destroyed; and pictures of women and children whose eyes silently speak of terror and lost hope.  

Can anything of beauty come from such a country?

Talented American fashion designer Carole Laugier Naim sorts through these images to find beauty and hope in her designs made from traditional crafts and fabrics of her adopted Afghanistan.

DUBAI SOUQ SHOPPING – FOR THE ADVENTUROUS

I originally wrote this article for fancyzipper.com, an online fashion magazine, that has graciously allowed me to repost it here on my blog.  Dubai has many amazing shopping venues, but be a little adventurous, step back in time and explore the traditional Arab souqs. They are amazing.  Here is your roadmap!

Dubai is a unique city bursting with exotic and eclectic experiences.  The old world splendor of Dubai Creek with its mysterious souqs and traditional abra water taxis provide the backdrop to the amazing architecture of soaring skyscrapers.  The alluring azure waters of the Arabian Gulf and the graceful golden dunes of its desert are the natural boundaries of the city. Dubai offers a truly awe-inspiring Middle East experience in a modern and safe setting.

This is a city where shopping is a national pastime; a city that is fiercely challenging London’s ranking as the number one shopping Mecca in the world. Dazzlingly beautiful mega-malls offer an over abundance of high-end designer shops just waiting to dress a well-heeled clientele. 

A Thriller of a Tale - Friendly Fleecing at the Dubai Fish Souq

Al Ras section of Dubai

Since I am on hold awaiting deliveries for ALL the furniture and curtains I have bought, I decide it is time to take a break from “have-to” duties, be brave and do some exploring on my own. 


So today, since Roger has previously expressed NO interest in taking me to the Gold Souq, I decide this is a good place to start. A girl can never have toooo much gold!  


Getting really bold, I add the nearby Fish and Vegetable Souq to the excursion. This entire journey will take me to the area of Al Ras in the old part of Dubai.

GETTING "LUCKY" IN SHARJAH, UAE

If you recall from the blog “Settling in a Foreign Country,” Roger and I had embarked on a desperate mission to find “Lucky’s” and “Pinky’s” furniture outlets in Sharja, the Emirate (state) just north of Dubai. After a three hour search Roger finally called it quits and offered me a blank check to purchase furniture if I could find the place. Ever up for a challenge, it took only one phone call to my friend Anne O’Connell to locate Debbie Nicol who knew the way to Lucky's! Needless to say I took copious notes on how to get there.

Lucky’s is three enormous warehouses of imported hardwood furniture, antiques and decorator items. I understand now why it was so impossible for Roger and I to find the place - it is tucked away in a far corner of Industrial Area 11. As a shopper, you must have an immense imagination since the warehouses are comprised of small narrow aisles between rows of very dusty furniture stacked 2-stories high. Parvez Mohammad is a jewel to work with and happy to accommodate any request just like Flo in the Progressive Insurance commercials.  “Can you paint it red? YES!”  Can you add shelves? YES!”  “Can I have new doors? YES!”  This is a cash enterprise and, even though we are in the UAE where bargaining is an art form, at Lucky’s no bargaining is necessary as Mohammed has already deeply-discounted his goods. 

Give yourself plenty of time to roam the aisles because there is an overwhelming assortment of furniture and decorator items to peruse. You choose the furniture you want which is then put in a container.  Once the container is full of customers' orders, the furniture is fumigated!  This is a good thing since we don’t want any little Arab bugs running around our apartment!    Within a week we received the call that our order was ready, delivery was arranged and a merry band of Lucky’s workers showed up at our door. “Do I get free delivery? YES!”