When preparing for the dead, may we peep into the future? In the broader geography of the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean, we cook our coffee in the briki or cezve. Every region has its own variation, some heat up the water before adding the powder, some add spices, some make it thick, others thinner. And every person has their own variation as well. Coffee is something as personal as communal. Apart from the daily morning and evening consumption, we also share two uses of the coffee that are central of interest here: the coffee cup reading and the tradition of coffee drinking in funerals and memorials. Imagination and memory, future and past, the association with grief; and the unique timelines traced in each cup. I think that it has been with me for years, the memory of my grandmothers, my mother’s morning ritual of cooking a light Greek coffee in a big cup. The familiarity of the Kafenio. And most importantly, community dynamics; sharing others, participating. Here I aspired to create a meeting space with people, artists or not, with whom I have met over the years and share the subtle fascination about this type of coffee and its rituals. Acknowledging the blood, oppression and displacement behind and around the product. The Cafe Imperial.

Healthy gatherings

by Souad Khairallah

In every Lebanese home, the cigarette tray once held a place of honor, a familiar object that invited connection and conversation. It was a space where various cigarette brands mingled, ready to be shared among guests with a turkish coffee of course. Offering a cigarette to a visitor was more than a simple gesture; it was a moment of camaraderie and warmth, a shared experience that defined a culture of togetherness and hospitality.

However, around twenty years ago, this tradition began to fade. As individualism took root and personal belongings became a constant companion, the collective act of sharing a cigarette was replaced by the private habit of always carrying one’s own pack, and the recent economic situation did not help either. The communal tray, once a staple of hospitality, quietly disappeared from the scene.

Today,I hope this stands as a reminder of those lost moments of connection and shared experience, offering a nod to a time of prosperity. It also serves as a playful invitation—a gentle transgression of modern-day rules forbidding smoking in enclosed spaces—and a reference to my own youthful rebellion when, at the age of 12, I took my first illicit puff.

In the spirit of this forgotten tradition, I invite you, not to smoke but to honor the beautiful concept behind such an offer where we did it as a sign of hospitality and generosity that Lebanese are so famous for.

Tip

Tip

Healthy gatherings