Yella Bye Lebanon, December 2008
Yella Bye
Lebanon, December 2008
Lebanon is a country I would not want to drive in. The roads are narrow, very steep, in bad shape, and lots of traffic with crazy drivers. They appear crazy to me because they follow their own secret code of driving or the secret may be there are no rules, so anything goes. I will say I think these drivers are probably the best in the world at driving a standard on very steep, serpentine inclines with stops every few meters without stalling the car or burning out the clutch. My Lebanese friend Lilian is an expert behind the wheel and paid no attention to all my dashboard gripping and whimpers as she would back up steep and narrow hills with purpose and, somehow, knowing no car would come whipping around the bend. Color is slowing coming back to my knuckles two weeks later.
Besides this little bit of excitement, Lebanon offers a variety of activities, sights, and good food. My trip centered on friends, food and places. I came to Lebanon to be with old chums I met while living at Al Hada. Lilian is a PT who has a way with food like all Lebanese do. Laura is now in her fifth year at an international school and adapted easily to the Beirut lifestyle. Audrey is in her second year of teaching at the same school and enjoying the area and students. Lina is also Lebanese and has two children who were at Al Hada and now are back in Beirut to finish high school. We all gathered to have a mini reunion at Lina’s place for brunch. The food was amazing, no surprise there, with fresh salads, dips, savory breads, and vegetables. We ate and talked until dusk told us it was time to say a regretful we-should-do-this-more-often good-bye. This reunion was a highlight of the trip and a good reminder, as the year was about to come to a close, to stay connected.
If you know the Lebanese, you know their connection with food. Lebanon is one huge farmer’s market with fresh, local produce lining the streets. If you like bananas, then Lebanon is for you. If you like oranges and lemons, then Lebanon is for you. Needless to say, the food is always fresh, well prepared and healthy. The sweets on the other hand are rich, decadent and sinful. The bakeries are numerous and piled high with all sorts of temptations. Coming here you have to throw caution to the wind and eat every two hours to get in as much of the good stuff as possible.
An extra bonus of having Lilian as a guide was she knew where to go for the food. Within my first hour after landing we were sitting at Al Balal, a Lebanese restaurant on a very wet winter day in the heart of Beirut. We had plans to walk around the city under nicer conditions but the downpours kept everyone off the pedestrian mall and into the small cafes. Al Balad is small and cozy like a French café and it was packed with the tail end of the lunch time crowd. We sat outside under the canopy with heaters and gorged on olives, bread, potato coriander, seafood spring rolls and, my favorite, Fattah with eggplant. This dish consists of yogurt, mint, garlic and fried eggplant topped with fried pita pieces to give it some crunch. You eat this dish with bread or a spoon. We ended with a typical herb infusion tea. This is a meal I could get use to. Good thing it was on the light side because that night I was in for a treat at Bound Paris.
Lilian, being an extrovert and a people person, has a close knit circle of friends and a group of them were celebrating a birthday at Bound. I cannot remember when I was in a place like Bound last. It was trendy, elegant, sophisticated, and crowded. Our crowd of 11 was seated in the middle in the room and my seat faced the bar. The bar was well stocked from floor to ceiling and with well informed friends we started with a white wine. The bottles kept coming and waiters kept pouring. It was nice and light and went well with the dish of amazing nuts at the table and then with the hot goat cheese salad. The birthday cake came out with a sputtering roman candle and other decorations and in no time we finished the chocolate cake. Lilian and I finished the night with more herbal tea by her Christmas tree. It felt like the holidays now.
I’ll pause here from the food to mention the Christmas lights and decorations around Beirut. Much to my surprise and delight, lights and decorations were everywhere in the Christian areas. The decorations were reminiscent of the 1950’s with the classic shapes of bells, candles, and trees. One street in particular was lined with arch ways. A hillside was covered with a manager scene. The main Wooden Bakery had a big igloo outside and inside the young workers wore Santa hats. It was all very festive.
The next food encounter was sampling manoushi high up on a hill in Harrisa. We just came from walking around Notre Dame du Liban and were ready to sit a spell and eat. She ordered the traditional manoushis: zattar (thyme), cheese, and ham and cheese. They are made from dough similar to pizza dough and are cooked on a convex surface. The pizza shaped dough is heated first and then the filling is added and also heated. Then it is folder over several times and is ready to eat with olives and a plate of greens. With green tea it was a nice meal as we sat and talked looking at the Mediterranean Sea far below.
Twenty four hours later we were south in Sidon under a brilliant blue sky that melded with the blue sea. Lilian recommended the falafel at Abou Rami, a small take-out joint across from the castle on the sea. It is in a prime location and the hoards of people hovering around the counter indicated the falafels must be good. Dusk was settling in and the people around the counter grew exponentially thicker as it was getting darker and closer to prayer time. Lilian sat this snack out and I fended for myself in the crowd. I did manage to find an opening in the front by the counter and I was in for a treat. I had a perfect spot to watch the production line.
About thirty sandwiches are made at once. First the pita bread is laid out then down the center a row of three falafels is added along with some mint, parsley, dill pickles, something purple, tomatoes and, to top it all off, a splashing of tahini. This is all done at time warp speed and as the crowd senses the end is near with the wrapping of the sandwiches, they start pushing their way to the counter yelling out orders and waving money. Hands start flying wrapping the sandwiches and groupings of 6 or 10 falafels get bagged and passed to the rightful owner. Fearing I would not be able to compete with this crowd and missing out on trying the falafel, I resorted to making eye contact and waving the exact amount of 2 liras ($1.33) for one sandwich, and lo and behold, one appeared in my hand. For those of you who know the Chipolte chain of Mexican restaurants and their belly buster burritos, this is the Arab equivalent. This is Becky Bourdain reporting live from Sidon.
The next morning I walked off some of the falafel as I walked down the numerous flights of stairs to get to the main street to look for more local food to sample. Lilian recommended several places to stop at and I walked up and down the strip sizing each one up. I wanted a place with tables to sit and write with some atmosphere. I decided on the one in the middle of the business drag and for less than $4 I had Turkish coffee, and four small, savory pastries. I sat in the back area where there were four tables and a bucket and mop. The morning cleaning was in full swing. That I could have done without. This is a common occurrence of mopping, washing windows and appliance when people are dining. There was also an upstairs but I didn’t realize that until I was sitting down and watching people go up a hidden staircase. There was a man sitting at the table in front of me and he appeared to be connected to the place as men came in, greeted him warmly, sat and chatted with him and then took leave shortly to be filled in by another person.
Walking up the steps to Lilian’s apartment, I smelled food cooking. But was it coming from her place? It smelled like a big holiday feast was being cooked. I lucked out and it was her cooking up a storm with pumpkin soup, lentil soup, a layered casserole, and carrot cake. I sat with her in the kitchen becoming intoxicated with the mingling of the aromas. Did I mention already when you come to Lebanon be prepared to eat?
In addition to the eating, Lilian did a superb job as tour guide taking me to a variety of places. Byblos is north of Beirut sitting on the Mediterranean Sea. This is a lovely little albeit touristy place to shop in an old style souq, to walk along the break water wall, to watch the sunset from the church and to sit at an outside café like Chez Pepe Au Fishing Club. While Byblos seems more polished to me, Sidon also known as Saida, is the opposite. Here is how a brochure describes the place
The city bears the scars of the 20th century brutal mutations due to modernism, the earthquake of 1956, and finally the civil war, which marked it definitively.
I enjoyed walking around Sidon’s dark and dusty souq maze browsing, taking photos and keeping an eye on Lilian; I didn’t want to stray to far away and get lost. In the bowels of the souq is a hidden marvel of a museum. It is called The Soap Museum and is housed in the old soap factory dating back to the 17th century. It has been restored by the Audi Foundation and the thematic museum is well deserving of quality time to learn about the handmade soap making process covering various stages of its manufacturing and the diversity of its shapes and properties and to appreciate the architecture of the place. There are walls and towers of soap set out to dry and to photograph. One is transported back in time walking through this place. We ended at boutique selling their popular olive and laurel oil soap. I would go back to Sidon and stay a few days.
The last evening was spent in the Al Hammra area. The American Univ is not far away from this well known district for shopping and restaurants. I would need more time here too. I had an early evening because the next morning I was catching my ride to cross into Syria. I previously made arrangements and paid $30 for a seat in a shared taxi hoping I could make it all the way to Damascus with the car but also knowing I had to get a visa at the border. I gave myself all day and had contingency plans waiting in the wings so I was ready for anything. But I wasn’t ready to see a huge sign for Dunkin Donuts at the border.
For more information on the saponification go to www.foundationaudi.org
For Byblos go to http://www.middleeast.com/byblos.htm
Photos to be posted somewhere sometime.
Lebanon, December 2008
Lebanon is a country I would not want to drive in. The roads are narrow, very steep, in bad shape, and lots of traffic with crazy drivers. They appear crazy to me because they follow their own secret code of driving or the secret may be there are no rules, so anything goes. I will say I think these drivers are probably the best in the world at driving a standard on very steep, serpentine inclines with stops every few meters without stalling the car or burning out the clutch. My Lebanese friend Lilian is an expert behind the wheel and paid no attention to all my dashboard gripping and whimpers as she would back up steep and narrow hills with purpose and, somehow, knowing no car would come whipping around the bend. Color is slowing coming back to my knuckles two weeks later.
Besides this little bit of excitement, Lebanon offers a variety of activities, sights, and good food. My trip centered on friends, food and places. I came to Lebanon to be with old chums I met while living at Al Hada. Lilian is a PT who has a way with food like all Lebanese do. Laura is now in her fifth year at an international school and adapted easily to the Beirut lifestyle. Audrey is in her second year of teaching at the same school and enjoying the area and students. Lina is also Lebanese and has two children who were at Al Hada and now are back in Beirut to finish high school. We all gathered to have a mini reunion at Lina’s place for brunch. The food was amazing, no surprise there, with fresh salads, dips, savory breads, and vegetables. We ate and talked until dusk told us it was time to say a regretful we-should-do-this-more-often good-bye. This reunion was a highlight of the trip and a good reminder, as the year was about to come to a close, to stay connected.
If you know the Lebanese, you know their connection with food. Lebanon is one huge farmer’s market with fresh, local produce lining the streets. If you like bananas, then Lebanon is for you. If you like oranges and lemons, then Lebanon is for you. Needless to say, the food is always fresh, well prepared and healthy. The sweets on the other hand are rich, decadent and sinful. The bakeries are numerous and piled high with all sorts of temptations. Coming here you have to throw caution to the wind and eat every two hours to get in as much of the good stuff as possible.
An extra bonus of having Lilian as a guide was she knew where to go for the food. Within my first hour after landing we were sitting at Al Balal, a Lebanese restaurant on a very wet winter day in the heart of Beirut. We had plans to walk around the city under nicer conditions but the downpours kept everyone off the pedestrian mall and into the small cafes. Al Balad is small and cozy like a French café and it was packed with the tail end of the lunch time crowd. We sat outside under the canopy with heaters and gorged on olives, bread, potato coriander, seafood spring rolls and, my favorite, Fattah with eggplant. This dish consists of yogurt, mint, garlic and fried eggplant topped with fried pita pieces to give it some crunch. You eat this dish with bread or a spoon. We ended with a typical herb infusion tea. This is a meal I could get use to. Good thing it was on the light side because that night I was in for a treat at Bound Paris.
Lilian, being an extrovert and a people person, has a close knit circle of friends and a group of them were celebrating a birthday at Bound. I cannot remember when I was in a place like Bound last. It was trendy, elegant, sophisticated, and crowded. Our crowd of 11 was seated in the middle in the room and my seat faced the bar. The bar was well stocked from floor to ceiling and with well informed friends we started with a white wine. The bottles kept coming and waiters kept pouring. It was nice and light and went well with the dish of amazing nuts at the table and then with the hot goat cheese salad. The birthday cake came out with a sputtering roman candle and other decorations and in no time we finished the chocolate cake. Lilian and I finished the night with more herbal tea by her Christmas tree. It felt like the holidays now.
I’ll pause here from the food to mention the Christmas lights and decorations around Beirut. Much to my surprise and delight, lights and decorations were everywhere in the Christian areas. The decorations were reminiscent of the 1950’s with the classic shapes of bells, candles, and trees. One street in particular was lined with arch ways. A hillside was covered with a manager scene. The main Wooden Bakery had a big igloo outside and inside the young workers wore Santa hats. It was all very festive.
The next food encounter was sampling manoushi high up on a hill in Harrisa. We just came from walking around Notre Dame du Liban and were ready to sit a spell and eat. She ordered the traditional manoushis: zattar (thyme), cheese, and ham and cheese. They are made from dough similar to pizza dough and are cooked on a convex surface. The pizza shaped dough is heated first and then the filling is added and also heated. Then it is folder over several times and is ready to eat with olives and a plate of greens. With green tea it was a nice meal as we sat and talked looking at the Mediterranean Sea far below.
Twenty four hours later we were south in Sidon under a brilliant blue sky that melded with the blue sea. Lilian recommended the falafel at Abou Rami, a small take-out joint across from the castle on the sea. It is in a prime location and the hoards of people hovering around the counter indicated the falafels must be good. Dusk was settling in and the people around the counter grew exponentially thicker as it was getting darker and closer to prayer time. Lilian sat this snack out and I fended for myself in the crowd. I did manage to find an opening in the front by the counter and I was in for a treat. I had a perfect spot to watch the production line.
About thirty sandwiches are made at once. First the pita bread is laid out then down the center a row of three falafels is added along with some mint, parsley, dill pickles, something purple, tomatoes and, to top it all off, a splashing of tahini. This is all done at time warp speed and as the crowd senses the end is near with the wrapping of the sandwiches, they start pushing their way to the counter yelling out orders and waving money. Hands start flying wrapping the sandwiches and groupings of 6 or 10 falafels get bagged and passed to the rightful owner. Fearing I would not be able to compete with this crowd and missing out on trying the falafel, I resorted to making eye contact and waving the exact amount of 2 liras ($1.33) for one sandwich, and lo and behold, one appeared in my hand. For those of you who know the Chipolte chain of Mexican restaurants and their belly buster burritos, this is the Arab equivalent. This is Becky Bourdain reporting live from Sidon.
The next morning I walked off some of the falafel as I walked down the numerous flights of stairs to get to the main street to look for more local food to sample. Lilian recommended several places to stop at and I walked up and down the strip sizing each one up. I wanted a place with tables to sit and write with some atmosphere. I decided on the one in the middle of the business drag and for less than $4 I had Turkish coffee, and four small, savory pastries. I sat in the back area where there were four tables and a bucket and mop. The morning cleaning was in full swing. That I could have done without. This is a common occurrence of mopping, washing windows and appliance when people are dining. There was also an upstairs but I didn’t realize that until I was sitting down and watching people go up a hidden staircase. There was a man sitting at the table in front of me and he appeared to be connected to the place as men came in, greeted him warmly, sat and chatted with him and then took leave shortly to be filled in by another person.
Walking up the steps to Lilian’s apartment, I smelled food cooking. But was it coming from her place? It smelled like a big holiday feast was being cooked. I lucked out and it was her cooking up a storm with pumpkin soup, lentil soup, a layered casserole, and carrot cake. I sat with her in the kitchen becoming intoxicated with the mingling of the aromas. Did I mention already when you come to Lebanon be prepared to eat?
In addition to the eating, Lilian did a superb job as tour guide taking me to a variety of places. Byblos is north of Beirut sitting on the Mediterranean Sea. This is a lovely little albeit touristy place to shop in an old style souq, to walk along the break water wall, to watch the sunset from the church and to sit at an outside café like Chez Pepe Au Fishing Club. While Byblos seems more polished to me, Sidon also known as Saida, is the opposite. Here is how a brochure describes the place
The city bears the scars of the 20th century brutal mutations due to modernism, the earthquake of 1956, and finally the civil war, which marked it definitively.
I enjoyed walking around Sidon’s dark and dusty souq maze browsing, taking photos and keeping an eye on Lilian; I didn’t want to stray to far away and get lost. In the bowels of the souq is a hidden marvel of a museum. It is called The Soap Museum and is housed in the old soap factory dating back to the 17th century. It has been restored by the Audi Foundation and the thematic museum is well deserving of quality time to learn about the handmade soap making process covering various stages of its manufacturing and the diversity of its shapes and properties and to appreciate the architecture of the place. There are walls and towers of soap set out to dry and to photograph. One is transported back in time walking through this place. We ended at boutique selling their popular olive and laurel oil soap. I would go back to Sidon and stay a few days.
The last evening was spent in the Al Hammra area. The American Univ is not far away from this well known district for shopping and restaurants. I would need more time here too. I had an early evening because the next morning I was catching my ride to cross into Syria. I previously made arrangements and paid $30 for a seat in a shared taxi hoping I could make it all the way to Damascus with the car but also knowing I had to get a visa at the border. I gave myself all day and had contingency plans waiting in the wings so I was ready for anything. But I wasn’t ready to see a huge sign for Dunkin Donuts at the border.
For more information on the saponification go to www.foundationaudi.org
For Byblos go to http://www.middleeast.com/byblos.htm
Photos to be posted somewhere sometime.
posted by Becky of Arabia at 8:51 PM
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