Nine Ways to Act Like a Local in Lebanon

When traveling, it is often nice to be able to blend in with local customs and habits to appear as indigenous as possible. As such, I present the top nine ways to look indigenous in Lebanon:

1. Act Proud.

   No one loves Lebanon like the Lebanese, and with good reason. However, if you're going to be believable, you must even exceed even the Canadian pride in Canada. Statistics are always good. You could offer: "Did you know that Lebanon is first in the world in hummus consumption?" I just made it up, but it might be true and would show your local pride.

2. Act Sexy.

   The locals are, well - how shall I put this? - image conscious. Lucky for you, many of the local customs are very American Influenced, but with an Arab flair for head scarves and heavy eye makeup. The styles mesh well: there is more great looking bumper in Beirut than at a GM factory.

3. Drive Ridiculous.

   If you see an opening that even smells like your car will fit through it, hit that spot right now! If it looks like your car won't fit, see #4.

4. Honk.

   Honk before and after everything, and then on occasion just for good measure. The most effective seems to be the double honk.

5. Eat Mezze.

   Eat it by the boatload.

6. Be Friendly.

   The Lebanese are very social and will offer you their Mezze; you should eat it.

7. Be Late.

   The plane left late. Dinner was late. It is very normal to be on time by being at least 30 minutes late. To be fair, the Lebanese are very busy people. All that hummus doesn't just make itself...

8. Talk on your cell phone.

   Never turn down any call, ever. For example: You might be shaking hands with Michael Sopkiw, and your barber calls to confirm an appointment. You would answer your phone, meandering to and fro as you chat-it-up in French and/or Arabic while Michael Sopkiw just waits. You may double your indigenous score if you show up somewhere late whilst chatting on your phone when you walk in.

9. Hold a rock concert at a historic site.

   Lebanon has some of the most impressive Roman ruins in the world. They build scaffolding over it and host concerts. If possible, doing this will secure your indigenous status beyond doubt. The upside of their liberal policy with these sites is that they are remarkably accessible; I recommend Lebanon highly as a leading edge travel site.