( CNN ) -- Can you serve coq au vin made with red wine in Dubai anymore ? Nobody 's completely sure . Confusion reigns in the upscale restaurant kitchens of the Gulf sheikdom after a circular was sent out by Dubai officials earlier this week stating that the use of alcohol in cooking was `` strictly prohibited '' since it violated the Muslim country 's strict alcohol rules . Arabian Business , quoting the head of food inspection for Dubai , reported that hotels had one month to stop using alcohol in food preparation or face fines ranging from $ 545 to $ 5,445 ( AED 2,000 to AED 20,000 ) , even rising to as much as $ 136,000 ( AED 500,000 ) for serious repeat offenders . But just as the frost was starting to develop on the foie gras ( which can come marinated in wine ) , Dubai authorities did an apparent U-turn , with a senior official saying there had been a `` misunderstanding '' of the rules -- and that there was no ban . Chefs and hotels have now been told that the Dubai municipality will call a meeting soon to clarify the alcohol guidelines , Uwe Micheel , president of the Emirates Culinary Guild and director of kitchens at the Radisson Blu Dubai Creek , told CNN . Micheel told CNN he thought stricter rules will be brought in , but that there will be no ban . `` I expect the change will be that all the dishes prepared with alcohol will have to be on a separate menu , '' the German executive chef said , so that it 's easier for Muslims to identify which dishes contain alcohol . He said he also expected stricter guidelines on storage of food prepared with alcohol and perhaps utensils used to eat food prepared with alcohol . At the moment , dishes that contain alcohol can be sold in the city 's restaurants if they are clearly marked on the menu . The drink must be stored and the food prepared separately . Alcohol is available to drink at licensed restaurants and bars , which are usually found in international hotels , although Muslims are not legally allowed to drink . Micheel , who oversees 14 restaurants , said the Dubai authorities were generally supportive of the emirate 's hospitality industry and were not `` here to make life difficult for us . '' But he said he thought more complaints were coming into them from local Muslims . He added that not all Dubai restaurants were complying with the current regulations . Dubai , not that long ago a sleepy pearling village , has unique demographics . A massive 85 percent of the people there come from another country , vastly dwarfing the conservative local Emirati population . And that unusual population divide can cause culture clashes , like the present confusion surrounding a possible alcohol cooking ban or the recent case of the British couple appealing a one-month jail sentence for kissing and drinking in public . Read about how a kiss highlighted Dubai 's culture clash . `` For them [ Muslims ] , alcohol is a 100 percent no-no , even if it 's boiled , '' Micheel said . `` And that has to be respected . We are living in a Muslim country . '' Micheel said he thinks the ban confusion happened because authorities have received `` more complaints '' from locals . Arabian Business quoted the director of the emirate 's food control department as saying the reason for the clampdown under the existing 2003 law was that a number of complaints had come from locals . Dubai 's foreign population has swelled in recent years as expatriates flocked to the booming emirate , attracted by a high standard of living , jobs , no taxes , and year-round sunshine . The population changes have meant that local Emiratis are vastly outnumbered , raising concerns among them that the lightning-speed modernization threatens their deeply conservative social and religious identity . The two populations could n't be more different . The tiny local Emirati population dress in floor-length robes , shun alcohol , pray five times a day , and are rooted in conservative Islam . Many of the country 's Western expatriates and tourists , however , are drawn to the desert sheikdom-by-the-sea 's relaxed beach lifestyle . Expatriates who live in Dubai said authorities are more sensitive to these types of culture clashes than in the past . `` More people are misbehaving , '' said Micheel , who 's been working in Dubai for 17 years , arriving when the sheikdom was just a `` small village . '' `` There are more than 200 different nationalities living here , '' he said . `` If you do not respect each other 's rules and cultures , there will be clashes . '' `` In the past , you would not have seen people in very casual summer clothes here , '' he said . `` Now you do . We are guests in this country . We must behave as guests . '' Heiki Moeckel , a culture consultant with Abu Dhabi-based Embrace Arabia , a consultancy group that advises both foreign and Emirati clients on how to bridge the cultural divide , told CNN some expatriates need to learn more respect for their host country . `` It 's very silly to believe that if you 're coming from country x , y and z , you 're going to create a copy of that country when you come to the United Arab Emirates , '' she said . `` Why do n't you just stay home if you need everything from home ? ''
Dubai authorities are meeting to clarify regulations . Stricter retail sales rules may be brought in . Back - and - forth on issues may be result of consumer complaints . Dubai demographics strikingly unique with 85 percent foreigners .