0:00:02.097,0:00:05.210
I have always been super fascinated[br]at human's ability to adapt.

0:00:05.210,0:00:08.699
We are so good at holding[br]onto the things that make us,

0:00:08.699,0:00:10.150
you know, who we are.

0:00:10.150,0:00:13.442
But if there's anything that[br]can throw a wrench in that idea,

0:00:13.442,0:00:15.247
it's probably 2020.

0:00:15.247,0:00:16.819
But you do have to admit,

0:00:16.819,0:00:19.752
it is pretty awesome [br]seeing people globally,

0:00:19.752,0:00:22.217
just sort of figure out[br]new ways to survive.

0:00:22.217,0:00:25.235
Let's just take a second, as an example,[br]and we'll get Lebanon.

0:00:25.235,0:00:26.669
But I'm going to warn you,

0:00:26.669,0:00:29.512
if you're a vegetarian, [br]this is probably going to be rough.

0:00:30.423,0:00:33.895
CRISIS DIET

0:00:34.300,0:00:36.247
(Matthew) <i>Since October 2019,</i>

0:00:36.247,0:00:38.845
<i>Lebanon has been on the verge [br]of economic collapse.</i>

0:00:38.845,0:00:40.528
The revolution will happen!

0:00:40.528,0:00:43.520
(Matthew) <i>For months,[br]protesters filled Beirut streets,</i>

0:00:43.520,0:00:46.688
<i>demanding an end to the government's[br]corruption they blame for inflation,</i>

0:00:46.688,0:00:48.038
<i>soaring unemployment,</i>

0:00:48.038,0:00:49.853
<i>and unaffordable food prices.</i>

0:00:50.547,0:00:52.567
<i>The pandemic only made[br]the situation worse.</i>

0:00:55.529,0:00:58.191
<i>Now, this crisis upon a crisis</i>

0:00:58.191,0:01:00.382
<i>is even changing[br]the way Lebanese people eat.</i>

0:01:08.615,0:01:11.053
(Maher) We need to start[br]slaughtering in a bit.

0:01:11.448,0:01:13.870
(Matthew) How long have you[br]been doing this job?

0:01:13.870,0:01:16.594
(Maher) I've been a butcher[br]since I was twelve years old.

0:01:16.594,0:01:19.433
(Matthew) For the Lebanese people,[br]meat is very important in their diet.

0:01:19.433,0:01:21.318
- (Maher) Of course.[br]- (Matthew) You eat a lot of meat.

0:01:21.318,0:01:22.737
(Maher) We're very used to meat.

0:01:22.737,0:01:24.321
Let's say we have meat almost every day.

0:01:24.321,0:01:27.225
The economy collapsed.

0:01:27.655,0:01:30.728
So the people can't afford[br]to eat meat anymore.

0:01:30.728,0:01:32.560
I'm one of the people [br]in the butchery business

0:01:32.560,0:01:33.767
who hasn't had sheep in a month.

0:01:33.767,0:01:34.890
(Matthew) Really?

0:01:34.890,0:01:36.891
(Maher) It used to be [br]Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday,

0:01:36.891,0:01:39.354
I sell three to four lambs every week.

0:01:39.694,0:01:42.973
Then we started bringing two, then one.

0:01:43.195,0:01:44.745
Then I stopped bringing it altogether.

0:01:44.745,0:01:46.607
It's too expensive[br]and doesn't sell enough.

0:01:47.543,0:01:50.148
(Matthew) <i>Anxiety about money [br]has never been higher,</i>

0:01:50.148,0:01:54.147
<i>meaning for many Lebanese[br]meat is now only for special occasions.</i>

0:01:54.597,0:01:55.717
<i>Like today,</i>

0:01:55.717,0:01:58.434
<i>when Muslims are preparing[br]to celebrate Eid al-Adha,</i>

0:01:58.434,0:01:59.918
<i>the Feast of the Sacrifice.</i>

0:01:59.918,0:02:02.530
(Maher) Praised be to Allah, who allowed[br]butchering. Allah is the greatest.

0:02:02.530,0:02:04.822
(Matthew) <i>Traditionally, [br]that sacrifice is a sheep,</i>

0:02:04.822,0:02:06.938
<i>butchered based on Islamic law[br]to be Halal.</i>

0:02:06.938,0:02:08.318
(Maher) Run away.

0:02:08.318,0:02:12.155
(Matthew) We're outside the butcher shop [br]and these guys try to make a run for it

0:02:12.155,0:02:14.449
but, unluckily for them, they were caught.

0:02:14.749,0:02:15.995
(Maher) Put it up, please.

0:02:17.219,0:02:20.536
(Matthew) You slaughter it like that[br]to make it [permissible,] right?

0:02:20.536,0:02:21.865
(Maher) It's all [permissible.]

0:02:21.868,0:02:24.358
You say, "In the name of Allah,"[br]to express the good intentions

0:02:24.358,0:02:26.483
of the person making the sacrifice.

0:02:26.483,0:02:27.749
(Matthew) Is it still alive?

0:02:27.749,0:02:29.531
(Maher) Five minutes. OK.

0:02:31.017,0:02:32.887
(Matthew) I'm going to become vegetarian.

0:02:32.887,0:02:34.877
(Maher) Yes, the sight of blood...

0:02:34.877,0:02:36.051
But it's normal.

0:02:36.051,0:02:38.571
(Matthew) But it's a good thing[br]that one eats meat

0:02:38.571,0:02:40.577
knowing where it comes from.

0:02:49.539,0:02:50.469
This is it.

0:02:51.538,0:02:53.103
This is the filet.

0:02:53.849,0:02:55.479
(Matthew) <i>Families like the Rida,</i>

0:02:55.479,0:02:57.820
<i>who can still afford[br]a lamb for the holiday,</i>

0:02:57.820,0:03:00.424
<i>are paying double[br]what they did for sheep last year.</i>

0:03:01.014,0:03:03.307
- Hello.[br]- Hi, how are you?

0:03:03.307,0:03:06.972
- Now it's all here.[br]- All of it is in the bags.

0:03:06.972,0:03:09.332
We will distribute all of these now.

0:03:10.801,0:03:14.809
(Tharwat) The family that butchered[br]the sheep takes a ration.

0:03:15.119,0:03:17.614
Some for their relatives[br]and the rest for the poor.

0:03:17.982,0:03:21.111
(Matthew) So you've changed [br]the way you cook

0:03:21.111,0:03:24.050
because of the economic situation?

0:03:24.050,0:03:25.562
(Tharwat) Sure.

0:03:25.562,0:03:30.337
We started eating more vegetables,[br]which is healthier.

0:03:35.051,0:03:37.985
- We saw this lamb this morning.[br]- Yeah.

0:03:37.985,0:03:39.435
It was moving.

0:03:39.435,0:03:41.115
Yeah, it was alive.

0:03:41.684,0:03:43.947
Yummy. It's delicious.

0:03:44.514,0:03:47.196
How's your Eid this year?

0:03:47.196,0:03:49.937
There's no Eid this year.[br]We haven't felt it.

0:03:49.937,0:03:51.641
- Why?[br]- I mean,

0:03:52.490,0:03:56.582
- because of the situation.[br]- There's no happiness or joy.

0:04:00.292,0:04:02.997
(Matthew) <i>A 100% increase [br]in the poverty rate</i>

0:04:02.997,0:04:05.316
<i>means life is changed for most in Beirut.</i>

0:04:05.316,0:04:06.451
(Antoine) Hello.

0:04:06.451,0:04:08.049
(Matthew) <i>Even for Antoine El Hajj,</i>

0:04:08.049,0:04:10.720
<i>a celebrity chef who's hosted[br]his own daily cooking show</i>

0:04:10.720,0:04:12.117
<i>for the last 30 years.</i>

0:04:12.117,0:04:14.206
(Antoine) We'll first be cooking[br]cowpeas curry.

0:04:14.206,0:04:16.425
We're cooking this dish[br]for the first time.

0:04:16.425,0:04:18.711
You're all used to chicken curry,

0:04:18.711,0:04:20.829
but you're not used to cowpeas curry.

0:04:21.533,0:04:24.514
(Matthew) How much have Lebanese kitchen[br]changed since the coronavirus

0:04:24.514,0:04:25.769
and the economic crisis?

0:04:25.769,0:04:29.193
(Antoine) Since the beginning [br]of the coronavirus, it's changed a lot.

0:04:29.193,0:04:31.476
The Lebanese people like meat, [br]including myself.

0:04:31.476,0:04:33.185
I really liked meat.

0:04:33.185,0:04:34.953
But it's been more than four months now,

0:04:34.953,0:04:36.919
and I've eaten kibbeh[br](minced meat-stuffed dough) only once.

0:04:36.919,0:04:41.476
And it's impossible for me-- after hosting[br]a daily TV show for 30 years,

0:04:41.476,0:04:43.754
which everyone watches.

0:04:43.754,0:04:45.949
These people now can't afford[br]an ounce of meat,

0:04:45.949,0:04:47.936
then I come and work with a kilo of meat.

0:04:47.936,0:04:49.298
It just doesn't make sense.

0:04:49.298,0:04:53.814
On the contrary, I want to be helping out[br]with the crisis we're facing here.

0:04:53.814,0:05:00.995
That's why we're using recipes [br]that are good and appropriate,

0:05:00.995,0:05:03.105
and at the same time affordable.

0:05:03.105,0:05:06.925
Today, we made green pea curry, [br]ma'amoul with walnut,

0:05:06.925,0:05:08.945
and ma'amoul with dates.

0:05:08.945,0:05:10.527
Today's show has ended.

0:05:10.527,0:05:15.412
We'll see you in future episodes,[br]always on Télé Liban.

0:05:15.412,0:05:16.217
Goodbye.

0:05:19.693,0:05:23.174
(Matthew) <i>Lebanon's dire situation[br]got even worse in August</i>

0:05:23.174,0:05:27.498
<i>when a massive explosion in Beirut[br]killed more than 190 people,</i>

0:05:27.498,0:05:29.944
<i>caused billions of dollars[br]in property damage,</i>

0:05:29.944,0:05:31.908
<i>and destroyed the country's largest port.</i>

0:05:32.694,0:05:36.440
<i>Lebanon had depended on that port[br]to bring in 80% of its food.</i>

0:05:36.955,0:05:39.122
<i>That reliance on imported food</i>

0:05:39.122,0:05:41.816
<i>has already driven some people[br]to find solutions</i>

0:05:41.816,0:05:43.690
<i>beyond just switching their diets.</i>

0:05:43.690,0:05:47.643
(Karim) I'm growing like,[br]I think more than 100 types of foods--

0:05:47.643,0:05:50.998
citrus trees, avocados, mangoes...

0:05:52.059,0:05:54.779
(Matthew) <i>Karim El Hassan [br]was a cafe owner in Beirut</i>

0:05:54.779,0:05:58.241
<i>before closing up his shop[br]and returning to his hometown.</i>

0:05:58.241,0:06:00.831
(Karim) My decision to come back was...

0:06:02.122,0:06:05.038
merely just for security.

0:06:05.794,0:06:08.653
I found it really futile to try to seek...

0:06:09.793,0:06:11.492
a flow of income,

0:06:11.492,0:06:14.891
so I can use that [br]and come and spend it on food,

0:06:14.891,0:06:17.338
while I can actually just grow my own.

0:06:19.713,0:06:20.890
So here's my lab--

0:06:20.890,0:06:23.839
That's a sample of the things[br]we process on stock.

0:06:23.839,0:06:28.514
Eggplant, cucumbers, [br]and mekti pickles, some herbs.

0:06:29.234,0:06:31.533
I don't believe[br]a lot of people are content.

0:06:31.533,0:06:33.585
They're not satisfied

0:06:33.585,0:06:36.447
and they want to continue [br]affording meat and chicken

0:06:36.447,0:06:38.426
almost on a daily basis,

0:06:38.426,0:06:40.958
which is so unhealthy and it's abnormal.

0:06:40.958,0:06:43.018
The system is setting us up for failure,

0:06:43.018,0:06:46.455
and they're stretching it out [br]as much as possible.

0:06:46.455,0:06:49.187
They're milking us to the last penny.

0:06:49.584,0:06:51.035
I really fear for the future.

0:06:51.035,0:06:54.353
I don't think we have[br]a bright future coming.

0:06:54.353,0:06:55.315
You don't have a choice.

0:06:55.315,0:06:57.483
Either you sit and you fight,

0:06:57.483,0:06:59.361
or just migrate, leave.