A popular coffee chain in several middle-eastern countries sparked a controversial trend of replacing paper cups with baby bottles. Einstein Café with branches in UAE, Kuwait adopted the trend of replacing paper cups with baby bottles, complete with silicone teats.
According to Younes Molla, CEO of the Einstein franchise in the UAE, “Everyone wanted to buy it, people called all day, telling us they’re coming with their friends, they’re coming with their father and mother. After so many months with the pandemic, with all the difficulties, people took photos, they had fun, they remembered their childhood.”
This trend probably was inspired by a Parisian restaurant, Le Refuge de Fondus that served wine in baby bottles. There is also Sunday Café in Los Angeles, where they serve drinks in giant baby bottles.
It was so successful for Einstein that people wanting to hop on the bandwagon. Some even brought their own baby bottles and pleaded to the staff to fill them up instead of the regular cups.
However, there were comments on the café bringing ‘aeb’ – shame, dishonor – to Islam started appearing online. Eventually, the criticism reached the highest levels of Government. Authorities in Dubai started conducting raids in cafes known to use baby bottles. Kuwait authorities shut down Einstein Café locations. In Bahrain and Oman, authorities warned café owners that serving drinks in baby bottles ‘violated customs and traditions’.
“Such indiscriminate use of baby bottles is not only against local culture and traditions,” a UAE government statement read.
“But the mishandling of the bottle during the filling could also contribute to the spread of COVID-19,” added the statement.
Some think of it as an extreme action over a simple trend. However, trends weird or sane can come and go like the tide. Soon, there will be another in its place and that will spark a different reaction as well.
Source: Oddity Central