Photo: Future of Beirut

The logos are everywhere. Starbucks, Applebees, TGIF, KFC, but nothing of a home-grown or Middle Eastern chain. I suppose all the souvlaki and shawarma shops from Copenhagen to Chicago are the Lebanese answers to the littering of the country with international corporations. the irony is that beirut is the world's best place to eat, full of fresh and healthy dishes, cheap, so who powers the spurt of fast food garbage? Where does the urge to eat a hamburger come from? Late at night, pelted with beer, maybe. But surely the Lebanese are above this fare?