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Jasmine and Fire: A Bittersweet Year in Beirut, by Salma Abdelnour
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As Beirut exploded with the bombs and violence of a ruthless civil war in the ’80s, a nine-year-old Salma Abdelnour and her family fled Lebanon to start a new life in the States. Ever since then— even as she built a thriving career as a food and travel writer in New York City—Salma has had a hunch that Beirut was still her home. She kept dreaming of moving back—and finally decided to do it.
But could she resume her life in Beirut, so many years after her family moved away? Could she, or anyone for that matter, ever really go home again?
Jasmine and Fire is Salma’s poignant and humorous journey of try-ing to resettle in Beirut and fumbling through the new realities of life in one of the world’s most complex, legendary, ever-vibrant, ever- troubled cities. What’s more, in a year of roiling changes around the Middle East and the rise of the Arab Spring, Salma found herself in the midst of the turmoil, experiencing it all up close.
As she comes to grips with all the changes in her life—a love left behind in New York and new relationships blossoming in Beirut—Salma takes comfort in some of Lebanon’s enduring traditions, particularly its extraordinary food culture. Through the sights, sounds, and flavors of a city full of beauty, tragedy, despair, and hope, Salma slowly begins to reconnect with the place she’s longed for her entire life.
- Sales Rank: #1273103 in Books
- Published on: 2012-06-05
- Released on: 2012-06-05
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x .70" w x 5.36" l, .56 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 336 pages
Amazon.com Review
Q&A with Salma Abdelnour
Why did you want to move back to Beirut, in your 30s, after spending your adult life in the U.S.?
I felt it was my last chance, in a way, to figure out why Beirut was still on my mind, why it kept nagging at me after all these years. My family had moved to the States when I was 9 years old, but part of me had never really left Beirut. I had this recurring sense of being a foreigner in America, an outsider, even this many years later. In my late 30s, I was enjoying my life and journalism career in New York and had rekindled a romance with an ex-boyfriend, but it dawned on me that if I didn't come to terms with Beirut now, and scratch the itch to move back and try to live there again, it might soon become difficult or even impossible to do that—for instance if my on-again off-again relationship in New York was going to lead to marriage, kids, and a deeper commitment to stay in the U.S. long-term. If I hoped to ever move back to Beirut again, it would have to be now or possibly never.
Why does Beirut as a city hold such an ongoing fascination and mystique, both for those who have never visited before and for those who know it well?
Beirut is one of the world's most complex, beautiful, messed-up, endlessly dramatic cities. It combines a stunning setting along the Mediterranean with a thumping nightlife, a diverse and sophisticated population, ancient historical sites dating all the way back to ancient Rome-- and a tendency to always be on the verge of total chaos. Lebanon seems to be in the news all the time, for one reason or another, so Beirut stays top of mind--and for every person who thinks "It's too dangerous there! I can't go!" there must be at least three people who think "What a fascinating place. I must visit!" Beirut as a city has so many layers and nooks and crannies that even locals can never fully wrap their heads around it. In the year I spent there in 2010 and 2011, and in my childhood before that, I never managed to run out of things to see and do in Beirut.
How might readers be surprised by the scenes of daily life in Beirut now?
I've gotten all kinds of questions about what life in Lebanon is like nowadays, and that's made me realize how intriguing and also mysterious the country can seem. These are some questions I've heard recently:
"Are women allowed to drive there, or are they forbidden to, as in Saudi Arabia for instance?"
Yes, women are allowed to drive. Not only that, women are some of the most fearless drivers on Beirut's crazy streets.
"Do women have to cover up, in a veil or hijab?"
No. Lebanese women often wear some of the most stylish, skin-baring outfits in the world. But many do cover up. Lebanon has a very diverse mix of religious sects, mostly Christian and Muslim but with nearly every iteration of those. You'll notice every imaginable combination of outfits on the Beirut sidewalks: from the most fashionable, the skimpiest, the outrageously daring, to the most conservative and covered-up.
"Does Lebanon have all the modern conveniences, or is there more of a rural, old-world lifestyle?"
Lebanon has everything, all at once. The Lebanese are just as obsessed with the latest gadgets and apps as Americans are, and Beirut has ultra-modern architecture and the hippest fashions and nightlife. At the same time, because of political corruption and ongoing infrastructure problems, electricity and the internet are very unreliable in Lebanon, and it often takes forever to send an email or download a video. But Lebanese lifestyles vary around the country. Life in many villages outside Beirut is still rural and traditional--the exact opposite of manic fast-paced Beirut--and that can be incredibly refreshing, and also jarring at times. You wonder, "Is this really the same country?"
What role does food play in your personal and professional life, and how did food impact your search for home in Lebanon?
Whenever I take walks, or travel, in any city in the world, I always have some kind of food adventure in mind. That's been the case for as far back as I can remember, and since long before I became a food and travel writer for a living. Hunting down a specific bakery I've heard about, or a particular dish or street-food vendor, gives me something to do when I'm traveling or just walking around, and gives me a way to connect with a place I'm discovering or rediscovering. It's an excuse to wander off on a quest, to interact with a city and its people, and of course to treat myself to something delicious or fascinating in the process. I've been addicted to food adventures much longer than I've been an enthusiastic cook--I came to cooking later in the game--and through a stroke of luck I've managed to make a living off this lifelong food obsession.
When I moved back to Lebanon, I found myself doing just what I do in New York or anywhere else: Going off on long walks, around a city or a village, often with a food-related endpoint in mind. The walks and the food adventures I went on in Beirut and smaller villages in Lebanon helped me find my way around, geographically and, in a way, emotionally too. Some dishes I came across reminded me of key moments of my childhood--a life I'd had to abandon in a hurry when we escaped during the civil war--and certain foods made me feel soothed, taken care of, welcomed in, especially during rocky times when I wondered whether my move back to Beirut was a horrible idea.
Did moving back to Lebanon make you define your identity differently--for instance, did it make you realize you're ultimately more "Lebanese," or more "American"?
The move back to Lebanon made me think about and confront questions of identity in new ways--but that's not to say I have a definitive answer now, or ever will. Both the Lebanese and the American identities, however you define them, are complex and diverse and hard to pin down, and in many ways I claim both at the same time. But living in Lebanon also brought me into closer contact with the kinds of identity issues that continue to divide and define and threaten the Middle East, if not the entire world. In Lebanon, people are always trying to pry into your family identity, to figure out whether you're Christian or Muslim, and what sect. My family is Christian although I don't specifically identify that way, but in Lebanon you don't so much choose how to define yourself religiously or non-religiously. People tend to define it for you: It's all about your family and background. My boyfriend is Jewish, from Boston, and when we visited each other in Beirut and New York last year, we found ourselves debating, more than ever before, issues of identity and politics and how they affect the Middle East, not to mention America and the world.
Review
“Salma Abdelnour writes with grace, intelligence and wit about what it means, in this day and age, to call a place home. Jasmine and Fire gives readers the lucky chance to follow this foodie writer on a raconteur’s moveable feast from Houston to New York to Beirut and back again. This is the perfect summer book for vacations virtual and real. Just be sure to pack a snack, you don’t want to read this book hungry.” -- Veronica Chambers, author of The Joy of Doing Things Badly and Mama’s Girl
“This is a sweet, heartfelt book by a writer who finds herself both insider and outsider at the same time. Salma Abdelnour beautifully evokes the mood of the city she left as a child and the memories brought back by its wonderful food. A delicious read!” --Moira Hodgson, author of It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time
“Salma Abdelnour captures the flavors of Beirut - the familiar mixed with the exotic - in her year-long search to rediscover her culture, with recipes that will let you experience the sublime flavors of Lebanese cooking...no matter where you are.” --David Lebovitz, author of The Sweet Life in Paris
“A year in Beirut allows Salma Abdelnour to ponder everything from family and love to loneliness, home, and the strategy necessary to consume several extraordinary meals in one day. Frank, contemplative, and confiding, Jasmine and Fire makes for a delicious and absorbing investigation of a fascinating place.” --Michelle Wildgen, author of You're Not You and But Not For Long
“Jasmine and Fire takes readers on an unforgettable journey to home, family, and identity. Along the way we’re also treated to glorious meals, political analysis, and some stirring reflections on the nature of becoming a global citizen. Salma Abdelnour is a wonderful host to a region that so many readers long to understand and connect with on a newer, more profoundly meaningful level.”-- Diana Abu-Jaber, author of Birds of Paradise and The Language of Baklava
“Abdelnour brings her skills as a travel and food writer to this delightful look at Beirut life from the perspective of a native daughter returned after a long stay in America.” – Booklist
“A piquant mix of memoir travelogue and culinary adventure…A multilayered portrait of a complex, chaotic, and contradictory city.” – Publisher’s Weekly
“[A] page-turning account of Abdelnour’s return to her home city, which her family left in the 1980s to escape war-ravaged Lebanon for the U.S. But the grape leaves and eggplant fateh have to share room on the table with a quest for self-discovery, reconnecting with family and friends, and navigating the rippling effects of the Arab Spring. It's an unlikely recipe for a great book, but Abdelnour's diary-like tale is gripping, in large part because she's so honest. The book should come with a warning: "Do not read while hungry — especially if you like hummus." – Food Republic
“In Jasmine and Fire, Salma traces the challenges and triumphs she experienced in the process of rediscovering a place (and a past) she had always longed to access. Whether reveling in the pleasure of a perfect cup of strong Arabic coffee or contemplating the meaning of “home”, she chronicles and interprets her year’s events with disarming sincerity and generosity of spirit.” - Indagare
About the Author
Salma Abdelnour is a writer and editor based in New York City. She has been the travel editor of Food & Wine, the food editor of O, The Oprah Magazine, and the restaurant editor of Time Out New York.
Most helpful customer reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
Really enjoyed learning more about Lebanon
By nashvillegirl
I absolutely love reading stories about living in foreign countries, and I've never known a lot about Beirut or Lebanon, so I was really looking forward to receiving this book. I found it to be a pleasant, very interesting read about a place that has not gotten a lot of positive attention during my lifetime.
The author and her family fled Beirut for Houston, TX when she was a young girl. In her late 30s, after visiting Beirut several times, the author decided to move back for a year while deciding whether or not to live there permanently. What follows is her description of that year - her experiences trying to break into the social culture, the things that had changed since she had been gone, her efforts in exploring the areas of Beirut that she had not visited as a child, discussions of the politics, culture, history, and food of the country, and finally, her feelings about leaving behind a serious love interest in New York City so she could pursue this dream.
The author's writing is beautiful - at many places in the book, I really felt I could see the scene she was describing or taste the food she was sampling. I really liked learning so much more about Beirut and Lebanon in general; the book really gave me a sense of what it is like to live over there. It also inspired me to buy a book of photographs of the country and to put it on my list of places to go someday. The author has a great gift of weaving in the cultural and historical information in her day-to-day life, which is not always an easy feat with these types of books. However, I did find the book to be a little slow-moving and I didn't read it as quickly as I usually do. It may be because it feels slightly more like a journal than a narrative.
Recommended for anyone who likes travel memoirs, living abroad, or has an interest in the Middle East.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
Tempting and evocative: I had to stop reading to go visit our Lebanese delicatessen
By Herblady22
Although I've known many Lebanese ex pats and had heard Beirut described as once being the "Paris of the Mideast", my own impression of the city was as a substantially bombed out and abandoned place. Salma Abdelnour set me straight: Beirut is a hustling, captivating, maddening, beautiful city where there still is a bombed out Holiday Inn and undercurrents of religious violence, where deep male chauvinism coexists with thoroughly modern women and strong family life.
Salma's parents lived in the Hamra neighborhood of Beruit in a building full of friends and relatives near the Corniche promenade where women in string bikinis and women in full hijab share the beaches. Hamra is a multi-ethnic, tolerant neighborhood, sounding like a Mediterranean Park Slope with more apartments and better beach access. When Salma was 9, her parents tired of air raids and impending violence moved to Texas, intending to return in a year or so when violence had quieted down, but remaining in the US. Salma however always felt torn from Lebanon and a bit of an outsider. In her 30s, ensconced in New York with a career as a freelance food writer and with a rekindled romance, Salma decided to return to Beruit for a year to see whether she still belonged and would want to remain. Her parents had never sold the apartment so she had somewhere to live, her freelance work could be done anywhere there was an (even slow)internet connection and she spoke fluent Arabic. She sublet her apartment in New York and went to see whether she could go home again.
As a single woman in her 30s in a culture that promotes early marriage, she found it somewhat difficult to adjust to family social prejudices, yet had many young friends and relatives to go out clubbing with. She found an internet cafe with good coffee and a funky atmosphere where she could work. After a few months in the international atmosphere of Beirut, a visit to Egypt at the dawn of the Arab Spring, she consciously expands her visits to rural areas in the north and Palestinian camps to the south. This is indeed a beautiful land but with huge contrasts, and areas that can only be visited by Lebanese citizens due to military concerns.
Abelnour is a food writer, and she sensuously and evocatively portrays the food in her environment from Eid Iftar feasts with her aunt to Easter feasts with a full roast goat. (Her family is mostly Marionite Christian but there are Muslim friends and relatives.) Even Thanksgiving is adopted with roast turkey but also a dessert called "m'hallaya, a milky and slightly sour cheese based custard sprinkled with orange blossom nectar and crushed pistachios" and a phyllo cake made with chunky Damascus apricots.
After having had my tastebuds tantalized for enough time that I ran down to our local Lebanese deli looking in vain for man'ouche or eggplant fatteh, but settling on more common mideastern fare. But my fate was not to be bereft of the aromatic cuisine she so sensually describes. At the end of the book Abelnour includes recipes for Zingol (Chickpea & Bulgar Soup; Hrisseh (Cinnamony Lamb Soup); Fattoush (Tomato, Mint & Pita Salad); Baba Ganoush (Eggplant Dip); Hummus (Chickpea puree); Eggplant with Garlic Yoghurt; Tiss'ye (Spiced Chickpeas with Garlic Yoghurt & Pita); Harrak Osb'oo (Lentils with Tamarind and Pita); Kibbee 'Arass (Lamb Meatballs stuffed with Pine Nuts and Onions); Shish Taouk (Skewered Chicken Kebabs); Toum (Garlic Sauce); Atayef (Sweet Dessert Pancakes); Mouffataka (Sticky Rice and Pine Nut Cake). As someone who has enjoyed making middleastern food for over 40 years, but somehow missed several of these (and don't see them here in Brooklyn, home of all manner of exotic food), I ended up with some heaven to take with me after a fascinating book.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
A Mouthwatering Visit to Beirut!
By F. S. L'hoir
I chose this book from the long list of Vine products because I was intrigued by its title, "Jasmine and Fire," which seems to encapsulate Beirut, a city of sharp contrasts. I found Salma Abdelnour's account of her return to the city of her birth to be a page turner, which easily lives up to the promise of its title's striking imagery.
"Jasmine and Fire" is guaranteed to whet your appetite, both for travelling to Beirut and for sampling its food, on which the author lingers in delicious detail. Her prose is so vivid that even if you have never visited Lebanon (which I have not), you can see the city through her eyes and share her experiences as, month-by-month, she explores the city's colorful neighborhoods, dodges its chaotic traffic, and, most importantly, dines with family and friends, whether at intimate suppers or at elaborate feasts.
Best of all, she finishes the fascinating account of her "Bittersweet Year" with authentic recipes: Zingol (Chickpea & Bulgar Soup; Hrisseh (Cinnamony Lamb Soup); Fattoush (Tomato, Mint & Pita Salad--a favourite of mine that used to be served by the Lebanese Sisters when I was living in Rome); Baba Ganoush (Eggplant Dip); Hummus (Chickpea puree); Eggplant with Yoghurt; Tiss'ye (Spiced Chickpeas with Yoghurt & Pita); Harrak Osb'oo (Lentils with Tamarind and Pita); Kibbee 'Arass (Lamb Meatballs stuffed with Pine Nuts and Onions); Shish Taouk (Skewered Chicken Kebabs); Toum (Garlic Sauce); Atayef (Sweet Dessert Pancakes); Mouffataka (Sticky Rice and Pine Nut Cake).
Salma Abdelnour will not only keep you reading until the end, but she will also set your taste buds dancing.
Enjoy!!!
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