move over, bacon....

The variety of food available is very impressive—it ranges
from the ultra-expensive at the Burj Al Arab (the world’s
first “7 star” hotel) to dirt cheap in Bur Dubai (Little India). Not to mention that American chains run rampant, including KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Applebees, Cinnabon, Tony Roma’s, Macaroni Grill, etc. Sorry for those in NL, but surely a FEBO is in the planning stages ;) Although the names and menus are more or less the same as in the US, you can taste a bit of difference, especially when you’re offered beef bacon.
The other noticeable difference is that most of these restaurants are unlicensed—so no margs at Chili’s, only a range of mocktails. Only restaurants/bars that are attached to hotels can serve alcohol, which means for a drink after work, you’d head over to a Le Meridien, Hyatt or Sheraton. Since most hotels are on the high-end, and alcohol taxes are steep, prices are outrageous for alcohol, with a pint of beer costing around €6 or $9. Ouch!

Most grocery stores cater to the large expat population and are just like those in the US—huge with aisles and aisles of options. We bought Eggo waffles, All laundry detergent and Tollhouse cookies on our first run to “Safestway.” Most of fruit and veg are imported from outside the UAE, e.g. Driscoll’s strawberries or tomatoes from NL, but you can get local/Indian limes, cucumbers, apples at a considerable discount. By the way, this ain’t no Albert Heijn where you pack your own groceries.

Pork is actually available in the back of some grocers—under the heading of “NON-MUSLIMS ONLY” and is pretty pricey (€4 for Oscar Mayer bacon). Imagine the adult-video section at the back of a video rental store.