Random posts

• Grass and kufta: Somewhere in my late twenties I joined the Time Out family, and within a year I had built a mental database of cheeses, meats, oils, herbs and plenty of things that I’d never before let into my stomach.
• Meen meen?: Meen are the definitive Lebanese anti-band, and while their lyrics are obscure and sometimes outright silly, you can't help but be moved by their music.
• Brush aside: Tony el Mendelek is a hairdresser, one of the best hairdressers in the country. But ask him if his work can change society and he'll laugh in your face. Which is rather refreshing.
• Desert toes: In Cairo, there’s an overcrowded area called Khan el Khalil. There I was, wet, smelly and limping on what may have been a broken toe; just like me to have a flashback.
• Kababster: Architect Maroun el Daccache attempts to define the Lebanese style, not in the least through the incredible office building I was welcomed in. For me though, it's all about Kababji.
• 12 angry convicts: Drama therapist Zena Daccache talks about her creative remake of 12 Angry Men. The catch? She casts the hardened inmates of Roumieh Prison.
• E-lust: We live in a world larger than our egos, and understandably want to shrink it into manageable screens. And wouldn’t it just be lovely if our social lives were really servants of mice and keyboards?
• Holy ghost: Literary scholar Archbishop Georges Khodr hopes to change the Lebanese youth through example and published lectures.
• The gypsy emperor: Michel Elefteriades – guerilla fighter, artist, musician –doesn't even consider himself Lebanese, rather the Emperor of Nowhereistan, a state with no land and where everyone is welcome. Provided they pass the test. Where do we sign up?
• Caramel: Creator of Caramel, Lebanese producer and silver screen heroine Nadine Labaki is surprised by her success, and grateful for the learning experience.
• Garage days: One of the most active organizers in the music industry, Jyad el Murr busies himself with his Instruments Garage, two music stations, and a host of concerts and musical events.