Category Archives: Blog

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Ethiopia to check out the volatile political situation on the ground — and what I found was widespread discontent, fear, and despair. While visiting the Red Terror Martyrs’ Museum in Addis Ababa and surveying its somber display of martyrs’ skulls from the Derg regime, I couldn’t help but think of all the Ethiopian protestors recently imprisoned and killed. A number of Ethiopians confided in me that they believe the ongoing violence could lead to a genocide similar to the one that occurred in neighboring Rwanda. Earlier today, Angela Merkel signaled support for Ethiopia’s protesters while visiting Addis Ababa under the recently declared state of emergency. She said: “In a democracy there always needs to be an opposition that has a voice – in the best case in parliament.” If serious steps are not taken soon to address the legitimate grievances of the Ethiopian protestors, there will be much more blood shed throughout the country for a long time to come.

On this World Mental Health Day, I am giving thanks for my experiences of raising mental health awareness in high schools and universities in the Middle East in Lebanon and Oman. Having put together the first two public events in Lebanon (and by extension the Middle East) produced exclusively by young people with mental illness, I have been very touched and inspired by the young and brave mental health advocates with whom I have worked. But there is more work to do and we are just getting starting — greater mental health awareness is sorely needed in Oman and beyond.

Here’s a useful article if you live in the Arab world — 7 tricks (superstitions) to keep the ubiquitous evil eye at bay.

I feasted on yummy French toast & eggs at D’Arcy’s Kitchen in Muscat after an early morning (6:30!) mountain hike.

I found all kinds of curiosities today at Bahla Fort in Oman — was quite an adventure exploring its towers and rooms.

I was amazed this morning by the impressive size of Bahla Fort — the long view from the parking lot is astounding!

Acting legend Vanessa Redgrave recently made her Beirut debut in the performance piece “A World I Loved” based on the memoir of Wadad Makdisi Cortas, the mother of Mariam Said (widow of postcolonial scholar and Palestinian advocate Edward Said). This feminist narrative is a meditation on and documentation of gender and education in the Middle East, the complexities of Arab identity, and the erasures of colonialism. While I was well-schooled in postcolonial literature before moving to Lebanon (having done a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University under Homi Bhabha), it was a true education to spend time with Edward Said’s family in Lebanon and hear about his life and ideas from his relatives first-hand. I have treasured every moment that I have spent in the company of Edward Said’s sister, Jean Said Makdisi, in Beirut. One of my favorite memories of living in Lebanon was being at her home and chatting until 3 am with her, director Peter Sellars, and other friends about classical music, theatre, opera, Middle Eastern politics, Palestine, and the refugee crisis. Whenever I assign Edward Said’s writing for my students, I like to also include excerpts from Jean’s memoirs (Teta, Mother, and Me: Three Generations of Arab Women and Beirut Fragments). Perhaps it would be wise to add A World I Loved: The Story of an Arab Woman too.

While doing a private cooking class in Ethiopia, I had the joy of making my own injera from scratch. Injera is a yeast-free, gluten-free flat bread made from teff flour. As you can see from the photos above and below, my first attempt at making injera went a bit astray — the batter splattered too much on the top.

Regardless of its strange shape, I felt so proud of my first injera while watching hundreds of bubbles form as it cooked. Taking the injera off of the heat proved just as difficult as pouring the batter in a perfect circle.

But practice makes perfect, and my second injera was significantly better than the first. My Ethiopian cooking teachers were proud of my steep learning curve — we all celebrated with cheers when it emerged without splatter.

After cooking the injera and shiro, I had the delight of tasting them in tandem. Since I am addicted to Ethiopian cuisine, it was a dream come true to make my own injera and shiro in a friendly Ethiopian home. My next task is to cook the same dish at home in the Sultanate of Oman.

When I was in Ethiopia, I was very fortunate to be treated to a private cooking class to learn how to make
shiro — my favorite Ethiopian dish. Shiro is a tasty chickpea stew — I ate it every day that I was in Ethiopia (had to get my fix while I could). While traveling throughout Ethiopia, I ordered the “fasting” menu for lunch and dinner — a colorful medley of vegetarian delights for Ethiopian Christians abstaining from meat and fish on select days.

To make this delectable shiro, we used onions, garlic, butter, berbere and chickpea flour. After our cooking session, it was very rewarding to sit down and taste my own shiro creation (and injera!)! Culinary tourism in Ethiopia isn’t yet a thing — but my tour operator knew how much I love the food there so he helped set up this unique experience for me. Unfortunately, many tourists who visit Ethiopia are afraid to taste the food and eat with their hands — a shame, since Ethiopian cuisine (in my humble opinion) is the best in the world. If you visit Ethiopia, be sure to make a meal out of it — try as many different dishes as you can, and if you’re lucky you might get to cook one too!

Before heading off to the opening night of Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Opera House in Oman this week-end, I enjoyed a relaxing massage at the Chedi Hotel in Muscat. Sipping fennel tea post-massage while feasting on the sea view from the spa’s lounge was the perfect way to relax before encountering Shakespeare in Oman.

It was a lovely surprise to receive roses at the door of the Royal Opera House in Muscat (ROHM) this week-end for the opening night of Romeo and Juliet — the first show of the stellar new season. Such fun to encounter Shakespeare in Oman!

On this World Vegetarian Day, I am missing eating yummy vegetarian food in Ethiopia (I even dreamt last night of shiro — chickpea stew!) and vegan delights at Luna Blanca, my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Mongolia (inside the Buddhist center of Ulaanbaatar).

Ethiopian coffee + popcorn = a perfect night out on the town in Addis Ababa! If you attend a traditional coffee ceremony in Ethiopia, you’ll likely be served popcorn too (maybe even spicy popcorn!). So wherever you are, if you want to get into the Ethiopian spirit, brew up some coffee and enjoy it with popcorn. As I’ve long been interested in the historical links between coffee and Sufism — it was an ecstatic experience to enjoy coffee with friends in the place of its birth.

On this National Coffee Day, I’m giving thanks for experiencing the Ethiopian coffee ceremony in Addis Ababa with friends from around the world…