Skip to product information
1 of 1

Ryoko Sekiguchi - 961 heures à Beyrouth (et 321 plats qui les accompagnent)

Ryoko Sekiguchi - 961 heures à Beyrouth (et 321 plats qui les accompagnent)

Regular price €19.00
Regular price Sale price €19.00
Sale Sold out
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Low stock

In Ce n'est pas un hasard (P.O.L 2011), written in the aftermath of the triple disaster at Fukushima, Ryoko Sekiguchi addressed the question of the "eve of catastrophe". Arriving in Beirut in 2018, she could have had no idea that this city was in turn threatened by impending tragedies, the anti-corruption revolt in February 2020 and the terrible explosion at the Port of Beirut in August. During her month-and-a-half residency, 961 hours to be precise, she had planned to portray the city through the gestures of cooks and the cooking stories shared by Beirut residents. This writing project was partially disrupted. The book is captured in the nostalgia of a pre-disaster Beirut. It was to be a tasty cookbook, filled with the joy of sharing. The idea was strong: in a multi-ethnic, multi-faith society, a foreigner can find more doors opening to her than to the locals. Everyone shares their most intimate stories with her. But then the author realizes that the book was written in a pre-drama. The city she explores becomes "the city before the explosion of August 4, 2020".

A Japanese woman living between France and Japan, Ryoko Sekiguchi is familiar with "oriental" customs. She reflects on the "two Orients" of Lebanon and Japan, and the other Orients she has known, such as Iran and Syria. The woman who, in Nagori (P.O.L 2018), brought together various themes under the angle of the passing of the seasons, takes this challenge one step further. Through the prism of cuisine, she addresses issues of transmission, myth, tradition and culinary symbols, as well as memory, disasters, the unspoken, the great Lebanese famine, the social divide and immigration. Based on the Lebanese case, she sheds light on the fate of the "untouchables" (burakumin) in Japan, a great taboo that the Japanese have not yet lifted.
The book is made up of 321 micro-chapters, each echoing in some way a recipe, a dish, a flavor.

April 2021
256 pages
ISBN : 978-2-8180-5269-3

© P.O.L

Cooking •  Food •  Litterature •  P.o.l. •  Ryoko sekiguchi

Shipping Information

Preparation Time
Orders are processed within 1 to 2 business days, from Tuesday to Friday (excluding public holidays) after receiving your order confirmation email. You will receive another notification when your order has shipped. Some products are likely to be in the process of restocking and may require more time to prepare. In this case, we will inform you by email.

Packing and Shipping Rates
We take great care in ensuring that our products are packed in the most protective manner possible. For posters and prints, we roll them into a sturdy cardboard tube and then pack the tube into a cardboard box. However, please note that certain products, such as books and posters, may not be able to be packed together. As a result, orders with different product types or sizes may be subject to double shipping fees.

We offer worldwide shipping via French national post service, La Poste's Colissimo, Priority Mail, or Delivengo. The shipping fees for your order will be automatically calculated based on factors such as package weight, volume, and destination. If you prefer us to use a different carrier service such as UPS, FedEx, or DHL, please contact us prior to placing your order.

Transit estimates

  • Colissimo (Siganture on delivery):
    France: 2-3 business days
    - Europe: 3-5 business days
    - Other countries: 5-8 business days

  • Standard Mail / Priority Mail (No signature required):
    - France: 2-3 business days
    - Europe: 5-7 business days
    - Other countries: 7-14 business days

  • Delivengo (No signature required):
    - Other countries: 7-14 business days

Please keep in mind that delivery times are estimates and may be delayed due to high volumes at the carrier and customs processing.

In-store pickup
You can skip the shipping fees with free local pickup at our bookshop in Paris. After placing your order and selecting local pickup at checkout, your order will be prepared and ready for pick up within 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays). We will send you an email when your order is ready along with instructions.

Our in-store pickup hours are from 10am to 7pm from Tuesday to Saturday, from 2pm to 7pm on Sunday. Please have your order confirmation email with you when you come.

View full details