Jasmine and Fire: A Bittersweet Year in Beirut [ラフカット] [ペーパーバック]

I chose this book from the long list of Vine products because I was intrigued by its title, "Jasmine and Fire," which seems to encapsulate Beirut, a city of sharp contrasts. I found Salma Abdelnour's account of her return to the city of her birth to be a page turner, which easily lives up to the promise of its title's striking imagery.

"Jasmine and Fire" is guaranteed to whet your appetite, both for travelling to Beirut and for sampling its food, on which the author lingers in delicious detail. Her prose is so vivid that even if you have never visited Lebanon (which I have not), you can see the city through her eyes and share her experiences as, month-by-month, she explores the city's colorful neighborhoods, dodges its chaotic traffic, and, most importantly, dines with family and friends, whether at intimate suppers or at elaborate feasts.

Best of all, she finishes the fascinating account of her "Bittersweet Year" with authentic recipes: Zingol (Chickpea & Bulgar Soup; Hrisseh (Cinnamony Lamb Soup); Fattoush (Tomato, Mint & Pita Salad--a favourite of mine that used to be served by the Lebanese Sisters when I was living in Rome); Baba Ganoush (Eggplant Dip); Hummus (Chickpea puree); Eggplant with Yoghurt; Tiss'ye (Spiced Chickpeas with Yoghurt & Pita); Harrak Osb'oo (Lentils with Tamarind and Pita); Kibbee 'Arass (Lamb Meatballs stuffed with Pine Nuts and Onions); Shish Taouk (Skewered Chicken Kebabs); Toum (Garlic Sauce); Atayef (Sweet Dessert Pancakes); Mouffataka (Sticky Rice and Pine Nut Cake).

Salma Abdelnour will not only keep you reading until the end, but she will also set your taste buds dancing.

Enjoy!!!

I was excited to see this in the Vine selection as I love anything that has recipes in a book; love to read thoughts about people in different cities and people exploring the different cultures of this interesting planet that we live on. This book is a bit of a let-down in several ways. First, I don't have the patience to sit and read about every single thought that pops into the author's head as she sets out for the day, and secondly, it is boring in spots. If I have to skim over a book just to see if there is something worthwhile to read ... it's not going to be a keeper in my own library.

I love memoirs. I really do. I picked this one up because I really wanted to know what it is like to live in Beruit, Lebanon. I love food and love reading about different cultures. This book is a bit of a disappointment because there's no connection between the author and food. All she did in the book I've managed to read so far is describe her meals with many different people. After awhile, those parties tend to blur in my mind and nothing sticks out.

This is more a diary than a book. After awhile, one tends to zone out when she starts mentioning another time about her worries about whether or not she will have a future with Richard, her boyfriend back in the States; whether or not she'll have children; whether or not she'll settle down ... and on and on. Like another reviewer here mentioned, this book could use serious editing and maybe in its final print it is all cleaned up and polished like the writer she is.

It is an ok book, not my favorite and not the worst one out there. If you like to read about food and different cultures, you might enjoy this one.

5/15/12

Home is where your heart is, so the old saying goes. But what if, by virtue of fate and war, your heart is divided between a pair of cities in countries separated by oceans, continents and cultures? This is the question author Salma Abdelnour ponders with absorbing style and wistful grace in her new book, "Jasmine and Fire: A Bittersweet Year in Beirut."

Born in the States to Lebanese parents, then raised while young in Beirut before civil war forced her family to return to America, Abdelnour always felt slightly out of place as a child in Houston, a student in Berkeley, and an adult in New York. Nonetheless, she forged an admirable career as a writer and editor in New York, including stints as travel editor of "Food & Wine" magazine, food editor of "O, The Oprah Magazine," and restaurant editor of "Time Out New York." Her writing has been featured in publications such as the "New York Times," "Food & Wine," "Travel + Leisure," and "ForbesLife," and she has appeared on travel and food segments for CNN, CNBC, and the Fine Living Network. And yet all the while, a piece of her heart always tugged at her from Lebanon, making her wonder what she would feel if she were to leave New York and return to Beirut decades after her family fled the war. Not to return for a week or two as she had visiting family on vacations past, but to return to one of the world's most unpredictable cities and live there for an entire year. Would Beirut feel like the home, wherever and whatever that may be, from which she felt somewhat unmoored since she was a girl? Or would the incessantly chaotic but undeniably fascinating city prove to be only a capricious Lothario unworthy of permanently harboring her heart? With the considerable courage required for an unmarried woman in her late thirties to live alone in a turbulent society long dominated by unrepentant male chauvinism, Abdelnour packed her bags and committed to a year of living, if not dangerously, at least cautiously, in Beirut between the summers of 2010 and 2011.

With eloquence, passion and a keen eye for detail, Abdelnour explores the joys and turmoils of looking for home. In addition to the book's engrossing and well-written story in that regard, "Jasmine and Fire" will certainly satisfy fans of expert travel writing. It will also please food aficionados -- at the book's end, the author includes a section containing a dozen classic recipes for tantalizing Middle Eastern dishes, making it fair to say this is a very good book that will appeal to all its readers' senses.