Remembering Atelier Gourmand @ HORECA 2012

Obsession with Bread

"If I survive, I will spend my whole life at the oven door seeing that no one is denied bread and, so as to give a lesson of charity, especially those who did not bring flour." Jose Marti

Makes Sense

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cook and Eat Lebanese Website

I'd like to introduce you, my readers, to this cool website. I really appreciate the initiative and recognize the work that goes into building such a data base. Cook and Eat Lebanese, as simple as that! It's easy and anyone can join. Most recipes are simple and reliable. Most are traditional, yet some are not. There's room for anyone to post. I refer to it from time to time and wondered if all you knew about it. So there, now it's published—don't say I didn't share. No excuses not to cook Lebanese folks!

Photo Found on Facebook

Man'oushe in Seattle

Today Chef Garrett sent me a photo of man'oushe cooking in a wood fire oven. He has been practicing a lot before the grand opening of Mamnoon. How exciting!

Heaven!

Ten Reasons to Shop at a Farmers' Market

While visiting San Francisco this summer, I fell upon a pamphlet published by  CUESA -Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. The pamphlet describes the reasons why one should shop at a farmers' market. I have written a few words in parentheses on how I see it.

In short:

1.Taste real flavors (no more fake food / eat the closest food that comes to the earth / not processed)
2. Enjoy the season (always fresh fruit / vegetable / herbs / dairy products from the actual season)
3. Support family farmers (why not, instead of rich industrial corporation who are rich enough)
4. Protect the environment (how much work is needed, make a small difference)
5. Nourish yourself (with good wholesome food)
6. Discover the spice of life (food is an adventure, delve in it!)
7. Promote humane treatment of animals (how much work is needed here, especially in our region)
8. Know where your food comes from (who planted the seed, worked hard to put food on your table)
9. Learn cooking tips, recipes, and meal ideas (I learned so much from farmers and producers)
10. Connect with your community (People who work with food / land are awesome!)

Shorter: (I quote)

Environmentally Sound
Socially Just
Humane
Economically Viable

Conosci il Tuo Pasto Blog Entry

In Beirut, Barbara’s cooking classes for children

Pubblicato il 12 settembre 2012 da Veronica Pecorella

She is a sincere food-lover, food-writer, food-photographer, she  is a friend of the project  “”Conosci il tuo pasto” and like us  think that children need to know what they are eating, to know the products and the local agricultures because this knowledge will help them to arise a new consciousness of taste. She is Barbara Abdeni Massaad
author of 2 of the most important books related to Lebanese typical food: Man’oushé (the traditional Lebanese pie) and Mouneh (the traditional Lebanese seasonally preserved food). And because she believes like us that children are the future for our food memories, Barbara will have this year cooking classes for children in Beirut Join and follow the project!

Barbara

http://kidsforfood.blogspot.it/

Cooking Courses in Beirut for Children and Adolescents

I am seriously thinking of giving cooking and "food for thought" weekly courses to children and adolescents this fall. If interested please say so... Field trips will be included. I am in the process of finding a suitable place and partner. I will have more details for you in the very near future. Finally, it's the youth of today who will make a difference in our future in order to keep our culinary traditions alive. I hope to inspire them in some way.

Guest chefs, food producers, food activists, farmers, food writers, etc... will sometimes be part of the experience.

Remember all you teenagers and future parents, "The way to anyone's heart is through his / her stomach!" , "The base of a strong family is a daily meal shared around a table."

Always a  feel for local flavors

L'Orient Le Jour Food Videos - Culinary Travels through Lebanon

L'Orient Le Jour, the French daily Lebanese newspaper, has recorded a series of food-related videos and has posted them on their site. I absolutely love to watch these culinary travels, it reminds me of my own. Of course I would have liked to see the traditional ways of doing these dishes,for example the pounding of the meat on a slab of marble. They have been adapted to present life and its convenience. I have left LBC and Helwi Beirut a while ago when all the problems began. It just felt right. I've been told that one of the presenters is doing a similar attempt to create a culinary tour. I wish them all the luck and success. My vision towards this subject remains authentic. Nowadays, I'm careful about traveling in fear of being kidnapped. Ok, I'm being dramatic maybe - but when I get warnings every week from the US embassy in my mail box. I tend to cool down and think that maybe it's a good thing to slow down. A lot pending in my life (work wise). While in the US, I had made up so many dreams of building and now that I am back home (Beirut) every single one of them is beginning to disappear. It's hard to build in a country that could erupt into a fiery mess, a volcano in the making. Still, in my head, I'm planning my next move. Mouneh in Arabic is the next step. That is a promise!

If you are interested to watch more, here enclosed are all the links. Thank you L'Orient for taking the time to document our most valuable asset (Lebanese food).

1. La moujadara de fassoulya de Hammana OLJ
2. Les kebbes de Zghorta et Ehden - OLJ.
3. La moujadara hamra du Sud-Liban - OLJ.
4. Les sfihas de Baalbeck - OLJ.
5. La mouwaraqa d'Amchit - OLJ.
6. Le Qerban de Khenchara - OLJ.
7. Hreeseh of Bhamdoun  OLJ.
8. Seniora of Saida OLJ
9. Le Helewet el Jebn de Tripoli OLJ 
10. La Moufataka de Beyrouth OLJ