Ramadan is usually a festive season, welcomed by Muslims on all four corners of the globe. This year, however, it cast a long dark shadow over the people of Lebanon, who dreaded the thought of having to feed their families with a proper meal for thirty-days in a row. Most simply, could not afford it.
It no longer feels nor smells like Ramadan in Beirut. Gone are the delicious smells of Levantine cuisine flowing from the open windows of families in Hamra, Basta, and Zoukak al-Blatt. Down are the big tents that hosted festive musical suhoors, once a prime attraction of the Lebanese capital during the Holy Month.