Laurence

Un petit mot pour dire que je vais quitter le Liban le 26 juin 2010 et retourner en Suisse avec ma fille Léa. Les restos vont beaucoup me manquer et ce fut une expérience humainement riche. Malgré la barrière de la langue que je n’ai malheureusement pas eu le temps d’apprendre, des liens affectueux ce sont liés avec certaines personnes qui fréquentent le resto. Je remercie BASSMA de m’avoir permis, de vivre ces instants de partage. Je vous souhaite bonne continuation dans votre engagement et espère qu’un jour où l’autre nous aurons l’occasion de nous revoir...


Maria Sarraf

Between Lazy B., Yarze’s swimming pool and its delicious ice cold Jellab, shopping for hand made clutches at ABC and eating Sultan Ibrahim at Mandaloun sur Mer, I thought my summer vacation in Beirut this year should have another meaning.
So I braved Achrafieh’s heat and walked into Bassma’s Resto Sourire in Gemmayze. La Tabkha had just delivered two huge pots of "Riz a Djaj" (Rice and Chicken) with bread. There was no time to ask questions, as around 30 elderly people were sitting and waiting to be served. Some were from the area; others had walked for an hour to get there. For some, it would be the only meal of the day, for others, a few days. I was busy trying to serve equal portions in white round plastic plates, as another volunteer was distributing them. Towards the end, an old lady walked towards me with a small Tupperware, asking if she could have seconds for her children at home...
There are the creative, delicious restaurants, and those that serve "Riz a Djaj" on plastic plates. Both are fantastic. Both are in Gemmayze and both are part of Lebanon."
Maria Sarraf is a Sr. Environment Economist at the World Bank, living in Washington DC.