A new video of a Qatari man ordering his meal through Burger King’s drive-through window while riding a camel is gaining momentum on YouTube, garnering some 20,000 views in the past three days.
Speaking to Doha News, local comedian Hamad Al-Amari, who co-starred in the video with a camel named Jim, said the idea of taking the animal through a drive-through had been kicking around in his head for two years.
“I just finally got the chance to do it,” he said. “I knew that this was something the world would laugh at, not just Qataris or people living in Qatar.”
The video was produced by local production company Red Monkey, which Al-Amari said procured the camel as part of the deal. It was filmed at the Burger King at the roundabout of the same name last weekend.
Red Monkey explained what happened during filming:
“The lady manning the drive thru was most surprised to be confronted by a man on a camel requesting a ‘cheeseburger.’ She called for her manager who provided the cheese burger whilst giggling. The manager also took a few pictures for his friends on Facebook and wished the camel and his man a good day.
Local Qatari police later arrived on the scene but took no action against a man getting some cheeseburgers with his Camel. Hamad was quoted as saying ‘haven’t you seen a man and his camel before’ much to the amusement of the police.”
On Twitter, reaction to the video has been largely one of delight:
https://twitter.com/Al_Anood/status/459700050696732672
https://twitter.com/NoraAlkuwari/status/459743792921198593
@iloveqatar : give that man a golden camel and a lifetime supply of cheeseburgers. He nailed it. Loved the way he was purring at the camel
— Greeker (@Greeeker) April 25, 2014
However, for those who feel like the video stereotyped Qatari culture (the camel is a symbol of Qatar’s formerly bedouin lifestyle), Al-Amari has a response:
“Sometimes comedy offends people,” he said. But he added that his intention was simply to put a smile on people’s faces.
Al-Amari said residents can look forward to seeing him perform more crazy stunts in the future.
Thoughts?
