Since October, over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed and 2 million have been displaced in Gaza by the Israeli military. 100% of Gazans are facing food insecurity and widespread famine is just around the corner. International aid, food, water, medicine, and fuel all face blockades of getting into Gaza by Israeli forces. The relentless bombing by the Israeli military and disregard to human life on an already occupied territory has shocked the world and has violated international laws that were in place to protect humanity from such atrocities in the first place. 

While Life & Thyme is not in the business of reporting news, we are in the business of providing context about the world—good and bad—through food and the voices from the food space. 2 million Palestinians are starving and are food insecure—food and the accessibility to it will play a role in nearly every conflict, social issue, and humanitarian catastrophe. 

To give context to this moment, our founder Antonio Diaz chatted with Chef Fadi Kattan who grew up in the West Bank of Palestine and operates the restaurant Fawda in Bethlehem. When he is not cooking, he speaks on behalf of Palestine’s culinary heritage while sharing stories about the growers, foragers, and cooks that have shaped his motherland. 

“We live in a context,” Fadi tells us in regard to living in Palestine. Our interview with Fadi is an attempt to gain an ounce of perspective of life in Palestine from someone who bombards people with hospitality and care.