I’ve been drinking a lot lately.

The past few weeks, actually. To be truthful, the past few months is the more accurate count. I think ever since the start of the New Year.

Whenever I get home, I would drink a glass of wine after a meal, or perhaps pour a shot of whiskey, neat, from my collection of single and blended malts. Or perhaps a cold beer straight from the fridge to wind the day down.

During food events, after eating, I would ask for more wine before getting coffee. During drinking events, I find myself lingering more in the bar area, seated on a stool, talking to the bartender and letting myself be cajoled into ordering more cocktails.

At first, I thought this added consumption of alcohol could be attributed to the demands of work, politics, and all the troubles of our poor, beleaguered country. But actually, this spree of binge drinking, I don’t think I have crossed into alcoholism yet, is a sort of premonition to the war now unfolding in the Middle East.

A true millennial, I have experienced the time when Iraq invaded Kuwait and then America launched Desert Storm. During this period we experienced an energy crisis. Who remembers the song “Sa-Sa-Saddam" by Lady Diane, playing everywhere on the radio during the ‘90s?

Then 9/11 happened. After that came the Global War on Terrorism declared by George W. Bush. Not long after came another energy crisis. I remember distinctly how my father’s petroleum business was hit hard at the time. I recall overhearing conversations between my parents about the difficulty of coming up with money to pay suppliers, employees, and other expenses when I was still in high school.

And now, here we are again. Another conflict in the Middle East.

As I write this, I should just be writing about Gordon Ramsay’s Dirty Fridays at Newport World Resorts, whose launch last Feb. 27 now, astonishingly, when I think about it, preceded the joint American and Israeli attack on Iran, which reportedly happened the following day, Feb. 28, 2026, with strikes occurring around 06:27 GMT.

To think, we were drinking merrily at Newport World Resorts about a day before what could become the defining conflict of our time.

The launch of Dirty Fridays at Gordon Ramsay Bar and Grill was, fittingly, an exercise in indulgence, despite the ominous events the day after. The restaurant transformed its usual polished atmosphere into something livelier for the night, with upbeat Latin and mambo rhythms filling the dining room as guests gathered around the bar and high tables.

The centerpiece of the concept is straightforward: burgers, fries, and martinis, done the Gordon Ramsay way. The new lineup of burgers includes a lamb burger layered with tzatziki, baby gem lettuce, and red onion pickle; a spicy fried chicken burger paired with wasabi and sesame coleslaw; and a hefty beef burger stacked with bacon, chutney, cheddar, pickles, and black garlic aioli.

Then there are the fries, excessive and delicious. The so-called dirty fries come topped with combinations such as chili con carne with bacon bits and Mornay sauce, cured ham with goat cheese and bell peppers, and a Spanish chorizo version layered with caramelized onions, Jamón Ibérico, and cured egg yolk.

Naturally, none of this happens without drinks. From the classic dirty martini to fruitier variations like sour cherry and pineapple mango. Some guests opted for the martini flight, sampling all three, while others, like myself, simply lingered at the bar and let the evening stretch a little longer than planned.

Dirty Fridays run from noon until late evening each Friday, turning the restaurant into a weekly ritual of burgers, cocktails, and music, a place where the workweek ends with a bit of cheerful excess.

For a few hours that night, during the event, with fellow media and dining industry friends, the world felt simple. There were burgers on the table, martinis in hand, music in the background, and people laughing across the room. It was an ordinary, carefree evening that people rarely think twice about, until history reminds us how fragile such moments can be.

The point is, why my intro about the wars I experienced, it’s that.

I am, we are all still here.

There will be hard times. Challenging times, but we will endure. And after that, I am glad that we will still have places like Gordon Ramsay’s, where we can all return to watch people dance to the beat of music, see people hug, whisper sweet nothings to dates and loved ones, see friends and families gather, and drink to peace. Cheers to peace.