Guest post by DaveM
This week Lebanon’s New TV reported:
Basil El ‘Areedii (reporter): “It’s an everyday dish which is on every Lebanese table and even tables all over the world, especially as it’s entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest dish of hummus in the world with a weight of 2,000 kg. This took place during the ‘Hummus and Tabbouleh are Lebanese’ festival organized by the Manufacturers League, Food Manufacturers’ Union, Chamber of Commerce and international companies.
Chef Ramzi: “Today we broke the hummus world record previously held by Israel. We have set a new, Lebanese, record at 2 tonnes 65 kg. This proves that Hummus is 100 percent Lebanese. And tomorrow we will set a new world record for [the largest] tabbouleh, which Israel also currently holds, and we will set a new world record for Lebanon. For we will not let Israel invade our kitchens and steal our recipes.”
Basil El ‘Areedii: “The festival has returned to Lebanon its official right to manufacture hummus, and the world record included the plate which was manufactured in Lebanon, made to very high technical specifications with it’s own internal cooling system.”
Fadii Aboud (president of the Manufacturers’ Association): “Unfortunately the official interest is still scant and still on the lips [not written or officially stated] as in ‘blah blah blah’. This is an issue which we should take seriously, and should be in the industry ministry, the tourism ministry, and the economy ministry, of course. And there should be an office in Belgium which specializes in European issues. We could have become members of the World Trade Organization, this work we’ll do five days a week.
“So this issue must be taken seriously because it’s [the nation’s] resources.”
Basil El ‘Areedii (reporter): “And Lebanon is working on registering hummus with the European Union via presenting a complete file which documents the first time hummus was made was in Lebanon. This with the goal of recovering hummus’s identity and preventing Israel from using it.”Abrahiim Al Halabii (vice president of the People’s Movement): “Undoubtedly the matter isn’t a matter of hummus and tabouleh per say. The issue, as I have said, is that the struggle has reached this point where it’s not enough for Israel to take the land, and attempt to wipe out a culture. It’s [got to the point where it has] even reached these simple issues.”
Man at exhibition: “We will resist with tabouleh and hummus! Not just with the resistance [Hezbollah].”
Woman at exhibition: “It’s 100 percent Lebanese made!”
Basil El ‘Areedii (reporter): “And after Hummus comes tabouleh’s role, from within the same festival in central Beirut, in the Guinness Book of Records.“Some Orientalists believe that the roots of the Arab-Israeli ,or Jewish, struggle goes all the way back to the origins of making beans and hummus. And after centuries of the ideological struggle and decades of the military struggle– what hummus and earthenware has done has proved its ability on confronting the Israeli invasion of Lebanese kitchens.
“As for the victory of the Lebanese industry counter attack, it’s still in need of official help in the security council of food. Basil El ‘Areedii, New TV”
Hezbollah’s TV station Al Manar contributed with this piece proclaiming “Lebanon Marks New Victory on Israel with Largest Humus Plate Ever”:
Lebanon was set on Saturday to set a new world record and mark a new victory on Israel by preparing a two-ton plate of Humus (Chick-pea), thus beating an Israeli record two years ago when the Zionist entity prepared an 800kg plate of this pure Lebanese appetizer.
All the while these guys are making a big song and dance over pulses, over in the “Entity” they’ve been doing this.
