Leading a project in the midst of revolution is quite a challenge that tests your patience and ability to adapt, that's for sure!
This second week in Lebanon has been difficult. Every day, we worked with the director of the School of the Three Doctors to come up with plans B, C, D, and more! Unfortunately, some partnerships could not be finalized due to security, mobility, or availability issues.
But nothing can stop us!
So we worked together to find solutions to all our questions.
We have some very positive news to share with you!
The first and most important is that yesterday we finally organized a session with our students, who braved roadblocks to join us despite the closure of schools, which has been going on for 14 days. With adults coming to meet them, they collected a number of traditional Lebanese recipes: mloukhieh, kebbe mayye, moussaka, and vine leaves, to name but a few! The Food Heritage Foundation was of course present. We are happy and relieved to have shared this wonderful moment, an intergenerational time full of kindness and curiosity. We all learned a lot!
Since we are leaving again next Monday, we have decided that the research work will be carried out by the school and the students without us, with the support of the Food Heritage Foundation. We will then return for a week with Simon to complete the project by filming the students' work so that they can share it with young people from the six other countries as well as within their own communities.
The second piece of good news is that we had the immense pleasure of meeting chef Youssef Akiki, who has done us the honor of joining the Ursino adventure. We talked at length about culinary traditions, the importance of passing on knowledge, the beauty and richness of the Lebanese countryside, exciting projects, and our shared love of culinary heritage.
Youssef Akiki, chef at Burgundy, has kindly agreed to meet with the students of the École des Trois Docteurs when we return to discuss these fascinating topics with them, and he will accompany us on our journey of discovery through Lebanese cuisine. We are very happy about this!
Chef Youssef Akiki surrounded by Josiane Lerat and Charlotte Courtois, respectively president and founder-coordinator of Konstelacio.
Finally, since Simon joined us on Monday evening, we have some beautiful images to show you. We went to meet Paul and Charbel Bassil from Le Chef restaurant in Beirut. We invite you to join us in discovering the dishes they prepare, typical of traditional Lebanese home cooking, inthis video.
Video: Meet Paul and Charbel Bassil from Le Chef Restaurant
We leave you with some news of the Lebanese revolution, which we are watching with great admiration. After thirteen days on the streets, the Lebanese have won their first battle: they have secured the resignation of the government. The last few days have been intense, and despite several violent raids by anti-revolutionary members of Hezbollah and Amal, the protesters have remained peaceful. On Sunday, tens of thousands of Lebanese formed a human chain from north to south. Every morning since the start of the uprising, large numbers of volunteers have gathered to clean up the protest sites, setting an example of what they want to see in their country... The Lebanese have shown perseverance, pacifism, and incredible unity. This victory is well deserved, and we wish them a future that lives up to their hopes.