{"id":31077,"date":"2014-02-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different"},"modified":"2023-08-11T03:31:12","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T03:31:12","slug":"seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different"},"content":{"rendered":"Lebanon is a country of contrasts: street food joints can often be found adjacent to top-notch luxurious dining venues (case in point: Malek el Croissant is just a few steps away from La Table Fine in Souk Jounieh), beautiful new high-rises soar above century-old facades and a flimsy rule of law governs over general lawlessness and corrupt politics. Depending on how you look at it, this country can be either mind-bogglingly annoying or just delightfully different. I&#8217;ll let you decide.<br \/>  <br \/>  Here are seven things Lebanon does totally different:<br \/>  <br \/>  <b><big><big>1. Assigned Seating<\/big><\/big><\/b><br \/>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-4-250x141.png\" width=\"100%\"><br \/>  (<small><i>Photo via <a href=\"https:\/\/hdw.eweb4.com\/out\/405655.html\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\">hdw.eweb4.com<\/a><\/i><\/small>)<br \/>  <br \/>  Long the epitome of chaos and poor organization, Lebanon is bizarrely the only country I know that requires seat assignments at the movie theater. The usher takes your ticket stub, ceremoniously rips it along the perforated mark, and leads you to your seat. In the Western world, it&#8217;s simply first-come, first-serve.<br \/>  <br \/>  <b><big><big>2. The Pizza and the Pauper<\/big><\/big><\/b><br \/>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-250x167.png\" width=\"100%\"><br \/>  (<small><i>Photo via <a href=\"https:\/\/slice.seriouseats.com\/archives\/2009\/09\/whats-the-new-pizza-hut-stuffed-crust-pan-pizza-like-we-try-it.html\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\">slice.seriouseats.com<\/a><\/i><\/small>)<br \/>  <br \/>  Elsewhere around the globe, Pizza Hut is the symbol of cardboard-box, fast food pizza. In Lebanon though, Pizza Hut has dine-in outlets where the waiter takes your order at the table and serves you one slice at a time to your porcelain plate. Don\u2019t forget the fork and knife! <br \/>  <br \/>  <b><big><big>3. To Queue or Not to Queue, That is the Question<\/big><\/big><\/b><br \/>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-1-250x195.png\" width=\"100%\"><br \/>  (<small><i>Photo via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-2409596\/Britain-loses-patience-queueing-One-admit-hate-standing-line.html\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\">dailymail.co.uk<\/a><\/i><\/small>)<br \/>  <br \/>  Most branches of Liban Post look like crowded third-world airport terminals, and yet Liban Post queues its customers using take-a-number ticket dispensers. Believe it or not, they&#8217;re very obsessive about their system.<br \/>  <br \/>  <b><big><big>4. Discrimination on account of Swim Cap<\/big><\/big><\/b><br \/>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-5-250x167.png\" width=\"100%\"><br \/>  (<small><i>Photo via <a href=\"https:\/\/fancifulnumber2.blogspot.com\/2011\/05\/swim-caps.html\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\">fancifulnumber2.blogspot.com<\/a><\/i><\/small>)<br \/>  <br \/>  Pool and beach don&#8217;t necessarily add up to a carefree, relaxing s\u00e9ance in Lebanon. Don&#8217;t get caught in the pool without your &#8220;bonnet de natation&#8221; or else the ma\u00eetre nageur might fish you out of the water. A head of hair must be neatly tucked inside the spandex hair cap because no one wants to swim in a sea of hairy debris. <br \/>  <br \/>  <b><big><big>5. Rx Overload<\/big><\/big><\/b><br \/>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-6-250x167.png\" width=\"100%\"><br \/>  (<small><i>Photo via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/News\/Lebanon-News\/2013\/Sep-18\/231671-pharmacists-express-alarm-at-attacks-say-one-hour-strike-not-enough.ashx#axzz2tZ2DoKH4\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\">dailystar.com.lb<\/a><\/i><\/small>)<br \/>  <br \/>  The world may have a shortage of health care staff, but not in Lebanon. Pharmacies are a dime a dozen, a mere 300 meters apart in some cities! Best part? Medicine is over-the-counter, and the pharmacist often plays doctor, recommending a drug or ointment based on your symptoms. Elsewhere in the world, a pharmacist&#8217;s role is limited to filling a prescription.<br \/>  <br \/>  <b><big><big>6. Gas Station Royalty<\/big><\/big><\/b><br \/>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-2-250x166.png\" width=\"100%\"><br \/>  (<small><i>Photo via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/Business\/Lebanon\/2012\/Jul-04\/179312-fuel-prices-continue-to-decline.ashx#axzz2tZ2DoKH4\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\">dailystar.com.lb<\/a><\/i><\/small>)<br \/>  <br \/>  Sometimes you feel like you&#8217;re living among animals in Lebanon&#8211;even animals can be more civilized\u2014particularly on the road where people chuck their manners out the window. But pull up to a gas station and you&#8217;re suddenly royalty, as the attendant zips over to your car, pumps your gas, and even squeegees your windshields, all as you sit proudly on your throne. How&#8217;s that for special treatment?<br \/>  <br \/>  <b><big><big>7. The Mystery of Getting Your Vehicle Inspected<\/big><\/big><\/b><br \/>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-3-250x160.png\" width=\"100%\"><br \/>  (<small><i>Photo via <a href=\"https:\/\/al-shorfa.com\/en_GB\/articles\/meii\/features\/main\/2012\/06\/21\/feature-02\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\">alshorfa.com<\/a><\/i><\/small>)<br \/>  <br \/>  The &#8220;mecanique&#8221; experience is often more ruthless than an equivalent smog check anywhere else in the world. The staff is uber fussy about visibly-painted plate numbers, head and rear lights working, and absolutely no smoke spewing out of the exhaust. It&#8217;s amazing anyone passes, really. So how is it that our roads are congested with swarms of dilapidated, polluting, and plate-less junkyard cars?    <figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" data-id=\"446121\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-250x167.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-446121\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-250x167.png 250w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"195\" data-id=\"446123\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-1-250x195.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-446123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-1-250x195.png 250w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-1-600x468.png 600w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-1.png 634w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"166\" data-id=\"446125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-2-250x166.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-446125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-2-250x166.png 250w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-2.png 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"160\" data-id=\"446127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-3-250x160.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-446127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-3-250x160.png 250w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-3-600x384.png 600w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-3.png 650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"141\" data-id=\"446129\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-4-250x141.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-446129\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-4-250x141.png 250w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-4-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-4-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-4-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-4-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-4.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" data-id=\"446131\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-5-250x167.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-446131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-5-250x167.png 250w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-5-600x400.png 600w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-5-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-5-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-5-1536x1024.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-5.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" data-id=\"446133\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-6-250x167.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-446133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-6-250x167.png 250w, https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-6.png 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><\/figure>    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lebanon is a country of contrasts: street food joints can often be found adjacent to top-notch luxurious dining venues (case in point: Malek el Croissant is just a few steps away from La Table Fine in Souk Jounieh), beautiful new high-rises soar above century-old facades and a flimsy rule of law governs over general lawlessness and corrupt politics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":446135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_preview_accessed":0,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"media-embed-type":[],"class_list":["post-31077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-listomania"],"authorship":[174],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lebanon is a country of contrasts: street food joints can often be found adjacent to top-notch luxurious dining venues (case in point: Malek el Croissant is just a few steps away from La Table Fine in Souk Jounieh), beautiful new high-rises soar above century-old facades and a flimsy rule of law governs over general lawlessness and corrupt politics.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lebanon is a country of contrasts: street food joints can often be found adjacent to top-notch luxurious dining venues (case in point: Malek el Croissant is just a few steps away from La Table Fine in Souk Jounieh), beautiful new high-rises soar above century-old facades and a flimsy rule of law governs over general lawlessness and corrupt politics.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Beirut.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beirutcityguide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-02-19T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-11T03:31:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-7.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"678\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"225\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@beirutcityguide\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@beirutcityguide\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-02-19T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-11T03:31:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":561,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/31077-7.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Listomania\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/\",\"name\":\"Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/31077-7.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-02-19T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-11T03:31:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"Lebanon is a country of contrasts: street food joints can often be found adjacent to top-notch luxurious dining venues (case in point: Malek el Croissant is just a few steps away from La Table Fine in Souk Jounieh), beautiful new high-rises soar above century-old facades and a flimsy rule of law governs over general lawlessness and corrupt politics.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/31077-7.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/31077-7.png\",\"width\":678,\"height\":225},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/en\\\/31077\\\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/\",\"name\":\"Beirut.com\",\"description\":\"Beirut.com is your insider guide to Lebanon, with the best in food, culture, neighborhoods, and everything new. Discover where to go and fall in love with our country.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Beirut.com, SA\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/Beirut.com-Logo-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/Beirut.com-Logo-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1044,\"caption\":\"Beirut.com, SA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.beirut.com\\\/ar\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/beirutcityguide\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/beirutcityguide\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different","description":"Lebanon is a country of contrasts: street food joints can often be found adjacent to top-notch luxurious dining venues (case in point: Malek el Croissant is just a few steps away from La Table Fine in Souk Jounieh), beautiful new high-rises soar above century-old facades and a flimsy rule of law governs over general lawlessness and corrupt politics.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different","og_description":"Lebanon is a country of contrasts: street food joints can often be found adjacent to top-notch luxurious dining venues (case in point: Malek el Croissant is just a few steps away from La Table Fine in Souk Jounieh), beautiful new high-rises soar above century-old facades and a flimsy rule of law governs over general lawlessness and corrupt politics.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/","og_site_name":"Beirut.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beirutcityguide","article_published_time":"2014-02-19T00:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-11T03:31:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":678,"height":225,"url":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-7.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@beirutcityguide","twitter_site":"@beirutcityguide","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different","datePublished":"2014-02-19T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-11T03:31:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/"},"wordCount":561,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-7.png","articleSection":["Listomania"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/","name":"Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-7.png","datePublished":"2014-02-19T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-11T03:31:12+00:00","description":"Lebanon is a country of contrasts: street food joints can often be found adjacent to top-notch luxurious dining venues (case in point: Malek el Croissant is just a few steps away from La Table Fine in Souk Jounieh), beautiful new high-rises soar above century-old facades and a flimsy rule of law governs over general lawlessness and corrupt politics.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-7.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/31077-7.png","width":678,"height":225},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/31077\/seven-ways-lebanon-does-things-totally-different\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Seven Ways Lebanon Does Things Totally Different"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/","name":"Beirut.com","description":"Beirut.com is your insider guide to Lebanon, with the best in food, culture, neighborhoods, and everything new. Discover where to go and fall in love with our country.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/#organization","name":"Beirut.com, SA","url":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Beirut.com-Logo-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Beirut.com-Logo-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1044,"caption":"Beirut.com, SA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/ar\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beirutcityguide","https:\/\/x.com\/beirutcityguide"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31077"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":675840,"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31077\/revisions\/675840"}],"wp:authorship":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31077"},{"taxonomy":"media-embed-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-embed-type?post=31077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}