Mideast Piece

Were you wondering how to make a Lebanese Couscous to knock the socks off that certain someone you’ve been trying to impress? Look no further than this expert recipe, courtesy of our friends at AHBAB:

This dish is entirely unlike North African couscous. In the first place, the grains are quite large, more like small peas than the tiny fluffy grains of Tunisian or Moroccan couscous. In the second, the fiery flavors of North African couscous are missing from this preparation, which relies on warm, rounded Middle Eastern aromatics, like cinnamon and cumin, offset by cooling cilantro. The dried chickpeas need to soak overnight, so plan accordingly.

SERVINGS: 6 TO 8

1 cup dried chickpeas (7 ounces), soaked overnight
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
One 4-pound chicken
Two 1-pound lamb shanks
1 1/2 pounds pearl onions, peeled
3 small cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
Kosher salt
1 pound maghrabiyeh couscous
Boiling water
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons cumin
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Lemon wedges and toasted pita triangles, for serving

1. In a medium bowl, cover the chickpeas with 1 inch of water and stir in the baking soda. Let soak overnight.

2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a medium saucepan, cover the chickpeas with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil, skimming as necessary. Cook the chickpeas over low heat until very tender, about 40 minutes. Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

3. In a food processor, puree all but 3/4 cup of the chickpeas until smooth; add some of the reserved cooking liquid if the puree is dry. Add the tahini and lemon juice and process until satiny. Add more of the reserved cooking liquid until the consistency is that of sour cream. Transfer the hummus to a bowl.

4. Remove the skins from the reserved chickpeas. Mash the garlic with the salt until smooth. Stir the garlic into the hummus and transfer to a shallow bowl. Add the parsley to the olive oil and drizzle it over the hummus. Garnish with the whole peeled chickpeas and serve.

MAKE AHEAD: The chickpeas can be cooked 1 day ahead and refrigerated.

NOTES: Good tahini (sesame paste) has a sweet, nutty flavor without a trace of bitterness. Be sure to stir any separated oil back into the tahini before measuring.

Today in 1566 King James I of England was born in Edinburgh Scotland. His father was bisexual, and murdered in bed with his lover. James, responsible for the version of the bible which bears his name, confined his love to “heterosexual” men.

Cheers!

Today’s MEP Love Guide actually comes from a cute little book called The Gay Guy’s Guide to Love.

It suggests:

Don’t fall for these despicable, pernicious, malevolent, heinous, and generally wacko myths about gay love:

Myth: Gay love is wrong.
Reality: Love is love - gay, nongay, or in-between. Don’t let parents, priests, politicians, the press, or your psyche tell you differently.

Myth: Gay relationships threaten family values.
Reality: Gay couples ARE families who do or do not embody family values just like straight couples.

Myth: Gay relationships don’t last because homosexual men are constitutionally unable to coupel successfully.
Reality: One, plenty DO last. The world is filled with gay couples who have been together twenty, thirty, forty, or more years. Two, the only thing gay male couples are constitutionally unable to do the same as heterosexual couples is have babies.

Thanks to Simon in Bahrain for the tip!

Thanks to a tip from our friend P, we learned that an aide at the Israeli consulate to the UN quit his job over his outing as a gay porn star. According to this article from the New York Post’s Page Six,

Dror Barak, a k a Roman Ragazzi, worked in the administrative offices of the Israeli consulate while moonlighting as a “model” and gay porn star.

I googled “Roman Ragazzi” and that’s where I found these hot pics. If you’re in NYC or Israel and read Hebrew, you can check out “Roman’s” Atraf dating page here. According to his profile he’s a single, non-smoker and passive. He’s a self-described optimist and independent.

By now you’ve probably heard about BP’s former chief executive, John Browne. He might be facing perjury charges related to his testimony in his efforts to keep details of his four-year relationship with beau Jeff Chevalier out of the papers. Basically they say that Browne lied in order to keep those details hush-hush. Brown worked for BP for 41 years - in a closet of his own making.

He’s quoted as having said

I have always regarded my sexuality as a personal matter, to be kept private.

I think that privacy is great but trying to stay in the closet about his relationship cost Browne about $31 million. According to CNN,

Browne’s early departure means he will lose a bonus of up to 1.3 times his annual salary, that comes to more than £3.5 million, just under $7 million. He will also miss out on the long-term performance share plan for 2007-2009 with a maximum potential value of some £12 million, just under $24 million, the BP statement said.

Coming out takes guts. It’s not easy to be openly gay - even for a boss of a very powerful corporation. Moreover, coming out is a life-long process. Every time you meet someone new or get a new job you’ll have to come out all over again. But if you’re not out, people will always speculate why you’re a 50 year old “bachelor”. It’s not really a secret. So, come out! Live your life out in the open - and celebrate love in your life. Don’t stuff it into a dark closet.

Here’s a little ditty by Yuri Hospodar, a gay poet whose first collection was called “To You in Your Closets.”

Bad Gay Poem

here we lay not a gym card between us
not a six-pack to be seen, but some empties nearby

a misfit fit jigsaws briefly into place

The site Bear Arabia bills itself as “the first and only Arab dating site for Arab happy people.” Opening the link, I smiled for two reasons: (1) the use of “happy” instead of gay, and (2) the use of the word “bear,” as well as an image of two bears hugging! Is the site only for bears? What about Arab twinks? Don’t they get a site? Is it easier for bears to come out of the closet than non-bears, who don’t seem to get as many sites?

For me, the Internet was essential in “coming out” and meeting people. All my initial gay contacts came from the Internet, where I could explore my sexuality in private and without shame or fear of discovery. Though totally “out” and about now, I still use the Internet for dating, activism (welcome to our site!), and everything from STD information to gay travel reports.

Do you have a “coming out” Internet story you’d like to share? A date, an eye-opening moment, or some such gem? You can comment below or send an Email to mideastpiece[at]gmail[dot]com .

Love is a feeling - an emotion. It’s not a game. If you want to play a game with guys, try baseball. You can swing your, um, bat as much as you want without giving anyone a heartache.

It’s not a personality defect to be single! So stop all the self-flagellation (unless you get off on that kind of thing!). Most folks don’t find bruises (both physical and emotional) all that attractive.