"Come on, I'll make you a sandwich," I say to my sister. It's 3am; we're jet-lagged and she's peckish. Over the years, I've constructed hundreds of sandwiches for my sister, a dedicated and uncomplaining casualty of my kitchen experiments. As usual, I have no idea what I'm going to make until we begin rooting through the fridge, opening and sniffing the contents of jars that haven't been touched since the last time we cooked together. I suppose it could be argued that a great sandwich is a balancing act; to make one that's greater than the sum of its parts usually requires some combination of thoughtfulness, improvisation, luck and common sense. Sensuous raw materials, a full fridge and an interesting pantry are helpful. But they're not necessary.
In these ventures, meat is optional; cheese is not. We examine the cheese drawer in quizzical silence; the prospects are dim but we're undeterred. As I ease a rubbery puck of Babybel cheese from its waxy red cocoon, wondering blithely whether it will melt in a hot oven, I realise it's been at least 15 years since I've eaten one. My sister's snack ends up being an exercise in desperate measures: a quesadilla-like pseudo sandwich using Arabic bread, Babybel cheese, shreds of leftover Cornish game hen, onion confit of questionable origin and a two-minute pico de gallo.
After the last crumb had been cleared, I thought about making one for myself. But a sandwich made for one is a finite entity (and by the same token, a tasty but mean sandwich is a very mean thing indeed), which means you can't count on there being seconds. And though many middling sandwiches are similar for all intents and purposes, a sublime sandwich is a sort of culinary lost chord. Call it excessively sentimental, but sandwiches are ephemeral - unless you get yours from a drive-through window.
A 2002 survey showed the average American will have eaten 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before graduating from high school. I had better luck: our cafeteria at Choueifat Abu Dhabi was catered by Lebanese Flower Bakery, an established local bakery that specialises in mana'ish, large flatbreads folded over rustic fillings. Its cheese version is nothing short of sublime. I guess old habits die hard, because I still get occasional and intense cravings for those sandwiches.
In a recent e-mail to a friend travelling through Heathrow for the first time and seeking advice on what to grab for lunch during a short layover: "Run, don't walk, to Pret a Manger. You won't be sorry you did, but if you are, it's probably because I'm not at all objective. I have been sentimentally eating the same sandwich at Pret for almost 13 years. By now, I've been doing it for so long that I have no idea if it's even any good; it's just part of my cellular make-up. But I suspect it is good and I think you should go."
Sandwiches might just be the most symptomatic food of our time. Could there be a greater symbol of our individualism-obsessed generation, considering how much we love brandishing our ice cream cones (replete with custom mix-ins) and our architectural, personalised lattes? In some ways, the rising popularity of food on the go has also represented the decline of family-style meals and a more communal approach to sharing food. But the appeal of the single serving unit is no great mystery - and sandwiches are portable, versatile, sometimes deceptively economical and can be tailored, right down to the condiments and the temperature of their contents.
A woman running the counter at one of my favourite cafes once told me that selling baked goods was akin to running a pet adoption service. The brownies, cakes, muffins and cinnamon rolls for which the place is justly famous are displayed behind glass, artisanally made and lacking uniformity, some bigger or crustier or more heavily iced than others. Some patrons want to participate in the selection process, just because they can. But a sandwich shop capitalises on the concept of variety and amplifies it exponentially.
Almost everyone loves cookies and pizza, but the specifics are divisive: do you prefer your cookies crispy or chewy? With chunks or chips? Dark or milk chocolate? And I get a headache just thinking about the way pizza aficionados argue over the merits of different types (and the fact that so many people discard the delicious crusts). Cue sandwiches. I'll have it my way. You have it yours.
And though I maintain a general policy not to eat while walking, in part because I hate eating around people who aren't eating too, I had the greatest sandwich of my life (lamb's tongues with pickles and an intoxicating cloud of garlic mayonnaise) a few days ago, standing on the curb outside Barbar, a popular chain specialising in Lebanese sandwiches, mana'ish and shawarma. In the Arab world, bread is used as a utensil as well as for sandwiches. Arabic sandwich bread in restaurants is always white; wholewheat Arabic bread, which is sold for home consumption, doesn't have the gluten to preserve the wonderful elasticity that makes it so compulsively eatable. I bake Arabic bread at home, following Claudia Roden's recipe from A Book of Middle Eastern Food, and I never tire of watching the flattened circles of dough puff into dusty orbs in the oven.
Last summer, before a long journey, a friend who hates to cook made me a grilled cheese sandwich. She heavily buttered slices of supermarket bread and added a thin smear of mayo, slices of Monterey jack cheese, juicy discs of sweet tomato, and a showering of salt and pepper. With a spatula, she pressed it into a hot pan foaming with butter, flipped it, waited for the cheese to turn gooey and golden around the edges, then wrapped it in a piece of foil and packed it into my handbag. When I reached into my bag two hours later, airborne and in search of gum, I found the neat package stowed in there. By then the sandwich was cold and the bread soaked through with the juice of the tomato. But it tasted like the Spanish classic tapa pan con tomate on steroids, and it may have been the best thing I'd ever eaten.
It's hard for me to imagine a more satisfying lunch than a really great sandwich, and I am rarely happier than when a homemade sandwich is set before me. I've heard it said that a fantastic New York-style deli would be a welcome addition to the UAE lunchtime restaurant delivery scene, and perhaps that's true. And though a good sandwich is the best thing to happen since - and to - sliced bread, the best one in town is whichever one I happen to be eating.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Results
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
