Mr Baisas started carving and coating the figure on May 23, spending about 200 hours on it before the June 19 deadline.
Mr Baisas started carving and coating the figure on May 23, spending about 200 hours on it before the June 19 deadline.

The art that is good enough to eat



DUBAI // The life-size sculpture of a father with his two children proved tempting for those passing by in the lobby of the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai.

The sculpture, which was carved to mark Father's Day and was recently moved up to the ninth floor, measures 120cm by 105cm and is constructed from 300kg of dark and white chocolate.

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"Many guests have been asking me if it could be eaten," said Feliciano Baisas, the hotel's "kitchen artist" behind the delectable work. "It's edible but unfortunately, they can't have a piece."

Curious onlookers have also wondered if the structure could withstand the Dubai heat, he said.

The answer is no - the chocolate needs to be kept at temperatures between 20°C and 24°C. "It's solid but we can't take it outdoors."

The 46-year-old Filipino father-of-three said people of many different nationalities - including Indians, Britons and Africans - stopped to compliment him while it was taking shape.

"They were generous with praise," he said. "One guest who checked out before Father's Day told me he was sad that he wouldn't be in the hotel to see the finished product."

Mr Baisas started carving and coating the figure on May 23, spending about 200 hours on it before the June 19 deadline.

"Occasionally, I've also been tempted to eat some chocolate," he said. "But I've grown used to it after carving many different chocolate structures while working in seven five-star hotels in Manila, the US, Egypt and the UAE."

The main industry of his hometown, Paete, Laguna, about 60km south of Manila, is wood carving. At the age of 12, Mr Baisas taught himself how to carve wood before moving on to more edible materials. "I guess I just had artistic talent," he said.

In previous work for the hotel, Mr Baisas created a mother and son sculpture for Mother's Day and an enormous display for Easter.

"Feliciano's sculptures are not only tributes to the people in our lives but are also engaging and a wonderful talking point in our lobby," said Natalie Glorney, Shangri-La Hotel Dubai's director of communications.

Last April, Mr Baisas travelled to Singapore for the hotel chain's 40th anniversary celebrations. For 21 days, he worked on 11 camel chocolate sculptures of various sizes to create a single piece measuring one by two metres.

"An artist should have both passion and patience to create a masterpiece," Mr Baisas. "You obviously can't be in a rush to have it done."

He carves fruit, vegetables and ice. Last year, he won a silver medal for a fruit and vegetable showcase in the capital and a gold medal in an ice carving competition.

Mr Baisas is now preparing a chocolate sculpture of an Arabic coffeepot that will be displayed in the hotel lobby in time for the holy month of Ramadan, which is forecast to begin on August 1.

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The Sky Is Pink

Director: Shonali Bose

Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf

Three stars

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Number of employees: 4
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

Singles match John Cena v Triple H

Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
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Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Creator: Lauren LeFranc

Rating: 4/5

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Friday (UAE kick-off times)

Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)

Saturday 

Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)

Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)

Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)

Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)

Fortuna Dusseldof v  Bayern Munich (6.30pm)

RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)

Sunday

Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)

Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)

 

 

 

 

 

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Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
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Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

Closing the loophole on sugary drinks

As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.

The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.

Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.

Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
 

Not taxed:

Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.

Know before you go
  • Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
  • If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
  • By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
  • Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
  • Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding

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