< Previous1 If you were 12 the last time your sweet little hand held an ice cream soda drink, same. But like low-rise jeans and Britney, zzy oats are back and nally living their best lives. As proof: these four creative avour combos you haven’t tried and denitely should. Enjoy in your braggiest glass. Sorry, that’s actually not a question. Ice cream oats are fancy now? BITES 70 1. For that chic pool party you’re throwing… Scoop rainbow sherbet (you know the kind) into a clear glass, top with lemon-lime soda, and sprinkle with Pop Rocks. 2. For sipping on your patio in red lipstick and cat-eye sunglasses… Intensify the 1950s vibes with a Creamsicle- inspired drink. In your favourite vessel, combine vanilla ice cream and orange soda. 3. For hosting crochet club this week… Pair your old-school activity with an equally classic flavour profile. Squash a couple of large spoonfuls of butter-pecan ice cream in a chalice and pour in ginger ale. 4. For dessert (or a really, really respectable dinner)… Add cookies-and-cream ice cream to a coupe (or the pint glass begging to escape your bedside table), fill with cream soda to taste, and sprinkle with crushed Oreos. 3 PROP S T YLIS T: BETH P AKRADOONI . F OOD S T YLIS T: T YNA HO ANG . LAD YFINCH GL O VE S. 3 2 4 71In an industry historically dominated by men, the region’s leading online food delivery and q-commerce platform, talabat, has become a rising source of female empowerment. Empowering SMEs and homegrown talent has long been a priority for the UAE-headquartered tech company, and highlighting women achievements is taking the front seat. This year, talabat announced their rst-ever female Managing Director Tatiana Rahal, and their roadmap for 2022 continues to look at amplifying the voices of female vendors. “I am very proud to see women increasingly breaking the norm and entering traditionally male dominated elds in this part of the world,” Tatiana tells Cosmo. “At talabat UAE, 42% of management positions are occupied by women, which is higher than the global benchmark and is in line with the UAE’s stance on equity for women in the workplace,” she adds. But what changes has this really brought to women in the UAE? “Female empowerment has always been at the heart of our business,” Nada Darraj, co-founder of Bait Maryam, tells Cosmo. “My mother, Salam Daqqaq, founded the business in 2017. It was always a dream of hers to open her own restaurant. Our ethos is built on the work ethic and success of my mother who was always strong and independent. She taught my sister and I to work hard and strive to be the best in everything. I wanted to be able to give other women the same opportunities in our restaurant - not just in the kitchen but also as key staff members who make the decisions. talabat’s mission to support women in big companies and senior positions is necessary if we want to see change in the business world. If it doesn’t happen on a scale as big as this, it won’t be as effective.” The cost of the pandemic to the hospitality industry – and SMEs in particular - is no secret. UN Women reported that 95% of female-owned businesses in the Arab world were negatively impacted during Covid-19, with 27% being forced to close. The UAE, however, came out on top as one of the region’s best-performing countries, having closed over 65% of its overall gender gap. “I started my business journey from home during lockdown,” says Farah Hassan, founder of Flour Girl. “I wasn’t working and had just moved back to Dubai, so I decided to start baking and creating new things from home. Slowly things started to fall into place, I moved to a commercial kitchen space, and Flour Girl came to life. A percentage of our sales go to helping women and girls in organisations and countries that need it, so by talabat supporting us, they are also inadvertently supporting them.” Yes, times are changing for women, but the odds are often still stacked against us in a world that has How the UAE’S F&B industry is nally starting to empower women The restaurant industry has a shortage of female leaders. But those days are soon to be gone... 9 UAE-based female vendors to support on Talabat now and forever @ýourgirl.dxb by Farah Hassan @bait.maryam by Salam Daqqaq & Nada Darraj @she_burger by Shaikha Eissa @daddyssmokehouse by Ahlam Zaidi @somethingbaked by Sherleen Ali @ shawarma_street by Dana Mohammed Al Jabour @levelup_re by Asma @ýourandýoret by Maryam @laburratauae by Laura Clerici grown accustomed to male leaders, reinforcing a standard where women are continuously challenged to prove themselves worthy. “A woman has to work 10 times harder to prove herself in a role,” says Ahlam, founder of Daddy’s Smokehouse. “A platform like talabat levels the playing eld because the customer doesn’t know who is behind the great food they order, so it gives me a chance to show what my restaurant can do, regardless of gender.” But with tides changing for the industry as a whole, companies like talabat are helping shape the horizon for Arab women in the workplace in a way that means we can support them, too. IMA GE : SHUT TERS T OCK 72 PartnershipPHO TOGRAPHY : L UCKY IF SHARP They look tasty, but what are protein bars actually made of? And when’s the best time to munch one? We asked registered nutritionist Clarissa Lenherr to debunk the myths surrounding your favourite gym vending-machine snack Become a protein bar pro BY J E NNIF ER SAV I N If i eat a protein bar every day, will i get bulging biceps? Not exactly, says Lenherr. She advises against eating them daily, but adds that protein is needed for building muscle (alongside strength training workouts). ‘Our diets should be as diverse as possible, with macronutrients coming from a variety of food sources,’ she notes, stressing the importance of whole foods (such as eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and legumes). ‘But if protein bars are one of the only ways you can fit in a protein source, they can be a good addition to your daily intake.’ Don’t overdo it: Lenherr advises that high amounts of protein can put stress on the kidneys. ‘Aim for roughly 0.8g to 1g of protein per day, per kg of body weight.’ Can a protein bar replace a meal? It’s always preferable to eat a healthy, balanced diet when you can, rather than regularly relying on substitute snacks. Plus, there are so many types of bars that it can get confusing. Energy bars contain high-calorie ingredients that deliver fuel to keep you going through the day; protein bars are intended as a pre or post-workout supplement to offer additional protein; and meal replacement bars are a combination of both (not intended as a substitute for regular meals but used if you’re time poor). Back to protein bars: Lenherr says it’s actually better to eat little bits of protein throughout the day, rather than bulking up via one meal alone (top tip: chicken, yoghurt, lentils and fish are all great sources, if you are getting your cook on!). But a protein bar can be a great way to get a little boost in, especially if you’re out and about. When exactly should you eat a protein bar? Ever heard that you need to eat protein immediately after your workout, otherwise it won’t ‘count’? That’s not strictly true, but there is an optimal window, as Lenherr reveals. ‘There’s a timeframe of around four hours post-working out in which our muscles are most receptive to protein,’ she explains. ‘Aim to eat your protein bar one to two hours post-exercise.’ Scoffing one prior to exercising can be beneficial. ‘Make sure to give yourself an hour to digest, more if it’s a high-fibre protein bar. Fibre takes longer to break down; no one wants a protein bar sat in their stomach while they’re working out.’ KNOW YOUR INGREDIENTS It’s a good idea to understand what’s in your food. Here are some common additions, decoded. INULIN A type of soluble fibre that works to support gut health, it’s added to bars to act as a binder and natural sweetener. But be mindful that too much can cause an upset stomach. XYLITOL, SORBITOL, MALTITOL Avoid bars with too many of these sugar alcohols, aka polyols. They can upset your stomach and cause a laxative effect. This is especially important to note if you have IBS. CARRAGEENAN This seaweed derivative, used as an emulsifier, has been known to cause intestinal irritation. Always check the label for it if you suspect that it’s a problem for you. STILL FLUMMOXED? Look for a bar with whey and pea proteins, with at least 3g ü bre per serving. Avoid if sugar, high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose is the main ingredient. 73 BitesYour guide to the be Best Smoothie Dhahia Juice What better way to fan off the summer heat than a nice cold smoothie? Dhahia Juice provides you with the most refreshing and delicious smoothies anyone in the city can offer. You can enjoy their signature ‘Awar Galb’ or ‘Dameera’ and experience fruits at their finest. To switch it up, we also recommend ordering their fresh fruit and ice cream combo. Best Honey Cake EL&N Besides it being one of the most Instagrammable café’s in Saudi, EL&N also offer mouth-watering desserts that’ll please your sweet tooth. One of our personal recommends is their honey cake, layers of cream, condensed milk, and honey? Say less. Best Chicken Strips Bird Arabia If you’re craving authentic Louisiana Chicken Strips (like the ones that trended on TikTok a few months ago), then know Bird serves a juicy and crispy option for all you fried chicken lovers. Bird Arabia is the perfect place to live the full-on Louisiana experience in Riyadh, with options to choose the heat of your choice, along with buttered bread and some pickles to even out the taste. Best Birria Tacos TacoVille It’s so hard to find a place in Riyadh that perfects the Birria Tacos, but TacoVille made it happen. Braised brisket with a short ribs roast, in a flour tortilla, topped with cheese, cilantro, and white onions with a side dip of chili oil. Your mouth waters just thinking about it. Ever since Mexican food popped up on our TikTok for you pages in Riyadh, we haven’t stopped dreaming about these meat-based goodies. Who needs Foursquare when you’ve got Cosmo? WO R D S BY L AM A ALE I DAN 74 Bites st food in Riyadh Best Beef Burger Marble Cuisine A blend of your favourite meats together, perfectly cooked to your liking, topped with a brioche bun, caramelized onions, cheese, and their infamous Marble sauce – anyone else drooling at this point? Be sure to hit up Marble Cuisine which is known for serving *premium* meat whether it be a good ol’ burger or a juicy steak. Pro tip: Don’t forget to order their herb fries. Best Ice Cream O’My Instagrammable, delicious, sweet, and edgy enough to be a food truck fave in Riyadh – O’My is *the* place to head to during dry summer nights. Other than the creaminess of the ice cream, this spot has a different flavour for every day of the week so you can get adventurous with it! Best Tiramisu Lit Is it too on-the-nose to say that Lit’s tiramisus are actually ~lit~? The aesthetically pleasing cafe offers an even more aesthetically pleasing tiramisu that would pair well with any cuppa that you’re carrying post-dinner. Milkcakes, who? Best Truffle Pizza Mamo Michelangelo A boujee experience is a must when you’re in Riyadh, after all, the fine-dining scene is just getting better and better. So, if you’re a truffle lover like myself, you’re going to have to try the truffle pizza at Mamo Michaelangelo. How could you say no to a slice of cheesy heaven like this? Best Spanish Latte Urth Caffe For a creamy blend of sweetness and coffee, Urth Caffe is the place to go when you’re craving a sweet Spanish Latte. Urth Caffe offers you a Spanish latte in all its forms: blended, iced, and with Boba. Call your friends and go visit one of Urth Caffe’s several locations, so whether you’re going to the very crowded Sulaimaniyah branch, or want to catch a movie afterward at the Riyadh Front branch, your caffeine cravings are sorted. Whether you’re a Riyadh resident or you’re just visiting, you need to understand one thing – Riyadh is huge. Like, really huge. In fact, Riyadh is so big that even the locals don’t always know where to go, what to do, or even how to do it. Let me give you the 4-1-1 as a native of the Kingdom’s capital. From coffee shops that we’re obsessed with to the *ultimate* places to get birria tacos, I’ve tried them all and can recommend ~exactly~ what dishes you should be trying out and where. 75 Bites76 CHIT CHAT Yes, all of us. All the time, it seems. BY V E R O N I CA LO P E Z Think about your last split. Were you an agent of chaos? Or moving right along? A hot-mess-but-doing-your- best combination of the two? Whatever your experience, you were denitely not alone, despite how it felt. Hence this of cial survey to expose how ~in it~ everybody is, no matter what their Instagram says. W e’re Breaking Up77 Only 4% of you have never had an actual breakup. 26% of you say you sometimes experience regret —but only when you’re ~in your feels~. 58% of you had your last breakup in person. 64% of you have been ghosted before… 15% of you say breaking up virtually is NBD. 11% believe it should always be in person. 74% say virtual works if you feel unsafe or have no other option. 62% of you say you’ve never regretted a breakup because it was the best choice for you at the time… 42% of you are usually getting broken up with… 27% of you haven’t… 12% of you have regretted breaking up with someone… 58% are doing the breaking up. 9% aren’t quite sure. Relatable! The Numbers 50% of you lean on friends… 13% lean on family… 4% lean on a therapist… and 26% lean on all of the above (and 7% selected “other”). It takes 54% of you a few months to get over a breakup, but for 28% of you, it can take years. 18% say it takes a few weeks. 64% of you say it’s “never too soon” to date again. 29% believe anything under a month is too quick. 6% think under six months is fast. 1% say under a year is too soon. 16% of you have happily rekindled with an ex. 38% did and regret it. 33% would abso-freaking- lutely not befriend an ex. Like, ever. How It Happens Why It Happens 83% have had between 1 and 5. 12% have had between 5 and 10. 1% have had more than 10. and and while Getting Over It 47% of you say you wanted different things, while… 37% couldn’t communicate. 28% fell out of love. 27% cited long distance. 18% blame cheating. 24% say it was something else. (Readers checked all that applied.) 68% of you would want to know if your partner were leaving you for someone. 32% say you’d rather be left in the dark. 42% of you did it virtually or on the phone.ASTROLOGY aries It’s still your b-day season, but an ex (or two... or three) is here to crash your party. The drama isn’t worth it. The second half of summer is one of the luckiest times of the year for you, thanks to Jupiter entering your sign. taurus You’re feeling lonely now, but your social life will pick up soon. You’re turning buddies into besties and making new friends—and maybe more than friends too. gemini I know, Gem, you want to be a success, especially in your career, but you just don’t know how to get started. This summer, take some time to get to know yourself a little better, make some bold goals, then get to work. cancer Got any travel plans? If not, I suggest taking a day trip or a mini vacay. Over the next few months, you’re coming out of your crab shell and learning to embrace the world around you. Remember: You’re the main character, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. leo Good news: It’s time to prove the “Leos are so self-centered” people wrong. You’re paying attention to other people’s wants/needs just as much as your own, and as a result, you’re getting even closer with your favorite people, like your S.O. or best friend. Aww! virgo Venus is activating your chart’s relationships zone for almost all of the summer, so don’t be surprised if a crush turns into something more. And when next month rolls around, these feelings start getting even deeper. I’m not saying they’re The One, but I’m not not saying it. So, pop stars are planning their album launches around astrology BY JA K E R E G I STE R BY E R I K A W. S M ITH I LLU STR ATI ON BY J O R DAN MOSS If you follow both the stars and Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist, you might have noticed that sometimes, they’re weirdly in alignment. What, you don’t have push notications turned on for three different astrology apps? Allow me to convince you: Last November’s lunar eclipse in Taurus coincided with the release of Adele’s album 30 (btw, she’s a Taurus). Earlier that year, June’s solar eclipse in Gemini fell on the same day as Lorde’s comeback single, the appropriately titled “Solar Power.” And it’s not just eclipses: In August, SZA dropped three new tracks during the Full Moon in Aquarius. When an album drops on an eclipse, that’s intentional now. Your Q3 Horoscope K A CE Y M U S G R A V E S T A R O T DE CK. libra Self-care is the name of your game right now, Libra, whether you’re getting a massage, having a spa day, or reorganizing everything you own. Don’t you want to be the best version of yourself when your love life starts heating up? It’s happening—and soon! scorpio Is J.Lo free to star in the rom-com that is your life? Your chart’s zone of romance and fun is lit TF up, and your relationship status is almost certainly getting an upgrade. If you’re single, there are tons of hotties waiting to hit you up—you just need to find them! sagittarius The very start of summer is spectacular for your love life, Sag. If you’ve been waiting to ask out your crush or start The Talk with your partner, take a leap of faith! The rest of the summer is, in a word, meh, but once September rolls around, your love life starts moving full speed ahead. capricorn Are you feeling lonely? I have good news, Capricorn—this summer, the stars are dedicated to helping you add new names to your contacts list! If you’re looking for potential paramours, I have even better news: Taurus season is all about romance, so have a damn good time. aquarius Hate to break it to you, but work is kicking your butt. On the bright side, more work = more money! Celebrate with a spendy purchase or three, but be sure to save some of that extra cash. A surprise bill might find its way to you by the end of the month. pisces You’ve been feeling sluggish since Pisces season ended, but the love planets, Venus and Mars, enter your sign this summer and start spicing up your love life! Warning: Life at home might be a little chaotic, so take your dates out instead. 78 Chit ChatWhen you check out the merch table at the next concert you go to, look for tarot cards. Over the past few years, musicians including Jenny Lewis, Modest Mouse, and Kacey Musgraves have released customized decks. “It’s about sprinkling in things that a superfan would notice but that also make sense in the role of the card,” says Mackenzie Moore, who designed Kacey’s tarot cards to incorporate details like an illustration of her dog Pepper. Some tarot readers are skeptical of pop- culture-inspired decks, but others think more is better. Valeria Ruelas, author of The Mexican Witch Lifestyle, says, “Tarot is such a useful tool for humanity. It makes me happy to know that musicians with big audiences are putting it out there.” We know SZA was inuenced by the Moon because, well, she told us so. “@iJaadee made me do it lol,” SZA tweeted when the songs dropped, tagging her astrologer and attaching a screenshot of their text convo discussing the degree of the Moon. Similarly, in her email to fans announcing the release of ‘Solar Power,’ Lorde wrote that releasing the song on the solar eclipse “feels right.” And although she didn’t specically address the lunar eclipse, Adele has also been open about astrology’s inuence: The album announcement referenced her Saturn Return, the astrological coming-of-age that occurs in your late 20s. But while more celebs are owning up about the stars’ inuence on their album cycles, this isn’t a new phenomenon. Celebrity astrologer Kyle Thomas points out that for years, breakup anthems have been released during Venus Retrograde—a time when the planet Venus appears to move backward in its orbit, inuencing us to break up with our current partners or reminisce about past relationships. “They drop these songs that are really capturing that nostalgic energy,” Thomas says. “Katy Perry did it with ‘When I’m Gone,’ and then a couple of years ago, we had Ariana Grande with ‘Thank U, Next.’ Even though these pop stars aren’t publicly talking about Venus, he adds, “it’s so strategic. We are all going to have these certain collective emotions, we’re going to be having this collective energy, so why not use it to further your brand and then obviously at the end of the day have a greater impact and make more money?” Of course, many music industry execs aren’t too concerned with which degree the Moon is in. Anastasia Wright, owner of marketing agency and record label IMG Agency & Records, explains that single and album release dates are meticulously chosen, taking into account everything from the Grammys eligibility window to which beats-per-minute counts perform better in summer versus fall. If an artist really wants to release an album during, say, a Full Moon, that could pose an issue if the Full Moon falls on a Wednesday rather than a Friday, when albums are usually released. “The more people you have to report to, the stronger the pushback is going to be because they want to keep things standard,” Wright explains. “But you can honestly release anytime you want.” In fact, an artist she works with, Tangina Stone, recently released an astrologically inuenced album called Pisces during, you guessed it, Pisces season. So go ahead, grab your GCal and mark the dates of 2022’s eclipses, Full Moons, and retrogrades, then sit back and wait. And Rihanna, if you’re reading this, there’s a solar eclipse on October 25...just saying. They’re getting in on tarot too 79 Chit ChatNext >