Some people post food photos. Hani AlMalki asks why it matters.
In this episode of Forward_Moves, host Raja Haddad sits down with Hani
AlMalki — the Dubai-based food writer, curator, and culinary entrepreneur
known as Bedouin Foodie. Born in Jeddah to a Syrian father and Palestinian
mother, exposed early to Michelin-starred dining through family ties with JeanPaul Guerlain, Hani developed a palate shaped by culture, migration, and
craftsmanship.

This episode covers the full arc — from the communal table we're losing to the
delivery culture killing the dining experience, from Michelin's evolving business
model to the rise of owner-operated restaurants where the real gold is found. And
it ends with how Hani channeled all of it into a signature French onion soup
burger.

This is not a conversation about food trends.
It’s about preserving meaning.

This episode explores:
● Documenting excellence over chasing clicks: The shokunin philosophy,
hole-in-the-wall gems, and why substance beats sensation
● Food as cultural identity: Tracing dishes across borders — from Hejazi
pilgrims to Indonesian murtabak to Japanese dumplings
● The death of the spectator: Why delivery culture is eroding the dining
experience, and what we lose when food becomes just consumption
● Michelin, marketing, and who pays for stars: The business model
behind culinary recognition in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
● Creating a signature dish: The story behind the French onion soup
burger — and why it can never be ordered online

Hani's story is proof that integrity builds something algorithms can't manufacture.
That the most trusted voices aren't the loudest ones. And that the best meal you'll
ever have might be in a six-stool pizzeria in Tokyo, made by one person who has
spent a lifetime perfecting the dough.

Tune in, subscribe, and join us as we chart the creative journeys shaping the
Middle East. Until then—keep moving forward.

Episode Timeline:
00:01:05 - Introduction and guest bio
00:05:17 - Developing a palate
00:08:12 - Turning OCD and ADD into a creative superpower
00:11:34 - Research methodology and the holistic dining experience
00:13:10 - The shokunin principle
00:15:31 - How food travels across cultures and borders
00:18:32 - Integrity, bad reviews, and UAE legal parameters
00:23:13 - Dubai as a culinary melting pot
00:26:17 - The Michelin star obsession
00:29:45 - Losing the communal table — and who's bringing it back
00:33:17 - The death of the spectator
00:38:20 - Dubai vs. Saudi: different diners, different scenes
00:40:18 - Michelin's business model and what it means for the region
00:50:56 - Creating the French onion soup burger
00:54:13 - Rapid fire round

Connect with Hani AlMalki | Bedouin Foodie | Food UnScripted Podcast

Substack: https://bedouinfoodie.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bedouinfoodie

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zoDC0zSHKpzWyDW9XZO5d

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/HaniAlMalki

Connect with Raja Haddad | Forward_Moves

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Some brands sell candles. Dastaangoi ignites memories.
In this episode of Forward Moves, host Raja Haddad sits down with Amad Mian—co-founder of Dastaangoi, the Dubai-based luxury home fragrance brand turning cultural heritage into scent. What started as free Zoom storytelling events during lockdown has become something far more personal: a fragrance house where jasmine is your grandmother's morning ritual, orange blossoms are Damascus afternoons, and daffodils transport you to Kashmir valleys you've never seen.

Amad didn't start this to sell products. He started it to answer a painful question: how do I make sure my daughter is proud of being Pakistani when I spent years ashamed of it myself? The answer came through scent—the most visceral carrier of memory we have. No added notes to jasmine. No dilution for Western markets. Just stories specific enough to transport you, open enough for you to write yourself into them.

This is about a founder who learned perfumery by researching spice markets as ancient medicine, not just cooking ingredients. Who makes candles with custom wax blends because Gulf homes are bigger and hotter. Who does pop-ups himself because he wants to see people close their eyes and smile—or cry—when they smell home. It's about building something from the region, for the region, without asking permission from global luxury's playbook.

This episode explores:
● Reclaiming identity through scent: Why fragrance became the vehicle for teaching his daughter what he had to learn as an adult
● Research over formula: Starting with landscape, poetry, and lived experience—then building the fragrance
● Authentic vs. appropriated: What it means to create for your community instead of performing it for outsiders
● The open story: Making scents specific enough to transport, loose enough for anyone to project their own memory
● Artist residencies as core: Why bringing creatives together isn't marketing—it's who they are
● Scaling with soul: How to grow globally without losing the pop-up conversations that make people cry
● Amad's story is proof that the most powerful brands aren't polished—they're honest. Dastaangoi shows us that cultural storytelling doesn't need validation from international markets. It just needs courage to say: this is us.

Tune in, subscribe, and join us as we chart the creative journeys shaping the Middle East. Until then—keep moving forward.

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Some radio stations broadcast content. Radio Alhara creates neighborhoods.

In this episode of Forward Moves, host Raja Haddad sits down with Yousef
Anastas and Saeed Abu Jaber—two of the five founders behind Radio Alhara, the
Palestinian online radio station that turned quarantine isolation into global
connection. What started in March 2020 as friends dropping audio files into a
shared drive has become something far more radical: a sonic public square where
sound becomes resistance, gathering, and everyday life all at once.

Yousef and Saeed didn't set out to build a platform. They built a neighborhood—
one without borders, curators, or institutional funding. No agenda. No plan. Just
an open calendar and a simple invitation: play what you love, not what the club
demands. Sunday morning sets over Saturday night bangers. Cooking shows
alongside protest takeovers. 11,000 shows that exist but aren't archived—because
sometimes the most radical act is to let something be ephemeral.

This episode explores:
● Openness as curation: Why they ask DJs for "Sunday morning, not
Saturday night"—unlocking personal music collections nobody hears at
clubs
● The anti-institutional move: Rejecting funding to stay DIY, messy, and
honest—avoiding agendas and the flattening of culture
● Radio as political gesture: How lending someone a sound card in another
city becomes resistance—local networks going global
● The archive question: Why 11,000 shows remain inaccessible by design
—"you either listen or you miss it"
● Radio from anywhere: How a station rooted in Bethlehem became a
blueprint for any place that struggles for something

Yousef and Saeed's story is a reminder that the most powerful projects aren't
designed—they're lived. Radio Alhara is proof that cultural resistance doesn't
need permission, funding, or a five-year plan. It just needs people willing to press
play.

Tune in, subscribe, and join us as we chart the creative journeys shaping the
Middle East. Until then—keep moving forward.

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