Lebanon Crisis Diet (clip)

I have always been super fascinated
at humans ability to adapt.

We are so good at holding onto
the things that make us,

you know, who we are.

But if there's anything
that can throw a wrench at that idea

is probably 2020.

But you do have to admit,

it is pretty awesome
seeing people globally,

just sort of figuring out
new ways to survive.

Let's just take a second, as an example,
and we'll get Lebanon.

But I'm going to warn you,

If you're a vegetarian,
this is probably going to be rough.

CRISIS DIET

(Matthew) Since October 2019,

Lebanon has been on the verge
of economic collapse.

The revolution will happen!

(Matthew) For months, protesters filled
Beirut streets,

demanding an end to the government
corruption they blame for inflation,

soaring unemployment
and unaffordable food prices.

The pandemic only made
the situation worse.

Now, this crisis upon a crisis
is even changing

the way Lebanese people eat.

(Marher) We need to start
slaughtering in a bit.

(Matthew) How long have you
been doing this job?

(Marher) I've been a butcher
since I was twelve years old.

(Matthew) For the Lebanese people,
meat is very important in their diet.

- (Maher) Of course.
- (Matthew) You eat a lot of meat.

(Maher) We're very used to meat.
Let's say we have meat almos every day.

The economy collapsed.

So the people can't afford
to eat meat anymore.

I'm one of the people
in the butchery business

who hasn't had sheep in a month.

(Matthew) Really?

(Maher) It used to be
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday,

I sell three to four lambs every week.

Then we started bringing two, then one.

Then I stopped bringing it altogether.

It's too expensive
and doesn't sell enough.

(Matthew) Anxiety about money
has never been higher,

meaning for many Lebanese,
meat is now only for special occasions.

Like today,

when Muslims are preparing
to celebrate Eid al-Adha,

the feast of the sacrifice.

(Maher) Praised be to Allah,
who allowed butchering.

Allah is the greatest.

(Matthew) Traditionally,
that sacrifice is a sheep,

butchered based on Islamic law
to be halal.

For outside the butcher shop,

these guys try to make a run for it,

but, unluckily for them, they were caught.

(Matthew) You slaughter it like that
to make it [permissible,] right?

(Maher) It's all [permissible.]

You say, "In the name of Allah,"
to express the good intentions

of the person making the sacrifice.

(Matthew) Is it still alive?

(Maher) Five minutes. OK.

(Matthew) I'm going to become vegetarian.

(Maher) Yes, the sight of blood...

But it's normal.

(Matthew) But it's a good thing
that one eats meat

knowing where it comes from.

This is it.

This is the filet.

(Matthew) Families like the Rida,
who can still afford a lamb for the holiday,

are paying double
what they did for sheep last year.

- Hello.
- Hi, how are you?

- Now it's all here.
- All of it is in the bags.

We will distribute all of these now.

The family that butchered the sheep
takes a ration.

Some for their relatives
and the rest for the poor.

(Matthew) So you've changed
the way you cook

because of the economic situation?

(Tharwat) Sure.

We started eating more vegetables,
which is healthier.

- We saw this lamb this morning.
- Yeah.

It was moving.

Yeah, it was alive.

Yummy. It's delicious.

How's your Eid this year?

There's no Eid this year.
We haven't felt it.

- Why?
- I mean,

- because of the situation.
- There's no happiness or joy.

(Matthew) A 100% increase
in the poverty rate

means life is changed for most in Beirut.

(Chef Antoine) Hello.

(Matthew) Even for Antoine El Hajj,

a celebrity chef who's hosted his own
daily cooking show

for the last 30 years.

Yeah, and actually just go to
my worry analogies will carry

me to do, people carry in

our body,

but they can additionally it will match
back to live. Nearly had to look around

and let me yeah. Headquarter
on Olivia. I'm sorry.

It going bye-bye.

Lebanon's, dire situation
got even worse in August.

When a massive explosion in
Beirut killed more than 190 people

caused billions of
dollars in property damage

and destroyed the country's largest port.

Lebanon, had depended on that
port to bring an 80% of its food

that Reliance on imported food had already
driven some people to find Solutions

Beyond just switching
their diets. I'm going like

I think more than 100 types of
foods such as trees, avocados.

Mongo's,

Carrie Manhattan was a cafe on her Beirut

before closing up his shop
and returning to his hometown.

My decision to come back was.

Merely for just security.

I found that really futile to try to seek

a flow of income

so I can use that and
come and spend it on food

while I can actually just grow my own.

So here's my lab, that's a sample
of the things we process in stock.

I Clans cucumbers and
matter because some herbes.

I don't believe a lot
of people are content.

They're not satisfied. And they want
to continue affording meat and chicken

almost on a daily basis, which is
so unhealthy and it's abnormal.

The system is setting us up for
failure and they're stretching it out

as much as possible. They're
milking us to the last penny.

I really fear for the future. I don't
think we have a bright future coming.

You don't have a choice either. You
sit and you fight or just migrate live.