Lebanon ♥ Ronald

We love Lebanese food. Hummus, falafel, and olives galore. Fresh cheeses. All kinds of dough baked, grilled, and fried with innumerable fillings. Lentils with caramelized onions. Sautéed dandelion greens. Kebabs. More kebabs. Pistachios, honey, and baklava. Fresh lemonade with mint. Every type of fruit you can imagine. It’s healthy, it’s fresh, and it’s delicious. It is also slow.

That might be the reason why the Lebanese seem to love American fast food.

The first billboard we saw when we arrived was for Krispy Kreme. Since then, we've been taking photos of the American fast food signs.

We’re walking distance from literally five Dunkin’ Donuts stores.

And of course Starbucks is everywhere.

All of these fast food chains, even McDonald's, will deliver right to your door.

Fast food restaurants paired with military apparatus are also a clear reminder that Lebanon is still a country in transition. For example, UN soldiers love Colonel Sanders.

These Lebanese soldiers found a key strategic interest to protect during the February 14 national unity rally.

Since American fast food is ubiquitous, we were excited to hear about the first annual "Taste of America" Exposition, hosted by the US Embassy. The email invitation was tempting: “Come find out what Americans eat other than Pizza Hut and Burger King!”

Finally, we thought, a venue for Americans to prove that there is more to our diet than junk food. We were expecting apple pie, Nebraska steak, Maryland crab cakes, maybe Tex-Mex. We even dared to hope for some honest-to-goodness low country barbeque.

The expo was jam-packed. Lines were long for all of the samples, and we were scared that a small child might get crushed in the excitement. And what were all of these people stampeding for?

Can you spot Megan in the crowd?

Dunkin’ Donuts. Krispy Kreme. Baskin Robbins. Chili's. TGI Fridays. And of course, the mother of them all, McDonalds.

At least they really captured a taste of American culture with a cowboy, a statue of a Native American, and a bronco bull ride. What is better than putting a kid who has just wolfed down as many food samples as possible on a bucking bronco?

We’ll stick to Lebanese food for now – but our first stop when we get home this summer will have to be the Varsity in Atlanta for some REAL American fast food.