In Search of the Emirati Cafeteria

Overview

The Anatomy of the Sharjah Sandwich, a workshop organised on 4 February 2017 by the Sharjah Art Foundation Community Programme, explored and analysed the cultural phenomenon of the Emirati cafeteria. Dotted throughout every neighbourhood, Emirati cafeterias have their own aesthetic in decor, menu displays and presentation of food. Cafeterias also play an important role in social placemaking, attracting customers of all ages and a variety of social groups.

The SAF workshop was organised in collaboration with the Fikra Design Studio team, who had previously collaborated with a group of fellow designers to research the Emirati cafeteria scene from both aesthetic and architectural perspectives. Their research culminated in an exhibition and publication called Afaaq Al Mustaqbal, which was on display at the Dubai Design District during Dubai Design Week (24—29 October 2016).

The workshop began with a talk by Fikra Design’s Salem Al Qassimi about the research findings, which were based on interviews with cooks, waiters and even menu designers. Al Qassimi the exhibition design concept of the exhibition Afaaq Al Mustaqbal.

Workshop participants were eager to meander through #SAFneighbourhood in search of cafeterias so they could draw their own conclusions about cafeteria aesthetics and concepts. The hunt began with Eastern Coast Bakery, an Afghan bakery just behind SAF Art Spaces where friendly bakers invited participants to observe as they rolled out bread dough and baked it in their tannoor [a built-in clay oven]. After interviewing the bakers, sampling the freshly baked cheese- and potato-filled Afghan breads and documenting their experience with photographs and sketches, the group headed to Wardat Al Andalus on the Corniche Road, where they tasted karak, a favourite local drink made from tea and milk. The rest of the walk included stops at other #SAFneighbourhood cafeterias such as Nour Al Oyoun, where participants were impressed by the beautiful outdoor seating arranged under old trees and the entertaining signage regaling customers with an extensive choice of distinctively named sandwiches and juice drinks. Some participants with design backgrounds found themselves volunteering to co-create menus with the different cafeterias, beginning collaborative relationships between SAF and the community that can continue in the future.

After the walk, participants headed to the Urban Garden, where they worked on producing A3 collage posters using collected menus, printed images and sketches. Some participants were inspired by the seemingly random way that cafeterias and menu items tend to be named and decided to create their own names as well, while others designed their posters with a more eclectic and often humorous approach.

The workshop concluded with a small presentation of the finished posters and a conversation amongst the group about the significance of their findings.

Scans of the finished posters will be uploaded onto an online platform, which Fikra Design Studio hopes will be a growing resource of information and findings about the popular sub-culture of the Emirati cafeteria.