#kanefeh

[ask-pakistan]

Sabah knocks on his door and smiles, “Ramadan Mubarak, habibi!” She says cheerfully while holding out a plate of kanefeh. (Ramadan Kareem to the mun as well ^^)

@ask-aph-lebanon

//I’m having an art block so im sorry if it turned out messy or smh , also again i apologize if i butchered any of the dishes , i just wanted to draw food for once as well

Also your character was fun to draw.

[palestinesummerencounter-blog]

PSE 2013 KICKOFF: NABLUS

Marhaba and hello from Bethlehem, Palestine! We have just begun the second session of the 10th annual Palestine Summer Encounter. Our first trek outside of Bethlehem was to Nablus, the city of sweets and refugees. While many people in the Middle East know Nablus for its specialty dessert, kanafeh (a sugary, cheesy piece of heaven), it is also home to Balata, the largest refugee camp in the Occupied West Bank.

We started our trip off by visiting Jacob’s Well, a Christian holy place. The well is in the heart of an Eastern Orthodox monastery close to Balata Refugee camp. Jacob’s Well is remembered as the place where Jesus broke cultural taboos when he asked a Samaritan woman to give him a drink of water. This interchange between a Jewish man and a Samaritan woman was culturally radical, both in Jesus’ time and today. We met a priest who has fallen victim to many acts of settler violence in the past few years. Settler violence is a major problem for those living in and around Nablus. In fact, just over a week ago, settlers burned 300 olive trees outside of Nablus. It is interesting to see that after thousands of years, racism has prevailed in Nablus, despite Jesus’ message of equality.

We walked from the monastery to Balata Refugee Camp, the first refugee camp witnessed by many of our participants. Balata was established in 1950 as a temporary refuge for Palestinians living in Jaffa. As the years passed and the Right to Return was not granted, the cluster of tents evolved into narrow, concrete housing. While the geographic perimeter of the camp has remained the same since 1950, the population has grown, leaving the camp densely populated. We listened to stories of life in Balata today and life in Balata during the First and Second Intifadas, where many of the houses were destroyed. We then visited Balata’s Women’s Centre that works to empower the women of the camp. Among other things, they provide workshops and occupational training, a place to sell handmade goods, and childcare during the summer with children’s summer camps.

We then walked through the Old City of Nablus, a place that overwhelms the senses. We smelled whiffs of freshly baked bread, spices, meat being butchered, and of course, kanafeh. Nablus is also known for its olive oil soap industry, so we visited an old factory to learn about how the soap is made. We then visited an old Turkish Bath, or Hamam, which is a remnant of the Ottoman rule, and is still in use by many locals. Later we visited the Samaritan community of Kiryat Luza on Mount Gerizim. Many of us were unaware that the Samaritans of the Old Testament are still around today. We learned about their history and traditions, which relate most closely to Judaism, despite the fact that the two groups have clashed for centuries. The Samaritan community resided in Nablus proper until the violence of the First Intifada caused them to flee to Mount Gerizim. Today the Samaritan community overlooks Nablus and neighbors the Israeli settlement of Har Brakha.

We ended our first PSE trip by indulging in some piping hot kanafeh. After seeing the reality of life in Nablus for those who are refugees or victims of settler violence, it was nice to take some solace in the sugary treat.