It’s a rare day when I find myself on the road for work with neither headscarf nor flak jacket — but reporting on the Greek financial crisis was an excellent change of pace. Light clothes, sandals, tap water I could drink, street food I could eat… all without fear of dysentery or gunshots. I had many excellent dishes in Athens, … Read More
An Iftar in Iran to Write Home About
There are only a small handful of advantages to coming to Iran during Ramadan, but there are 2 that really make it worthwhile: First, the notoriously insane 17-21 hour Tehran rush-hour dissipates into thin air and daylight becomes a blessedly calm time to navigate the city, as most people work half-days and are too exhausted to move, choosing instead … Read More
A Forced Lunch with a Rebel Force
As we pulled up to the imposing and beautifully-built government palace, we could hear the faraway booms of Saudi bombs, and the very loud, very near crack-crack-crack of anti-aircraft fire. We were here to interview one of the new leaders of the Houthi rebels in Sana’a, and it suddenly felt like we were in a very obvious target. An untouched … Read More
Street Snack in Yemen: Prickly Pears
It’s a sight common across the middle east — giant flatbed carts full of fruits and vegetables, pushed around by turbaned, and often wizened men, slinging the freshest produce of the season in that particular region. In Afghanistan, you’re struck by white mountains of oversized cauliflower and blood red pomegranates, some cut open to flaunt their juicy insides. And in … Read More
Outside Beirut, Home-Cooked Hospitality
It doesn’t take long to escape the traffic- and dust-clogged streets of Beirut. Just an hour spent bouncing around in the car will get you high into the hills, overlooking the corniche and the coastline, above the congestion and pollution. There you’ll find cedar trees (immortalized on the Lebanese flag), deep valleys and beautiful stone homes perched perilously on the … Read More