We’ve all come across some variation of the viral meme series “Tell Me Without Telling Me” (unless you’ve been living under a rock with no internet connection). And how could Dubai not have its slice of the social media trend? So we decided to pick the brains of Secret Dubai’s Instagram followers and find out how creatively they could respond to “Tell us you’re from Dubai without telling us you’re from Dubai.”
You guys delivered the goods and how! A lot of the quintessential Dubai topics were a common thread – from Karak and brunches, to weather hacks and driving quirks, this list covers it all. Some zingers left us crying tears of laughter while other statements by dyed-in-the-wool Dubai kids made us go awww with nostalgia.
Here are your answers to identifying as a Dubaiite, in no particular order. Bookmark this for whenever you need a chuckle (Monday’s amirite?), and feel free to chip in with your examples of things only someone who has lived in Dubai understands.
Tell Me You’re From Dubai Without Telling me You’re From Dubai
1. 30 degrees is actually pleasant weather 🥵
2. We have 4 seasons of summer
3. When ‘wake and bake’ means getting into your car in the morning during summer 😂🥵
4. Cloud seeding
5. “Ughhh” every time you go from AC to outside world
6. We open hot water tap for cold water🚿
We DO live in the lap of luxury
7. Would you like Gold flakes on your steak?
8. Evening “brunch”
9. What do you mean you don’t have valet?!
10. Getting fuel delivered to you ⛽️
11. Drive thru karak!!
Our snacks rule
12. U can find Hot Cheetos put in literally any food item
13. One Hasan matar and one Abboud to go please #iykyk
14. What do you mean by you don’t have Oman chips sandwich??
15. Chips Oman omelette paratha + Karak 🔥 🤪
16. Let’s stop by Antar on the way home
17. Drives to cafeteria .. “👆” gets instant karak
Google Maps hates us
18. Running late. Missed that exit in JLT, yet again
19. When Google maps says W-A-S-L road, I know it’s Al Wasl road 🤦🏻♀️
One of the safest cities in the world!
20. I lost my house keys but that’s okay I don’t need use them anyways
21. *forgets bag for an hour only to come back and find it untouched*
Fast and the furious has nothing on Dubai drivers
22. People forget how to drive when it rains 🚗🌧
23. What do you mean you’ve never been tailgated?
24. 5 unpaid trips were posted to your Salik account
25. *Sits in car… rolls down windows for 5 seconds*
26. Coming back to your car to find a lineup of “special” cards 💀
Biggest, largest everything
27. I got lost in Dubai Mall
28. When you don’t need a maze to get lost, just enter a mall and look for its parking exit!😅
#OnlyInDubai
29. “Al Abwaab Botoghlak”
30. Let’s meet at 10 AM really means 11:30 😂
31. Maafi Mushkila
32. Al Hosn who? 😏
33. Kite on Saturday