Covid-19: How you can put a meal on a deserving person's table in Dubai

A local food tour company comes to the aid of old Dubai restaurants and those in need of food

Frying Pan Adventures isn't new to UAE's food scene. They are a passionate group of food-minded people who conduct walking tours around beautiful, cultural neighborhoods that are lesser seen by the tourists and residents of the UAE.
These are neighborhoods in old Dubai that are home to some hidden gems that do not get shouted about very often or that you never would have found on your own due to their unassuming storefront. They have curated the "best of." lists to save you time and introduce you to the cultural make up of this beautifully diverse city.
As is common knowledge, every restaurant and food-related business has been massively struck due to Covid-19. This includes Frying Pan Adventures. The team could have sat back and waited out the economic uncertainty, but good people do what good people do.
During Ramadan, they sprang into action to take on the massive task of saving the smaller and lesser-known restaurants in the neighborhoods that are a part of their food network. The ones that do not have marketing budgets (or, in some cases, even social media accounts). The ones that are part of an important ecosystem in their own right that have kept people fed for years with their delicious, authentic and extremely affordable food. They have concocted a simple, uncomplicated recipe - connect restaurants to people who are in need of a meal.
They have a growing list of people who have lost their jobs, have been stranded in the country due to travel restrictions, have no finances for rent or even for something as essential as a meal. Community gifting is where we come in. Purchase three meals on their website for as low as Dh80 or feel free to reach out to the team to customise the amount of your contribution. 
The team then reaches out to a different restaurant a day who have been given fixed budgets within which the meals are to be prepared to ensure the maximum number of people get fed. The restaurant, in turn, prepares a wholesome meal and delivers it to the people in need. This way, the restaurants benefit whilst helping the community.
Beautifully simple right? What's even more heartwarming is that Frying Pan Adventures is doing this as a selfless initiative with absolutely no profit to themselves except knowing that they have helped feed someone.
Covid-19 really has opened many people's eyes to how important it is for communities to rally and support each other if we all want to come out on the other side. And Frying Pan Adventures stand out because of all of this - these are the types of initiatives we need to support and who we need in the future.

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Here's how you can help out the deserving

Go on to Gift-a-Meal section on Frying Pan Adventure's website - this helps the restaurant and people in need. To be wholly transparent, they have listed the names of the restaurants they have partnered with. Even Ravi made their coveted list!
If you live in the neighborhood of the restaurant - order. If you're like us and live a little further away, take a quick drive up and get a takeaway (or dine in if conditions permit). And do not forget to spread the word.
For many who call Dubai home, a post-pandemic UAE without the restaurants that represent the country's cultural diversity would be a crying shame.

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Sagari Bhaskaran is a casual Instagrammer who dreams of food in her waking hours. She grew up in Dubai, enjoys experimenting with new recipes, finds baking stressful (too much chemistry!) and enjoys short naps on the couch.

• Food and Dining