Letters

It is with a heavy heart that we write with some sad news. As a long term supporter of The Palm Association we thought you should be made aware of the situation as soon as possible that, sadly, the Association will cease active operations from October 1.

We are awaiting official written confirmation from the Ministry of Labour and Social Development.   

Over the past few years there have been several changes to policies, procedures and regulations within the ministry which governs charitable organisations in Bahrain. These stricter regulations and guidelines are certainly welcomed as they give additional legal protection to the charitable organisations and those they hope to help and support.  

The new regulations have also had an impact on the way that charitable organisations are run and operated and, given that The Palm Association is a very small charitable organisation, run by a handful of volunteer women, this has presented challenges for us. 

In addition to these challenges we have also faced difficulties over the last few years in raising enough funds to sustain the obligations we have to the families we support. Our ability to fund raise has been especially limited in recent months.

We are sorry to have to tell you this news. Please be assured that we have been working hard over the last few months to try and ensure The Palm’s future. The time had come, however, for a decision about the future of The Palm Association and it was unfortunately agreed by all committee members that the Association was no longer sustainable. 

We would like to thank you for the support and your generous donations over the past 17 years. You have contributed greatly to improving the lives of the neediest Bahraini families. 

Although The Palm Association will no longer be an active presence in Bahrain, the legacy of our work and your generosity will continue to be felt for many years to come - in the number of children and families who benefited from our monthly food parcel deliveries to the families whose houses were refurbished, to the children in the orphanage who received Eid parcels to the students who received laptops to support their learning.

The children in Salmaniya Hospital’s Paediatric Oncology Unit have thoroughly enjoyed their Day Room which was created, equipped, and staffed by Palm supporters. Your support will also be felt for many years through the nurses and doctors who graduated from RCSI with nursing or medical degrees, which they could only attain with financial support from The Palm.    

Thank you once again for your support and donations over the years. You have made a huge difference to a large number of Bahraini families - with gratitude from past and current committee members and on behalf of The Palm Association.

Karen Tennant, chairman, The Palm Association.

Chefs in the Middle East have revealed the most unusual requests they’ve been given from hungry diners – and the revelations may just disprove the old adage that the customer is always right!

A survey conducted ahead of this week’s The Hotel Show Dubai 2017 has discovered the truly bizarre world of personalised dishes the region’s chefs have been asked to cook-up for guests.

And it is safe to say our culinary experts always do go that extra mile, unless – of course – it comes to whipping-up something that could potentially put the diner at risk!

Starting with the simply unusual, dozens of hotel and restaurant chefs admitted that not all guests seek dishes cooked as per their most basic requirements. One chef reported being asked to cook an omelette with no eggs, for example, satisfying the guest with a fried tofu creation he called an “omelette lookalike”. Another was left scratching his head when a customer requested tomato soup – but that it be kept tomato free!

Elsewhere, one diner was adamant on having steak tartare served well-done. In an even more alarming instruction, another chef recalled a stomach churning demand from one group.

He explained: ‘One day, at our café restaurant, a table of guests was requesting chicken breasts to be cooked medium-rare. Of course, the waiter was the first to explain that as per food safety regulations we were unable to deliver their expectations, but at the end I had to interrupt personally and explain that chicken will only be served well-done’.

Other culinary challenges posed have come from customers seeking somewhat alternative tastes. One chef was tasked with plating-up the interesting combination of grilled Dover sole with sauerkraut and chocolate sauce. Another was asked to bake tiramisu without any sugar.

As expected in the GCC, the requests naturally edge into the extravagant too. While most diners would maybe balk at the price of a delicious Wagyu beef steak, to others it’s pet food – quite literally. One hotel chef recalled being tasked with cooking the famous Japanese meat to meet the dietary requirements of a visiting pooch! Not only that, but he was also asked to gather bottled water and a litre of farmer’s full fat milk for the same pet – this time for its bath, to ensure its coat stayed ‘soft and shiny’.

Another chef revealed he had gone to similar lengths for one customer’s cat. He said: “A guest asked for chicken cubes to be grilled on the fire for her cat. She was insistent that I knew that her cat didn’t like garlic and the chicken had to be nice and brown.”

Heather Macpherson, dmgeventsme.com

Eating Out: Page 11