The Kebab Quest

Since the holiday break, I have had an unusual craving for kebab and other Mid-East food. I really don’t know why, but I had this weird urge to eat at the different kebab restos in Quezon City.

So here’s my humble evaluation of the places i visited in a span of two months.

1. Mister Kebab, West Avenue. – This place has evolved significantly since the time it was known as Persia House during the 90’s. From a small resto along Quezon Avenue, it has become a mega dining place in its new location in West Avenue. Kung dati, tila mga taga UP at Ateneo ang pumupunta, ngayon ito ay dinadayo na mula sa kung saan saang lugar. No one can argue with the quality of their kebab, though prices have noticeably gone up over the years. If you’re looking for a great kebab experience, Mister Kebab is always the first choice.

2. Word Class Persian Kebab – Yup, that’s really the name of the place. It’s on the corner of Tomas Morato and E. Rodriguez Ave. What makes this kebab place interesting is that they have bigger kebabs for the same price as that of Mister Kebab. Quite honestly, theirs tastes great, is bigger, and reasonably priced. Medyo bitin lang sa kanin. Their fruit shakes seem to cost the same as Mister Kebab’s. If you don’t want to wait in line, and just want to fill your belly, this is a good place to hang out. Also, they have these pipes or hookah which you can use to smoke. I saw two customers trying one out while seated among pillows.

3. Kebab Grill – This one is along Timog, near the old Zirkoh bar. Food here is a bit expensive, and some folks might not think they’re getting their money’s worth. The kebab here is a bit salty, reminiscent of Behrouz (which isn’t far by). The place is clean, like really clean. Biggest draw back is the price.

4. Kebab Korner – Along Matalino Street in Teachers Village, this new resto still appears to be reasonably priced though a bit expensive for some items (how about P15.00 for one grilled tomato?). As for their kebab, one thing i noticed is that the flavors are not full. Even the garlic sauce and hot sauce are weak. Unlike Kebab Grill or Behrouz, this place seems to have run out of salt and spices. The korma is ok, but the curry has a different texture compared if your used to eating at Mister Kebab. Kebab Korner explains that they have a more defined genre of Persian cuisine compared to other restaurants that employ a mix of Mid-east and Mediterranean.

5. Behrouz Timog along Scout Tobias – There something about the service in this place that really ticks me off. One time the entire kitchen staff was having a shouting match with the waiters. They argued in front of the customers. There was no manager at the time and it was chaos. This place emerged roughly during the same time as Persia House and has also expanded. The kebab here is ok, though a bit more expensive than the others. I don’t really like the set up too.

6. Prince Kebab, Timog – In front of Laffline. The food is ho-hum forgettable. And the price appears expensive for something that’s not really spectacular. There can be improvements. And the place is strategically located in Timog, quite accessible.

So there are six kebab resto’s not that far from each other in the Quezon City-Timog-Morato-East Ave area. Not bad, no? There’s another one too in Maginahawa Street but the name escapes me at the moment. That makes it seven.

So which is it really?

Is it to stop the Hamas rocket attacks? Or is it to destroy Hamas completely and usher in a new regime in Gaza? (Perhaps one that is like the “moderate” Palestinian Authority?)

When the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza started, the stated goal, at least from what I saw on CNN and Al Jazeera, was to cripple Hamas’ capability of launching rockets into Southern Israel. Destroying Hamas did not quite appear as the openly stated objective.

But now, after listening to the speeches before the UN Security Council of the Israeli Ambassador to the UN and the US Secretary of State, it seems that the real goal is the destruction of Hamas and any form of Palestinian resistance to Israel in the Gaza Strip.

We heard the Israeli Ambassador to the UN say that there can be no peace as long as Hamas is in power in Gaza. Virtually the same line was echoed by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Isreal has repeatedly spoken of a “new equation” in Gaza.

Also, if ever Israel hints at a ceasefire (as vaguely as this could get), any negotiations would be with the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority. Hamas is totally out of the equation as far as Israel and the US is concerned. Hamas will not be given any form of international recognition.

Ever since Hamas won the majority in the 2006 parliamentary elections in Palestine, Israel has enforced a crippling and brutal economic blockade of Gaza. Now Israel and the US want to pin blame for the violence SOLELY on Hamas; despite the fact that Israel has put Gaza under a severe economic blockade, collectively punishing the Palestinian people for two years now. It is the actions of Israel which has made people turn to Hamas because it offers armed resistance to the Occupation.

Perhaps it was not just about the Qassam rockets fired into Israel after all. Maybe all that was just a pretext for a larger goal. As events continue to unfold, it is becoming clear that the Israeli aggression will not stop until it sees the destruction of Hamas and the crushing of all Palestinian resistance to the Occupation.

Does it even matter what the real objectives are? From a political standpoint, there’s little debate that the Israeli armed aggression, under whatever pretext, is condemnable. From a military standpoint however, the implication is that the offensives will not cease with the destruction of the Hamas rocket launchers. The ultimate destruction of Hamas and any form of Palestinian resistance to Israel would mean the destruction of the entire political, military and social infrastructure of Hamas and Palestinian people.

This means the war is bound to drag on and the casualties are expected to rise.

P.S.

On the question of “proportional response”, this concept sometimes doesn’t help clear up the issues. It sort of takes the view that Israeli military action on Gaza is ok, it just has to be proportional to the Hamas rocket attacks. This of course begs the question “what is proportional response to the Hamas rocket attacks?” The proportionality argument tends to take attention away from the context of the whole Israel-Palestine conflict. It tends to limit the debate on the kind of military response that is warranted instead of seeing the conflict from the broader perspective of the occupation of Palestine by Israel.