VOA文化艺术2023--In Dubai, ‘Gourmet Water’ Injected with Minerals

In Dubai, ‘Gourmet¹ Water’ Injected with Minerals

New kinds of drinks like smoothies, lattes, beers, and cocktails² have become popular in recent years. Now a place in Dubai is serving what it claims to be "gourmet water."

Thirty different kinds of it.

The Aqua Water Bar by Luqel gets its water the traditional way – from the pipe that runs water to your house. The government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates says water from the pipe, called tap water, is safe to drink and meets international standards. But people in the Middle Eastern city still prefer bottled water.

The water at Aqua Water Bar is said to be different. The bar says it injects a very small amount of minerals, called micro-dosing, into the water. The system is designed by the German water filtration company Luqel. And its water is compared to costly³ water like Alpine⁴ or Arctic-sourced.

Roia Jabari is a director at Aqua Water. She said experts have designed its water to fit your "needs and mood." And she added, "We can give you the perfectly⁵ mineralized recipe."

One drink, "Runners Heaven," is high in sodium⁶ and potassium to help runners after being in the desert heat. Another, "Vegan's Choice," offers minerals that could be lacking when not eating meat. Buyers can fill up their bottles with any of the mineral combinations for around 50 cents per 500 milliliters or pay more for a nonalcoholic mixed drink.

It is not an entirely⁸ new idea.

A water bar serving what it said was heavily filtered New York City tap water opened in the city's East Village area in 2012. It received heavy criticism. Another briefly⁹ opened in Washington, DC in 2019. It also did not get the best reviews. Neither appears to have stayed open for very long.

But Dubai, a modern city built on desert sands, could be such a place for the product.

Alcohol is available in bars in the UAE, but the Muslim country's population does not drink alcohol. As a center of international business, it brings in wealthy, health-centered people who support the wellness industry.

Although Aqua Water is often visited by businessmen who work in the surrounding Dubai Media City, Jabari says that the bar is not just for wealthy buyers. She says the water, which sells for 54 cents per 500 milliliters, is not too costly.

To help the environment, buyers can either fill their own bottles or buy a reusable one starting at around $2.50.

Early reviews appear to be good, with the bar having 4.6 stars on Google reviews based on around 12 reviews. "(The water) was actually different," said Bilal Rizvi, who stopped in to try it out recently.

Jabari was born in San Diego, California, and is a designer who has lived in the UAE for 24 years. She designed the bar around ideas based on water. Additionally, the bar also serves Persian food as a way to honor her ancestry¹⁰.

Jabari hopes to expand the business. She sees room for growth in neighboring countries. She said, "Saudi Arabia is a huge market for us. I believe that Abu Dhabi is our next step."

Words in This Story

gourmet – n. a person who enjoys and knows a lot about good food and wine

bar – n. a building or room where alcoholic⁷ drinks and sometimes food are served

mood – n. the way someone feels

recipe – n. a set of instructions for making food

filter – v. to pass (something, such as a gas or liquid) through a filter to remove something unwanted

review – n. a report that gives someone's opinion about the quality of a book, performance, product, etc.

1 gourmet   

n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的

参考例句：

• What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
• A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。

2 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

4 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

5 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

6 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

7 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

8 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

9 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

10 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。