One of my favorite interviewers is Christopher Lydon. His "Open Source Radio" program is always on when I'm bashing away in the kitchen. Lately he's been travelling around the middle east interviewing an assortment of amazing people. This week he's in Beirut, one of my favorite cities and has interviewed Barbara Massad, a great cook, writer and photographer. Simply put and shaped by Lebanon's ages old and chronic instability Barbara's premise is to "make food and not war" and that pretty much sums up everything I think about regarding the importance of food in our lives. Listen here.
The thing about the cooking of places like Lebanon is that it comes out of need and what's currently available. It's not about trendy notions, it's about what's in the garden or in the pantry (the mouneh) and a celebratory moment to honor the fact that life is ephemeral. Our first recipe here at F-cking Carrots will be the archetypal Hummus.
