961 Hours in Beirut (and 321 Dishes That Accompanied Them)

In spring 2018, writer Reiko Sekiguchi came to Beirut to write a book about a city that survived war. She didn’t know that a year later mass protests would begin in Lebanon. Her book is a blend of travelogue and gastronomic chronicle: she describes the tastes and dishes of Beirut and meets local residents. The author emphasizes that food can be a way for people to communicate. The text also carries a sense of foreboding about an upcoming catastrophe—one that soon happened in the city.