‘People have no religion or colour for me. They have convictions.’
complex in flavour. In Lebanon the tastes of zaatar, the wild regional thyme, orange blossom and rose water, olives, molasses, tomatoes, figs, grapes and sheep cheeses are unforgettable – these are the ingredients (when in season) that can be found in Souk El Tayeb’s Saturday market in Saifi Village, where local farmers, artisans and producers come together to sell their products. Mouzawak put his keen marketing skills and contacts to use, resulting in Souk El Tayeb receiving funding from USAid, European governments and NGOs, allowing the association to launch a variety of initiatives. With the help of the Swiss government, it publishes a quarterly newsletter – on recycled paper, of course. Souk El Tayeb features a school programme that is designed to raise children’s awareness of healthy food and culinary traditions. It also runs a fledgling bimonthly farmer’s exchange programme, launched this February, which aims to give recognition to small-scale farmers and producers of high quality food, wherever they are. Lebanese farmers and producers will visit other countries and farmers, sharing their experiences. They will stay with their hosts, helping them on the farm, visiting the area and presenting their food in tastings, cookery classes and workshops. They will then, in turn, host farmers from abroad. So far, Mouzawak has established contacts with the Green Market in New York, Galway Market in Ireland, Amsterdam’s Farmer’s Market and markets in Syria and Jordan. A book on farmer’s markets around the world is in the works as well. All, however, is not always rosy. ‘We are building awareness step by step,’ says Mouzawak. ‘Then you have a war or an assassination and you have to start all over again. It’s been extremely difficult but I don’t think about it. I have blinkers like a donkey and I forge ahead. If I didn’t truly believe in it I couldn’t do it.’
The idea that food creates deep social ties in Lebanon is not new, and has been examined in depth by Aida Kanafani-Zahar, a Franco-Lebanese writer and researcher with the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) – notably in a fascinating case study of a village in which women from both Maronite Christian and Shi’ite Muslim backgrounds collaborate with the harvest and other food-related preparations. These social ties are essential to the Souk el Tayeb concept, as is the emphasis on community. Mouzawak, who often hosts representatives from Italy’s Slow Food group when they visit Lebanon (he is a Slow Food board member himself ), is careful to keep his projects local. ‘I want to build locally,’ he says, ‘and to be part of an international network – but to have our own name from Lebanon.’ He is also a staunch supporter of the little people. He is not involved in Lebanon’s healthy wine industry ‘because if they’re already on the international market then they don’t really need us.’ Ditto for companies like Mymoune, which have achieved international success with their natural flower water, jams and dried fruits. Mouzawak has another more ambitious project up his sleeve, which he is about to launch, called Communal Homes of Tradition/Beit Loubnan. These will be centres located in Lebanese villages and regions characterised by traditional arts and crafts, architecture, agriculture and food. The aim is to revive disappearing traditions and provide a wide range of services, such as bed and breakfasts, traditional specialities to be served in restaurants, fresh produce and local crafts. ‘People have no religion or colour for me,’ says Mouzawak. ‘People have convictions. If they have the same conviction, then we can work together.’ __ END www.soukeltayeb.com
March/April 2008 ALEF MAGAZINE 179
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