Qifa Nabki
Service Taxis
Kishk, Awarma, Apples, and Hashish
View from a ’72 Benz C250 series, no. 6 I went out for dinner last night with some family visiting from out of town and a few friends. We piled into a service taxi heading down Hamra Street and gave the cabbie the address. As the old Benz lurched its way down towards the sea, … Continue reading
Sheikh Nadim, Abu Laymouneh, and the Mother of all Battles
View from a ’72 Benz C250 series, no. 5 It took all of thirty seconds to determine that Abu Georges, the driver of the white ’78 Peugeot with the immaculate interior, was a perfect candidate for a piece in this series. We were rumbling down the hill in Achrafieh on a cool spring night, and … Continue reading
Deadline Nears for Lebanese Voter Registration
View from a ’72 Benz C250 series, issue no. 4 “Three quarters of the people who get into my cab think the elections will be called off for ‘security reasons’.” I’m in a taxi, heading from Mar Mikhael to Hamra. “Really?” “Yes. What do you think?” “Me?” I ask, even though there’s no one else … Continue reading
Martyrs & Broken Bones
View from a ’72 Benz C250 series, issue no. 3 Last night, I took a taxi from Gemmayze to Hamra. The driver seemed to be in his 40’s, and he wore a smart felt cap and a wool sweater vest. A little wooden cross dangled from the rearview mirror. As we drove past the tens … Continue reading
A Lebanese Cabbie on the Christian Reconciliation
View from a ’72 Benz C250 series, issue no. 2 I took a taxi from Hazmieh to Ras Beirut yesterday evening. The cabbie, a polite 50 year-old man from Achrafieh, engaged me in a discussion of Christian politics and the much-discussed proposed “reconciliation” between the various Christian zu’ama’‘. He explained to me that he was … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…