Photo: Doaa Elkady • Food Styling: Jason Schreiber • Prop Styling: Paige Hicks. Photo: Doaa Elkady • Food Styling: Jason Schreiber • Prop Styling: Paige Hicks
While Christmas is an annual highlight for many people around the world, naturally in Bethlehem, it is something extra special. It can feel like the little town is always building up to this holiday. But these days, someone important is missing: my grandmother. Teta Julia truly loved Christmas, an occasion for so many things that she cared deeply about: flavorsome food, generous hospitality, charitable giving, the preservation of traditions, and, of course, big family get-togethers.
My grandmother Julia was the principal inspiration for my passion for cooking as a boy. I spent a lot of time at her house, absorbing her busy daily routine. There would always be enticing smells and a frenzy of activity in the kitchen as meals were prepared, often for guests. Meanwhile, farmers would call directly at the front door to offer their seasonal specialities: ripe prickly pears, watermelons from Jenin, fat courgettes (zucchini), and finger-length aubergines (eggplant) from Battir.
Scouts marching along Star Street in Bethlehem for the Procession of the Patriarch. (Photo: Elias Halabi, Courtesy Hardie Grant) (Courtesy Hardie Grant Books)
The days started early, and often by 10 in the morning, my grandmother would be patiently waiting on the terrace for a friend to attend an event at the Arab Women Union, where she was one of the founders. To my delight, women coming to see
