Living in a box

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Dubai rises out of the desert, all tallest, newest, richest, biggest and most expensive. The world’s tallest building. The Most expensive hotel. The Newest city. The Largest shopping centre. So what? Who wants to discover that the worlds tallest building is really tall? Or that you can shop in a place with lots of shops? Or spending lots of money on a 7-star hotel provides amazing service?

Dubai excels in superlatives, but fails with surprises. But, maybe that’s how it’s meant to be - safe, ordered and predictable. Every shop is a western brand, Starbucks on every corner, Gap clothes in the shops. Price is the only measure here. Hotel ratings used to only reach 5 stars, so Dubai invented the $20,000-a-night 7th star, cleverly leaving out the 6th star.

Quality here is not measured by that indefinable quality we actually use in the West, cool. Dubai only wants the best of the west. You can't taste any authentic Arabic food here, but you can eat in a Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsey restaurant at the Hilton.

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Comments

[joseph hedary]

crazy world outside the USA
I am in manaus brazil and a lot of similarities here and no good food to eat, everyone wants to be like the usa but no one knows anything about quality, just high prices, even mcdonald here lost their touch high prices and small portions.

[FruitLoop]

I've never been to America. Only see it on TV. But the thing is Dubai only sell the modernity. What about their own tradition? Arab is one of the most exotic culture in the world. Too bad if it only goes to museum.