Almost everyone I know loves Lebanese food. There are a few exceptions though, and I am one of them. Last year I decided I was going to learn to love Lebanese food by making myself eat it. I can't say that I love it all now, but there are definitely things that I like. My first week here several Lebanese from my program took me and some friends out to have Lebanese Mezze. Mezze is basically just a meal made up of a lot of small dishes (that keep coming and coming). Its a great way to get a good sample of a lot of different Lebanese foods. Here are a few pictures from our meal.
First here is the view from our restaurant. It was such a beautiful place!
Most Lebanese meals start with hummus (حمس) and a salad. We had tabbouleh (تبوله), a salad made up of bulgur wheat, tomatoes, parsley, mint, onion, lemon juice and salt. The Lebanese eat tabbouleh wrapped in lettuce or cabbage.
This is chicken liver and a few chicken hearts. The taste wasn't bad but the meat was really soft so I wasn't a fan. The hearts were a little better.
This is fried kibbeh (كبه ), ground meat usually beef or lamb with some spices and fried cheese rolls.
Next comes the raw meat!!! We were severed raw chicken liver, beef, and pieces of fat. I tried it all. I actually liked the beef. I usually eat steak rare so it tasted about the same.
Shrimp. They were kinda cute...and delicious.
Finally we get to dessert and I am already stuffed. For dessert we had an array of fruit: watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, pears, and plums.
I almost forgot...here's a picture of my coke.
We started this lunch around one and I think we finished at four. Haha. We even had a 30 minute break in between dishes. We had A LOT of good food and conversation with some great friends!
