Marcia, my bride of 34 years, and I have traveled to Beirut, Lebanon to join in the graduation ceremony at the American University of Beirut with our son, Adam. He has completed his bachelor term of study here over the past 2-½ years. AUB stands on its record as one of the finest educational opportunities in all of the Middle East. Of the 1,600 graduates today, however, only a couple of the listed surnames show a non-Middle East genealogy, with Adam being the very white skinned fellow with the shoulder-length fire-red hair, born of the Cornish WASP lineage.

He has been our child with the longest wings, and has ventured the furthest from home, as he has studied in Germany, Spain, and now the Middle East. Our other two children have also studied abroad for extended tours of educational duty. It seems as if our kids want to put Dodgeville in the rear view mirror and see how small they can make the dot. But, this was part of our plan: to teach them how to fly, and leave the nest they did.

But to live and work in war torn Lebanon? Of course, we were concerned for Adam. Especially, when the fighting and running gun battles during the early summer of 2008 happened on the street where he lives. Or, as in the summer of 2006, when the Israelis and Hezbollah fought to a bloody draw, Beirut itself was bombed. Fortunately for us, when a political compromise for the government of Lebanon appeared on the horizon several weeks before our scheduled departure this summer, we finalized our decision to travel, to a firm yes. Off we went. The United States Government lists Lebanon as one of the ten countries in the world where a USA citizen is cautioned not to visit. It joins the list that includes Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, North Korea and the like.

Tiny Lebanon has a tortured history of consecutive invading and conquering armies. Dating back to the Phoenicians, beginning some 20 centuries BC, to the Persians, then the Greeks with Alexander the Great, the Romans, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Turks, and continuing to today, with present-day conflicts as outlined in the current newswires, has had its culture shaped and reshaped by those varied forces. And if that great mixing caldron had not wrought enough social upheaval through the various armed invasions, consider Lebanon’s social structure mixture today, akin to oil and water attempting to stay homogenized. This is where the various religious and ethnic and economic factors are matrixed in a giant Rubric’s cube, working every day towards a guardedly optimistic future, within present-day Lebanon.

Today, this is one amazing place. It has been in the past, too, as others have discovered it long before our visit. Before the civil war of the 1970’s and 80’s wreaked havoc across the country, Beirut was known as the Paris of the Middle East. Certainly today, a good bit of that splendor has yet to be polished and regained from the glow of yesterday. But, make no mistake; this is a place of genuinely warm, family encompassing, and socially tolerant people that love their home and will welcome you, even as an obvious stranger from the United States, with open, hospitable arms.

Yes, there is graft and corruption in the government, as the locals will tell you, but here in Lebanon the people feel safe to make their voices heard in opposition to the outside powers that be. Similarly to our home in the States, where maybe the mafia or a gang will whack one of the opposition, the same can be found in Lebanon. Make no mistake however; many of the political families here have had one or more of their relatives murdered. Sadly here in Lebanon, born out of the slums of hopelessness and callow youth, the hate mongers of social anarchy can seed their cancers of killings and social unrest, feeding their attempt of accumulation of power. The number of those seeded events may be statistically small, but the result undermines a society’s ability to thrive. We have seen similar situations in every corner of the globe, sadly, even within our society in the United States. That too easily metastasized scourge lives around the edges in the human condition, everywhere.

These stories of Lebanon’s woe, as recounted above, are what the newswires will love to tell you. And it is all true. But, like too many of our so-called politically spun news opinion programs, all the truth has not been included. So, let me tell you of what I have seen, tasted, and observed about Lebanon’s people.

Lebanon is teeming with life. There is a strong desire of its people to live a good life, in peace with their neighbors, and to prosper in a democratic, capitalistic society. This was repeated to me again and again by everyone I had an opportunity to meet. The Lebanese know that they have problems, but they are spending their money and human treasure to bet big on the future here.

Paradoxically, the cost of living here can be quite expensive. Continuing to today, the cost of an apartment in Beirut could be more expensive than in Paris, France. Still today, many of the 15 million Lebanese that live somewhere else in the world send money home from afar to support their families here. This is in a country that only numbers about four and a half million currently. Many are building new condos and apartments in countless high-rises in a new construction boom, in anticipation of securing their own home or anchor when they return to visit, work, or retire.

Andreas, a young German national we met, says it costs more to buy a drink at nightclub here than it does at his home in Berlin, Germany. An upscale meal in Beirut will cost about what it would in the States. But, travel away from the city a bit, and the costs of living can be much lower. A tourist dollar will go at least twice as far here as in the States. For example in Byblos, north of Beirut on the Mediterranean coast, we found a restaurant in overlooking a local marina and castle built by the Crusaders in the background, that featured a fine French inspired meal for four, along with a couple of excellent locally produced wines, only set us back $55.00. Also, the US dollar is an accepted form of currency, as almost any merchant can make change that may mix and match Lebanese currency with greenbacks in the same exchange. Want to stay a night in a nice family run motel, right on the Mediterranean, around the archeologically rich city of Byblos? The total cost is only $30 total, for the suite.

A favorite memory of the trip was in Tripoli, about 60 miles north of Beirut. The Moukaddem family, after living in the States for 20 years, have returned home to build that city’s finest restaurant, Nara Por Favor. They specialize in their own preparation of Lebanese and American dishes.

Not only was the food outstanding, but the after-dinner smoke from a traditional Hookah water pipe, which contained a sweet grape tobacco, was excellent. All this was dwarfed by the warm welcome with which the family surrounded us.

Perhaps our too-short visit to Lebanon was summed up by a late night visit to a nightclub where the guests were dancing the Tango. The setting could have been lifted out of a Bogart and Bacall movie from the wartime 1940s.

Adjacent dining rooms surrounded a ceramic tiled dance floor. The lights were low, but spotlighted the energy being generated. Here was a collection of nocturnal revelers that were exquisitely dressed in the proper fashion gliding to and fro with the distinctive beat of Spanish music. The haute culture in this arena had the men in open silk shirts and tucked-in skin-fitting dark pants and dance shoes. The ladies were dressed in form-fitting dresses that featured spaghetti straps and leg cutouts that revealed more than the high-heeled shoes which added to the suggestive flow of the enchantment. The evening was hot, even at this late hour, but the dancers were not fazed or rushed or wearied. The expression of life’s energy and possibilities for the future was not deterred. And so it is with all of Lebanon.

Copyright by Alan Jewell 2008

Alan Jewell is a grain farmer in Southwest Wisconsin.  He has been honored four times as having one of the best-managed farms in the United States.  Alan works with producers and processors, specializing in marketing and hedging their production.  He is a featured speaker at many events involving the Agriculture community.  He can be reached at 608.935.2596 and aljewell@mhtc.net.

These series of articles teach and discuss the interlocking tools of the marketplace. This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell but merely a current market bulletin provided by Alan Jewell.  Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor do they purport to be complete.  Alan Jewell or The Midwest Farm and Livestock Directory assume no responsibility with respect to any statement, nor with respect any expression of opinion herein contained.