Dinner diplomacy and barbecue politics

For three decades, a Malate flat hosted storied gatherings that brought together headline-makers, foreign correspondents, and unforgettable meals, right up to the eve of a revolution

- TIMPLA'T TIKIM SOL VANZI Illustration by MARY ASHLEY SAMSON

For three decades, my husband and I hosted dinners for friends, news sources, and PR clients at our flat in Malate. Invited to these gatherings were personalities who were hogging headlines at the time. Those social events still get mentioned once in a while in nostalgic posts on social media.

Making memories

Those parties were not eat-and-run events; they were planned to be memorable, either by cuisine themes, memorable guest lists, visual entertainment or news "leaks."

An Egyptian-themed dinner in 1979, years before shawarma entered the local scene, featured homemade flatbread, grilled meats and vegetables, tahini, baba ganoush, garlic yogurt, and olives. The wives of Arab envoys praised the menu for being very close to what they had back home.