Another casual day…?

So today started out as a normal day:

Our bus taking the kids to the restaurant this morning was raided by this…

Pool watching at Florida Beach

A little end-of-the-day beach sunset

Drinks at Taiga Café

Two of our four arguilehs flavored with lemon and mint, watermelon and mint, and double apple

And watermelon and mint is the best — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise

And then the intercom was blaring through the restaurant.  The music was stopped.  The lights were dimmed.  The place was silenced…

Three missiles were aimed at the Presidential Palace in Beirut.  No one knows who fired the missiles, but people believe they were fired in opposition to the recent announcement that the head of the Lebanese army was being reinstated for two years.

After the announcement finished, people went back to their drinks, their music, and their dance.  As if nothing had happened.  My brother and I just stared at each other in shock.  Does anyone care that we were just bombed?!?!?

Apparently not.  This happens every year the head of the army is renewed or replaced.  Conflict is just a part of the life here.  There is conflict every day in Tripoli; people still go to work, enjoy the delicious restaurants, and wave at the tanks in the streets.  Beirut recently had a deadly car bombing; people still flood the downtown area to see the historic sights from the previous wars.  Today started as a normal day, and it ended as a normal day.

This is the reason I laugh a little when I get concerned e-mails about the most recent violence in Lebanon (but I still love your e-mails so keep ’em comin’ :D).  Honestly, I never feel threatened because no one ever feels threatened.  The violence is just a part of the lifestyle here.  I believe people even enjoy what it has to offer: the uncertainty, the adventure, the camaraderie.  It’s funny to think how cultures can be so different.  But I guess one can easily make the adjustment — even if it is life threatening.

Ever been surprised by another place’s customs?

Yes.  I am sorry Southern world but…

Fried Oreos?  Fried Twinkies?  Fried Snickers?  Fried PopTarts?  Fried Pecan Pie?  Fried Cheesecake?  Fried Butter?

Ever heard of baking…?

Now i know why we’re number 6

Ahhh Sunday — a day of religion, family and partying… WHAT UP LEBANON?!?!?  I swear this country says a Hail Mary before every Bloody Mary.

It all started with an amazing lunch cooked by the spunky, brash Samira.  My Teta and I arrived at her house in a small village in the mountains known as Hamat around noon with very empty stomachs.  Smart move.  The minute we walked into the house, we were bombarded with nuts, bread, zaatar and water to wash down the Arak (a.k.a. Lebanese licorice liquor).  This was all followed by what Americans consider to be a feast and what Lebanese consider to be a first course.  I watched as she heaped triple servings tabbouleh and fatuous onto one plate, hummus and baba ganoush onto another and a pile of vegetables and veggie kibbeh on the third.  Next thing I knew, I had three mountains of food in front of my face.  Allah esaedna.  I dug in, letting the heart rule the stomach.  Bad move.  Don’t regret it.  After an hour of gorging, all the members of the table sat at the table in a bridge position over their chairs in order to stretch their bloated stomachs.  As we all wallowed in satisfied suffering, I watched Samira sneak into the kitchen and come out with a silver platter piled with Lebanese fruits.  Nectarines, apricots, grapes, plums, cherries. The members of the table wearily glanced at each other and looked up to pass a guilty glance across the platter.  Who wants to start?  Next thing you know, we had all grabbed a plate and began cutting nectarines, spitting pits onto napkins, and rubbing the running juices from our chinnie chin chins.  The meal may have been over, but the lunch was certainly not.  No Lebanese meal would be complete without the lung-choking, palate-clensing arguileh.  Prepared with mint and lemon, this smoking machine is about ten times worse than smoking and ten times as appealing.  It tastes delicious, makes a fun sound and looks really cool.  It may be terrible for my health, but I’d hate to let a little lung cancer keep me from an authentic Lebanese experience ;D

After creating a food triplet in my belly, it was time to go to the beach.  Okay, maybe I regretted my gluttony a little.  Samira’s lovely daughter, Samia, drove me to the a beautiful beach called Ocean Blue in Jounieh.  We sat for hours and conversed in a mixture of Arabic and sign language while enjoying the beautiful view.  When we finally left, I felt like I had gained a new friend — a valuable asset that I am learning is not too hard to find in Lebanon.

Once the sun went down, Lebanon descended from the beaches and headed to the pubs.  I met my cousins and cousin’s cousins in Hamat, and we made our way to Jbeil for the night.  We started with an early dinner at 9:00 at Zattar w Zeit where I got a predictable zaatar w zeit.  Sorry y’all.

We then headed to the Old Souks in Jbeil.  I started our promenade among the beautiful, antique stores imagining being home by midnight and getting a good  night’s sleep before a full day of work.  We turned the corner to find the more party-hardy half of our group screaming at the bar.

What’s the harm in a little lack of sleep?  I quickly ran over to the table that ranged in age from late twenties to early teens.  With lights flashing and music pumping, our table was soon full ice, Red Bull, 7UP, cranberry juice, and vodka.

The drinking age is supposedly eighteen.  There was definitely a thirteen year old at our table.  There was definitely no ID-checked.  I watched as the tables surrounding us began to stumble onto the dance floor, cries of drunken who-cares-about-tomorrow filling the air.  We all danced brashly, sang loudly and got a little tipsy.

I had heard Lebanese night life was crazy.  Apparently, we are the sixth best country in the world for a good party, and I finally got a glimpse into the reasoning behind that statistic.  Although brief, I was grateful for my first taste of vodka by night in Lebanon.  I left with my cousin knowing that I had missed out on a night of sleep and knowing that I could care less.