Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War

Day of Honey follows journalist Annia Ciezadlo as she moves to Baghdad in 2003 to cover the Iraq War, and later to Beirut with her Lebanese husband. The memoir chronicles her experiences reporting on conflict while discovering Middle Eastern food traditions and culture through shared meals. In both cities, Ciezadlo seeks out local home cooks, market vendors, and traditional dishes as a way to understand daily life beyond the headlines. She documents recipes passed down through generations and explores how families maintain normalcy and connection through cooking, even in times of war. Through food and hospitality, Ciezadlo examines themes of cultural identity, survival, and the universal language of sharing meals. Her perspective reveals how food serves as both refuge and resistance, with kitchens becoming spaces where communities preserve their heritage and humanity amid upheaval.

Readers describe this as a intimate look at life in Baghdad and Beirut through the lens of food and cooking. Many note how the author uses meals and recipes to illuminate cultural understanding beyond typical war reporting. Liked: - Deep dive into Middle Eastern home cooking and food customs - Personal stories that show daily life during conflict - Clear writing style that balances serious topics with lighter moments - Inclusion of recipes readers can try themselves Disliked: - Some found the pacing slow in parts - A few readers wanted more focus on food, less on politics - Several mentioned difficulty following the timeline jumps Ratings: Goodreads: 3.96/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (160+ ratings) Notable review: "Shows how food connects people even in the worst circumstances. The descriptions of dishes and markets made me hungry!" - Goodreads reviewer "Sometimes meandering but ultimately rewarding" - Amazon reviewer

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🍯 The author learned Arabic primarily through cooking and food-related conversations while living in Baghdad and Beirut 🇱🇧 During the 2006 Lebanon War, Ciezadlo and her husband stayed in Beirut rather than evacuating, documenting daily life and continuing to cook despite the conflict 📚 The book's title refers to an Arabic expression "yom aasal, yom basal" meaning "day of honey, day of onions" - describing life's alternating sweet and bitter moments 🥘 Each chapter concludes with recipes relevant to the stories told, including dishes like Iraqi timman z'affaran (saffron rice) and Lebanese mjaddara (lentils and rice) 👰 The memoir begins with Ciezadlo's unusual wedding celebration in Lebanon, where she married her Lebanese-American husband just weeks after meeting his family for the first time