Uncle Jarjoura's son sprinkling the oil over the labneh
And presenting it to the customer — an appetizing, nut-brown "bride"
The country "arous"?! No traveler from Beirut to Damascus, or from Damascus to Beirut, can help stopping a moment before "Jarjoura's" shop in Zabdal, next to Chtaura... to order an "arous with labneh" or an arous with cheese!! He stands waiting his turn, watching Uncle Jarjoura's son spread the white labneh generously and sprinkle over it, temptingly, the golden oil... then, with two deft hands, roll the sheet of marqouq bread into an appetizing, nut-brown "bride"... and hand it to the customer — nothing tastier, nothing more delicious!!
And the "country arous," whether with labneh, or with oil and za'tar, or with figs and sugar, is a Lebanese invention perhaps as old as this Mountain! Our grandfathers loved it and handed it down to us. And Uncle Jarjoura is perhaps the only one among the owners of the dairy shops who has proudly preserved this charming invention in an age when the modern "sandwich" has swept in and lorded it over all...
The secret of his success: Many are the shops in Lebanon that busy themselves with dairy products of every kind, for the local consumption of these goods is great... But the secret of Uncle Jarjoura's success, and the source of his fame, go back to several causes, chief among them the sound scientific basis and the long experience that stretches back thirty-five years — and then that personal gift for mastering the craft and serving the trade with love and devotion...
His wit and lightness of spirit: Nor shall we forget Uncle Jarjoura's charm, his cheerfulness, and his lightness of spirit. He is always smiling, always quick with a retort. Ask him a question and the answer comes back rhymed, without the least effort. Call to him from outside the shop: — "Where are you, Jarjoura?"
and the reply comes at once: — "Welcome, welcome —