The "bottle drink" craze swept the Middle East, but also aroused public anger

A trend among cafes in several Middle Eastern countries to sell coffee and other cold drinks in baby bottles has sparked confusion and resistance.

The trend began with Einstein Cafe, a dessert chain with locations across the Middle East from Dubai to Kuwait to Bahrain. The cafe was inspired by photos of trendy baby bottles shared on social media and decided to use plastic baby bottles instead of regular paper cups to serve drinks.

While baby-themed products aren't new to the franchise, the unprecedented enthusiasm for the bottles is a bit shocking. All the stress and anxiety caused by the coronavirus pandemic has prompted some people to seek outlets in this strange new craze.

"A lot of people want to buy it. We've had people calling all day saying they're coming with their friends and their parents," Einstein chain CEO Younes Mora told The Associated Press this week. "After a few months of the pandemic, people are coming to the store to take pictures and reminisce about their childhood."

The shop was so busy that long lines formed and people of all ages poured onto the sidewalks to drink coffee and juice from baby bottles. Some customers even brought their baby bottles to other cafes and begged staff to fill their bottles with coffee.

Photos of bottles filled with a variety of drinks have attracted thousands of likes on Instagram and sparked a reaction on TikTok.

At the same time, there are different voices on the Internet. Some consumers have even received abuse, saying that they are the "cancer" of Islam and Muslim culture.

The anger of netizens soon reached the local government level. Dubai authorities inspected this type of cafe last week and imposed fines.

"Such indiscriminate use of baby bottles is not only against local culture and tradition, but improper use of bottles during the filling process may also lead to the spread of the new coronavirus," the Dubai government said in a statement, apparently referring to people who take used bottles to other cafes.

There has also been strong opposition in Kuwait, where the government has temporarily closed the local Einstein Cafe. Bahrain's Ministry of Commerce sent police with live cameras into the cafe and warned all restaurants that serving drinks in milk bottles "violates Bahraini customs and traditions."

middle East