Christmas Fiesta At Al Marej

Al Marej is an organic food store. They are hosting a Christmas party. I've been invited to discuss the Arabic Mouneh. I'm sad that I was not able to print it for this Christmas season. One day or another it will happen. I always have faith. At least I did my "wajbet", meaning duty in Arabic to have it translated (twice)! That's another story...

Terra Madre Changed My Life

Seeing this video (very emotional) makes me realize how important Terra Madre has been to my life, now it's my turn to share this important message with my peers - may the people around me be receptive to it's fundamental ideas and maybe we can all make a difference.

A Taste of Slow

I found this photo while browsing on the net, Slow Food information from all over the world. I'm in love with this one... the color, the message, the romance, the spoon!!!!!!!!! I collect spoons folks! OK, enough. Enjoy. Thanks to the one who shot this beautiful photo, you made my day.

Slow Food Beirut 2.0

Slow Food International is moving towards Slow Food 2.0, stated and repeated in the International Congress at Terra Madre 2012.

Guess what? so is Slow Food Beirut. We've have had our ups and down, to say the least. Regardless, one must move on and look to the future. It is my intention and the one of my peers (we have a wonderful team on board, would you like to be part of it?).

Before going to Terra Madre this year, I made a decision to run for presidency (sounds big) for Slow Food Beirut. Anyone else interested? I am ready. I want to make changes. I want peace. I want positive. My motive is simply to revive the organization and to get more people involved. That's it! I am writing this statement on my blog for everyone to read.

I am grateful to those whom have worked in the past on Slow Food Beirut and continue to do so.

I have a vision and it's purely made of positive thoughts and actions.

ACTION not WORDS. I'm tired of words, I want action for the future Slow Food Beirut 2.0. We are open to everyone and anyone. As long as that entity respects one philosophy: Good, clean, and fair.
Work ethics included of course, and for me the most essential base of all.

Nothing else. I am deeply committed to make this work, but I can't do it alone.

I hope you will get involved, we need you.

Every year, Terra Madre celebrates on the 10th of December it's anniversary. We too are celebrating in Beirut with the opening of a new Earth market in Ashrafieh in partnership with the Earth market in Hamra. The farmers' market will be located in the parking of Dekkenet and Falamanki on Damascus road. We are very grateful to Falamanki and the Dekkenet for giving us the opportunity to have this market open to the public. Mario, you're the best!

For more information: contact slowfood.beirut@hotmail.com

Important official statement from Barbara Massaad (next president of Slow Food Beirut inshallah / Election in January):  I, Barbara Massaad, do not in any way work against anyone or any other organization. I fully encourage all other local markets like Souk el Tayeb and all its producers, Tawlet restaurants (brilliant ideas are born there), and any other organization like Fair trade, IMC, Biomass, Bread Republic, organic food shops and restaurants, etc... (the list is too long thankfully).  We are all working on a common goal. May we all succeed hand in hand, individually maybe but never apart.

Nelly Chemaly ( food activist, presisium leader, interior designer, artist) has written a beautiful letter lately and has given me the permission to publish its content. I hope that this message will make a difference in our future.


Why my presence in Earth & Co.,Souk el Tayeb then Slow Food...?  Whatever name those idealistic enterprises may have. Because I am like you all an idealist.

Why I chose to work with farmers, earth people, (Ahl el Ard), why I chose to be beside Um Ali, to be her sponsor in a way... Because I am an Earth lover by soul.

Why I named our company Earth & Co. and chose to put in our logo people joining hands around the Earth...Because this is what I believe in.

Why I accepted to be a founding member in 2006 of Slow Food Beirut, because I thought at that time that it was for the interest of the farmers/producers.

Why I accepted for a while to be in the producers' committee of Souk el Tayeb, because I thought my presence would make difference for the producers.

All of this is because I believe that the farmers, producers and food communities are essential, primordial. And that they need all the help, appreciation and gratitude they can get.

Our past and present differences and misunderstandings are not their problems, we should not seek to divide but to join our efforts for their sake. We should be interdependent and not divided. We should build upon what is already here: all the great work you have done according to your principles... I don't care what name it is given or who is behind what, even though I adhere with you all...

May God give me the strength to build lots windmills in Lebanon

Stack of Books

A friend on Facebook tagged me yesterday with her book collection. What a pleasure! Thanks Maureen.

Eat Local / Buy Local

I think this makes a lot of sense and yet so many people still buy "gadget" foods from across the world. Wake up folks, look around you. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Buy local foods from people you know who worked hard to make it happen. Shake hands with a producer, your food will taste so much better. Lebanon holds a very rich array of all kinds of goods. You can make simple to very intricate recipes using local production. The world talks about our food, our resources, our ingredients, our culinary heritage. Let's be proud, let's become part of a chain, a local chain!

Declaration on Seed Freedom

Found this photo on Pinterest, I like!

Dr.Vandana Shiva, Slow Food activist and board member of the International Slow Food, has written this important document. It is very inspiring and important,  yet we are moving slowly away from the natural cycle of life into seed capitalism (nothing is spared, not even a little seed). We should reflect on these notions because our future and the one of our children and their children is greatly affected by it.

Declaration on Seed Freedom:

1. Seed is the source of life, it is the self urge of life to express itself, to renew itself, to multiply, to evolve in perpetuity in freedom.
2. Seed is the embodiment of bio cultural diversity. It contains millions of years of biological and cultural evolution of the past, and the potential of millennia of a future unfolding.
3. Seed Freedom is the birth right of every form of life and is the basis for the protection of biodiversity.
4. Seed Freedom is the birth right of every farmer and food producer. Farmers rights to save, exchange, evolve, breed, sell seed is at the heart of Seed Freedom. When this freedom is taken away farmers get trapped in debt and in extreme cases commit suicide.
5. Seed Freedom is the basis of Food Freedom, since seed is the first link in the food chain.
6. Seed Freedom is threatened by patents on seed, which create seed monopolies and make it illegal for farmers to save and exchange seed. Patents on seed are ethically and ecologically unjustified because patents are exclusive rights granted for an invention. Seed is not an invention. Life is not an invention.
7. Seed Freedom of diverse cultures is threatened by Biopiracy and the patenting of indigenous knowledge and biodiversity. Biopiracy is not innovation – it is theft.
8. Seed Freedom is threatened by genetically engineered seeds, which are contaminating our farms, thus closing the option for GMO-free food for all. Seed Freedom of farmers is threatened when after contaminating our crops, corporations sue farmer for “stealing their property”.
9. Seed Freedom is threatened by the deliberate transformation of the seed from a renewable self generative resource to a non renewable patented commodity. The most extreme case of non renewable seed is the “Terminator Technology” developed with aim to create sterile seed.
10. We commit ourselves to defending seed freedom as the freedom of diverse species to evolve; as the freedom of human communities to reclaim open source seed as a commons.

To this end, we will save seed, we will create community seed banks and seed libraries, we will not recognize any law that illegitimately makes seed the private property of corporations. We will stop the patents on seed.

Mouneh Book in Arabic

We are finished! Now all we have is the printing ...

A Book on Lentils

I love books which deal with one subject! Two lovely women, one from Beirut, living in England and one from Italy, also living in England joined forces to collaborate on this magnificent read. The book is written professionally, it shows immediately. You are tempted to try the recipes as you go through the pages. In fact, today I will try one with lentils and farro. Luckily, I have some farro that I purchased in Italy during Terra Madre.

Press Release info: What can happen when Lebanon and Italy are cooking dishes of lentils? From the unavoidable moujaddarah to original recipes such as lentil salad, octopus and celery, an explosion of flavours is guaranteed! With dishes from Lebanon, Italy and elsewhere in the Mediterranean, the Book “Lentils” is a travel album in which Claude Chahine Shehadi and Maria Rosario Lazzati share recipes, memories and cultural characteristics.
From traveling the world from the Mediterranean cuisine and the history of lentil, the authors give us fifty delicious recipes of lentils, between tradition and modern cuisine.

Release: October 2012
Texts: English (a French version is also available)
Format: 23x21cm
ISBN: 9782360860333

Chefs of Lebanon Unite!

Proud to be among these great chefs, God bless each and everyone of you! May you always have energy to cook food from the heart!!!