[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" size="medium" td_gallery_title_input="Food fest seeks to change stereotype of Saudi youth" ids="108193,108194,108195,108196"] By Layan Damanhouri JEDDAH – Saudis have proven themselves to be original and able to work hands-on in new businesses as local entrepreneurs, food trucks, vendors, as well as artists participated on Saturday in the latest Krabload event, a food gathering turning "carb-loading" into a fun food fest organized by Marfa Foundation. "These new food businesses prevailed over restaurants," Marfa's founder Slaiman Subaiei told Saudi Gazette. "Food tasters and bloggers known for their honest reviews were impressed by what they saw." "The idea of Saudi graduates sitting at home waiting for a desk job and refusing to work is wrong. It's not what we've seen at all," he added. "Saudi youth today are not ashamed of handling every aspect of their own restaurants, from mopping the floor to cooking to serving the food and managing frustrating customers. Krabload aims to serve a platform for them to push their businesses to the next level." Unlike the traditional bazaar hosted regularly to promote local businesses, Krabload sets a different tone. In a festive atmosphere, founders of food businesses served innovative dishes with live cooking. A variety of novel dishes include maamoul with gold, organic ingredients, milkshakes, juices, éclair donuts, biscuits, burgers with guacamole, Mexican fusions, among others. "We're showing people our own recipes so they can see for themselves," says Youtuber chef Reem Darweesh, who participated for the second time at a Krabload event. "To match the theme of the art walk, we did a Mexican dish with waffle fries. It's a great way to market ourselves in front of a wide audience." Krabload's objective is food for fun, showing visitors that such enjoyable and quality events can be achieved by Saudis. "The atmosphere is very important to us," says Subaiei. "It's disappointing to see people travel to visit nice places and take pictures commenting we don't have this in Saudi. I'm against bazaars that have been exploited and treating potentially successful family businesses with pity and charity." Decorative lights and artsy stands with colorful designs filled the bustling promenade. The art walk gathered different artistic stands from henna to graffiti wall to local film production, among others. According to the organizers, almost 4,000 tickets were sold and distributed during the open day. Asked about the challenges entrepreneurs face, Subaie said, "The biggest challenge is culture perception and society's acceptance. It's not a challenge in finances or resources which are available here." Krabload serves as a platform for startups to launch their businesses and take it to the next level. The event seeks to encourage Saudis to compete regionally and globally as several food trucks and innovative food businesses have been playing in the neighboring Gulf countries and known for their popular open food events. "It's a great start and I expect with the next ten years, it will be an incredible variety of successful local businesses," said Subaiei.
