Lebanon

Introduction:

This labor day was almost a dud. I had the great displeasure of dealing with AT&T's lack of internet technicians. They scheduled an appointment for me every day since Friday, I waited around, but no one showed up any of those days: with a total wait time of 18 hours. My husband had to log into work for at least four hours some time this weekend, but since I had no internet, we could not do this from home. So on Monday, Arvind and I went to my dad's house to use his internet.

My dad lives in Dearborn, Michigan. This might be the best place to get Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food in the U.S. It has the highest number of Muslims in the U.S. Many of these people are from Lebanon.

Earlier that weekend, my husband had begged me to get him Middle Eastern food. Since one of us had to wait at home for the internet technician who never actually showed up, he told me to get it while he stayed home. I refused, because I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could. (As some of you know, I don't actually live in the same state as my husband). Instead, I told him we could go together some other night. So after Arvind was done with his work on Monday we decided to eat out at a Middle Eastern Restaurant.

Food:

One of my favorites that are near my dad's house is La Pita. I had first gone there with my Dad and Step Mom several months ago. This is where Arvind and I decided to go after he was done with work.

The restaurant itself is decorate with traditional Persian Style lamps and drapes, creating an exotic ambiance. When I had gone last time with my parents, I had gotten Hummus with shawarma.

For this meal Arvind and I started with Rice stuffed grape leaves, and Batata Harra, a fried potato dish that was very good if you love garlic. For the main course I got Chicken Kafta, and Arvind got Kafta Kabob, which is made with minced lamb. The flat bread hear is absolutely awesome. It is warm and salty, and covered with sesame seeds. The lentil soup that is one of the side options is also quite tasty, and the almond rice that comes as a side dish is also excellent.

Most of the food we purchased we ended up coming home with us. Arvind was so excited about getting good Middle Eastern food, that he got much more then we could both eat.

More on Lebanon:

Lebanon is one of the countries that boarders Isreal. More then half of the population practices Islam, but there are still many people that practice some form of Christianity. While the official language in the country is Arabic, the French have had heavy influence in the area due to colonization, so many people from Lebanon speak French. (Hence why the name of the restaurant I ate at was "La Pita" instead of "Al Pita".

The Lebanese Civil war broke out in 1975 and continued until 1990. During this time many Lebanese fled to Europe and the United States. This was especially true of Christians who had been persecuted.

When I was living in Peoria, Arvind and I lived next door to an older Lebanese Couple. I once asked them how they met, and they told me that they were first cousins, but they told me that in Lebanon that was normal. They also told me that they had to take a blood test before they got married to check the likelihood of their close genealogy causing defects in their children. If certain things had showed up in their blood, they would not have been allowed to marry.

They left the country near the start of the war. Unlike many others that came here to the states, they had not been forced out. They simply left, but I was told that life was getting more and more difficult and at a certain point it just did not make sense to stay.

Movie:

My favorite movie from the war is “Waltz with Bashir”. This eye catching animation follows Ari Folman an Israeli veteran of the First Lebon War. Realizing that after 20 years his memories of the battles of Lebanon are hazy at best, Folman seeks out his fellow soldiers to interview them, many of whom are still haunted by what they witnessed so many years ago. The interviewing opens up Folman's own memories of the horrors that he was a part of, making him question what really happened to him.

Work Cited:

Folman, Ali. "Waltz with Bashir" Copyright: 2009.

La Pita: http://www.lapitadearborn.com/. Retrieved: September 2, 2014

Lebanese Flag. website: https://www.google.com/searchq=lebanese+flag&rlz=1C1CHWA_enUS600US600&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_0sGVK2jHY7AggTtsYDgDA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=667. Retrieved: September 2, 2014. 

"Lebanon". Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon. Retrieved: September 2, 2014.