Beirut events

For those of us who love but never make tabbouli because it is so darned labor intensive, the idea of making 3 1/2 tons by hand is just way, way over the top. Tom and I walked downtown to witness the breaking of the Guinness world record for largest tabbouli in the world. Apparently it took "250 sous-chefs and their 50 bosses from a private culinary school" all day to chop all that parsley and mint. Ouch, and onions. And the bowl itself was something of an engineering feat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF6MQ03KaC4



However we missed the previous day's offering of a two-ton serving of hummus.
We can't form a government (now four months after elections) but at least we can unite to make stupendous food.

Tom and I helped out at the ACS Halloween carnival, the main fund raiser for the school. He wore many hats, notably this pirate one, to work in a game booth featuring a treasure chest. I wish you could see the pony tail in the back--very cute.

Then he went to the dunk tank.

And had just a few minutes to dry off before joining in an elementary school folk dance ensemble (no photo, sorry).

***

There is a new Saj shop just down the street. Saj are delicious fresh grilled bread rounds with various toppings, made to order. The lady running the new hole-in-the-wall shop is a very gracious, scarved lady who has lived some recent years in Canada, and has brought her girls back to her old neighborhood in hopes they will learn to speak Arabic. I told her I had worked for UNRWA up at Nahr el Bared. She said she had been there and it was a terrible tragedy. The violence is crazy, she said. Why can't we all get along, she asked. I give you a little bit of peace, you give a little bit to someone else. Isn't that what everybody needs? She spoke to me about living here all through the war. She pointed to the building where there was a sniper she had to pass every day when she went out to buy bread. Every day, wondering if she would be shot. ['What do you do?' I later thought, 'Oh, I'm a sniper in the XXX building, on the 10th floor.']