I'm not going to start writing about the situation in Lebanon. I'm no expert, and I have zero on-the-ground experience to draw from. I'll leave the writing to the seasoned pros--or at least the celebrity chefs.
Anthony Bourdain is not really one of my favorites, but he has done a great service with this article on Salon.com. (If you're not a subscriber, you may have to watch a short ad to read the story. Watch it. It's worth it.) Here's an excerpt:
They were so proud of how far they'd come, how much they'd survived, how different and sophisticated Beirut was now. They spoke of all the things they had to show us, the people we had to meet. Significantly, the word "Syria" was still spoken in slightly hushed tones. Speaking too long, too loud or too harshly of their former occupier, it was suggested, could still get you killed. (An outcome not without precedent.) We walked along the road leading to a cordoned-off area by the St. George Hotel, where Bardot, Monroe and Kim Philby had once played -- back when Beirut was called the "Paris of the Orient" without a hint of irony. The buildings in the area were still in ruins, a roof torn off, the old hotel -- under construction when the targeted blast that killed Hariri occurred -- still empty. The Phoenician, across the street, which had also been destroyed, had recently been completely rebuilt. A modern hotel like any other, but they were proud of that too. Because, like Beirut, it was still there. It was back.
Like I said, I'm not even going to get into this myself. But please, read the story. It's better than anything else I've read or heard on the subject.