July 2023: Tagine and Morphine
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July 2023: Tagine and Morphine
The good, the bad, and the "normal"
Israel is Israeling in Jenin. The Onion said it best. Please stay informed about the latest Israeli invasion. Read Kaleem Hawa’s Hating it Lush.
Last night, I went to Aaliya’s Wines inaugural wine dinner in their new space adjoining Aaliya’s Books. Aaliya’s Books has become a staple in Beirut’s trendy neighborhood of Gemmayzeh and, for the past year, they’ve been running a mini wine fair in the Alleyway (the walkway leading to French bistro, Couqley) every first Saturday of the month. The plan is that, during the day, Aaliya’s Wines will operate as a wine bar and shop and, on occasion, it’ll host a communal table supper club that uses food to showcase wines from boutique Lebanese wineries (annual production under 100K bottles). For this first one, Moroccan-Lebanese chef, Adonis Hakim, served up flavorful plates of Moroccan dishes for us to hoover alongside a list of by-the-glass Lebanese wines chosen for the evening. My favorite was the lamb tagine with honey-glazed prunes. I can’t say much on the wine ironically as I only had one glass.
Along with a sleugh of new restaurants and bars that have opened or are in the works, I’ve also noticed an uptick in the number of pet supplies shops and swanky art galleries. I’m glad there are signs of hope and investment in Lebanon but whenever I share news of glitzy goings-on in Beirut, I feel the need to temper it with a disclaimer that things seeming “back to normal” isn’t something entirely good or even entirely true. It’s my own guilt, conflicted joy, and plain confusion interjecting. Prices have (over)adjusted, salaries have not, and dollars don’t stretch like they did just six months ago. I keep wanting to make sense of it but sense doesn’t live here. I’ll keep looking for it though.
Looking for a new t-shirt? Get a Lebanese-wine-themed one.
AT LEAST 10 LITTLE LINKS
Things are contradictory in Beirut but I do love the easy access I have to art exhibits now. Sursock’s Beyond Ruptures is worth exploring and I hope it becomes a permanent as it’s an intertwined timeline of the country, the Museum’s exhibits, and its four closures.
Please go watch the second season of The Bear. Also, I’d love this.
In case you missed this, June 27th is officially World Arak Day. Hopefully, now that all the red tape has been cut away, the region will be part of next year’s celebration of our beloved milky spirit.
“May we notice the fire escapes set out for us by others when we find them, and may we gather there, huddled together, saying what’s real,” writes Lisa Olivera in her newsletter contemplating why she writes
Read Farah Silvana’s My hope has turned into a million goddamn pomegranate seeds for Discontent Magazine through her twitter thread.
And then read another Farah’s gorgeous Finding Zenobia. “A migrant’s dream, in a way, full of the hope that everything they left behind would eventually return.”
Kerning Cultures’ re-airing of their 2017 episode What’s in a Name?
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July 2023: Tagine and Morphine
Obviously I enjoyed all of this, but mainly wanted to say that I second that the new season of The Bear should be watched. So good! Just finished it last night, and immediately want more.