In 1970 I spent Thanksgiving in Beirut, Lebanon. At that time it was called the "Paris of the Middle-East" and that was a reasonable assertion. There were shops, movie houses, theaters, and even pool halls. The people were cheerful, optimistic, cosmopolitan, and friendly. I was a college student at the time visiting with fellow students and we wandered the streets having a marvelous time and stopping, every now and then, to purchase a schawarma from a street vendor. These marvelously savory lamb sandwiches were absolutely addictive and we must have consumed five or six of these apiece in the four days we were there.

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