Rosabel Crean wrote:In Lebanon, coffee is on every street corner. It is found on the backs of motorbikes, steaming out from a neat machine, or in Turkish copper dallah pots, lugged by a fez-donning old man clinking his cups to catch passersby. It is so integrated into the morning routine of what's known as "sobhiye": gossiping with friends or neighbors over coffee.

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Ahwak faces an uphill struggle too, with its community shrinking in a deflating city. What is more, Minkara once again is battling to keep Ahwak open. "The new landlord doesn't like me much and wants me to close," she revealed, adding that she believes it is for "political" reasons. And while Minkara feels heavy with nostalgia, the presence of her cafe in Tripoli remains poignant. "I always say: The day I close this shop, the city will be over. We might be a minority in this city today, but we exist."