Olive Branch and The Fig Leaf

We eat so much processed food in America. You never really know what the hell you’re getting. I think it’s all grown in giant hot houses in New Jersey. We can get all kinds of fruits and vegetables whether they are in season or not. That’s not a good thing really. In the mountains of Lebanon, you step foot outside your house and you are standing in Fruit and vegetable heaven. Lately I’ve been doing drawings like this one where I pick up whatever is on the ground where I am staying and draw it. This was no hot house in New Jersey. One day Yun and I were taken to the very top of this mountain in Lebanon. In the middle of nowhere was an outdoor restaurant. It was quite cold. There was only a thatched roof. The place held like 500 people. I never saw anything like it before and I’m sure I never will. There was endless rows of very long tables. A herd of goats were perched on the side of the cliffs. I looked up and saw a steak knife stuck into the bark of a tree right above our table. Basically we were the only people eating at the restaurant. There was 25 waiters smoking water pipes and staring at us. I’m not sure what really goes on at this place when the two tourists aren’t there.