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Letter of the month
Blues for Satwa
Your October issue was the ultimate quencher of the male appetite. The features on improving biceps (Arms race), fighting styles (Fight Clubbed), muscle cars (Bucking the trend), elevator sins (Red card) were great, but what moved me was the feature on Satwa (Requiem for Satwa). I close my eyes and in front is my Satwa – once home, and a place that still holds memories from my youth. Few will know that Satwa spawned the many cafeterias that Dubai is now known for and was the place where shwarma-makers perfected the city's favourite food. The drinks 'Titanic', 'Disco' and 'ET' were all Satwa cafeteria inventions. When I informed a friend, who no longer lives here, about Satwa's fate, he broke down as he had hoped to return as a visitor one day to the place he had lived throughout his childhood. Thank you for paying tribute to 'our' Satwa.
- Kashif Baig
Going Loafing
Please help. It's shoes, innit. But not just shoes: loafers – the sublime, even subversive third way between the trainer and the shoe. Good with jeans, good with whistle and flute. When I was a penniless student in London, I spent a lot of money I didn't have on a pair of Tod's. Nearly 10 years old, they're still with me but only just. In the interim, my dog got to another pair. So I need something new. But not just any pair of shoes. And not a pair of Tod's, which I've gone off – they suddenly seem the stuff of preppy Japanese corporocrats. Here's the rub: I want a pair of shufflers so fly, they'd make Jack Nicholson celibate and Hugh Hefner monogamous. But here's why I don't think 4men is up to it. Harvey Nics? Been there. The loafers? Nigerian pimp crossed with UK real estate agent. JM Weston? Japanese foot fetishists. Where else is there? Make my own, I guess...
– Tom de Kadt.
The truth about gold-diggers
With relationships becoming more complex day by day, one is not sure what to make of the trophy wife (How to spot a gold-digger, October). For a woman, a rich husband may be the passport to good living, but there are other issues involved for a man. He knows that he has arrived financially, but deep inside his heart there are lots of insecurities that need to be addressed. A younger wife, to an extent, helps in raising his self-esteem. At a deeper level, it may also be his quest to reinforce his manliness to the world at large. So he is more than willing to pay whatever price this comes with. While for many, the role of a spouse is much more than mere adornment, there are still a lot of people who believe in 'got it, flaunt it.'
- Sunil Roy
September rocked
The September issue of 4men was a real hottie. The cover featured the gorgeous Latina siren Eva Mendes pouting provocatively. The feature on local real estate hot shots was interesting, the Shwarma Drama story was hilarious and I also enjoyed reading about Arab F1 hopeful Basil Shaaban (The Contender) and weekend getaways . 4men has evolved into a well balanced magazine.
– Trevor D'Souza
We don't need life coaches
Is it the search for excellence or the search for greener bucks or the need for mere survival that makes us seek out 'life coaches' ?(Man Overboard, October) I am not sure. In today's world where one has to fight for survival, we are sometimes forced to use crutches for support. In both professional and personal life, we seek help to get us instant results. In the bargain we lose our individuality and problem-solving ability.
– Sunil
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