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Muscat: The government-led consumer campaign 'Buy Omani' received a boost following the successful staging of an attention-grabbing '150 Kilometres Meal' that offered diners the chance to sample exclusively local fare.
The event was organised by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), a public sector body which has been championing the cause of local Omani products under its recently launched 'Origin Oman' campaign.
Over 120 people were offered the choice of two menus that included: a starter of shourba [Omani style wheat soup], followed by smoked goat sausage on white cabbage accompanied by mashed potatoes and roasted onions. For dessert, diners were offered Omani date mousse.
The second menu consisted of tomato soup with croutons, followed by a main dish of salted cod fish with slices of onions, tomatoes and lemon juice on Omani bread. Dessert was Kabeesa. Both menus were prepared by a team of male and female chefs enlisted in Oman's Tourism College.
Attention
The 150 Kilometres Meal has been designed to draw the public's attention to the wonderful variety of local fare. "By organising initiatives like the 150 Kilometres Meal we hope to have a positive impact on where and how people spend their money.
"The aim is simple, make people think twice when selecting their purchases," says PEIE's Hamida Al Balushi coordinator of the '150 Kilometres Meal' event.
According to the organisers, there's also an environmental price to pay for every item of food that is bought in the supermarket, especially if it is transported over great distances.
"Food has to travel from where it's grown, processed, packaged and finally end up on our supermarket shelves," says Ibtisam Al Faruji, PEIE's Marketing Director.
By buying local, consumers are helping put money into the local economy, thereby helping create local jobs and contributing to the growth of the community, says Hamida.
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