I discovered this delicacy in Tripoli, Libya. Can we call a tuna sandwich a delicacy? I definitely would. Some memories are attached to important moments. Others are attached to ordinary things. For me, one of the strongest memories of my childhood is a tuna sandwich.
In 1998, we received an order to pack our bags and leave Basra, Iraq on what's about to become the craziest journey. We just didn't know it yet. I don't think I cried when I left my extended family in Iraq and was probably the only one in the family who was excited for the new adventure. I remember getting into one of those old school black SUV's and looking through the back window to wave goodbye as we left. We drove hours through the vast emptiness of the Anbar province of Iraq to get to the border of Jordan.
It was the first time I ever left Iraq and you know what mesmerized me the most in Amman, the capital of Jordan? SAFEWAY. Yes, the grocery store. I was so mesmerized by the lighting, cleanliness, and the shelves upon shelves of shiny products. We didn't have this in Iraq. We stayed at a place close to Safeway so it became my favourite daily activity and my favourite thing to buy from there was the Twix chocolate bar.
After a few days in Amman, we boarded a ship in Aqaba headed to Egypt. From there, a bus to Libya. I remember while on the bus, someone pointed out the pyramids of Giza as we drove past them from a distance. We arrived in Tripoli tired and exhausted from the long journey. Our new home was a humble villa in a nice "village" as it was referred to. A gated community mixed between residential villas on one side and tourist hotels on the other, nestled right on the Mediterranean sea. It became my playground.
When I wasn't in school, I would spend my time roaming around the village. Playing on the swings, walking along the beach, riding my bicycle down the hills, carving shapes into sandy rocks, getting ice cream from the local shops, and inventing all sorts of games to keep myself busy. The most memorable one was crushing plants from the gardens to create all kinds of medical remedies. Or maybe buying a Mars bar from the shop and trying to eat it as fast as possible before it melted in the wrapper from the heat, which was within seconds.
At home, I spent my time designing and sewing clothes for my Barbies which I was not so interested in playing with, I just liked making them clothes and cutting their hair. I also spent a considerable amount of time playing The Sims. Again, I wasn't interested in The Sims. I found them annoying and needy. I just liked building and decorating the houses. I used to make these perfectly engineered plans to get my sims killed so I could get rid of them. The best one was constructing a pool then making my sim go in there and then pausing the game, taking out the ladder from the pool, fast forwarding the pace of the game, and they would die and drown from exhaustion. EVIL GENIUS!!!!
I enrolled in grade 3 at a public school. All education in Arabic. I quickly made friends with my Libyan classmates and they taught me all sorts of weird sayings and words that sounded unusual to me. We studied, played, laughed, and from time to time got our hands smacked by the ruler. Those methods of punishment were still viable in those days. I especially remember the "water fountain". We would just open the water tap and open our mouths wide open under it and drink. The area around the water tap was basically just a mud bath. I really hated those kids who put their damn mouths on the tap and drank straight from it. So gross!
I got transferred to an all English school after that by the name of The International School of Martyrs.
It attracted families from all over the world whose parents worked in the oil industry, creating a remarkably international environment. I had classmates from all the over world and even joined the soccer team. Classmates who are still my friends until today and still refer to me by "susu". It was also where I discovered the heavenly tuna sandwich. Our school had a canteen where the ladies working there made these crispy baguette sandwiches smothered with tuna, olive oil, and harissa. It was so simple, yet so rich. I was in love.
Spicy.
Fresh.
Tasty.
Affordable.
Tuna isn't something typically beloved in the Iraqi culture. People in Iraq generally prefer heavier meats like lamb but Libya has changed me because I love tuna until this day. Since Libya has over 1,700 km of mediterranean coastline, seafood has long been a staple in their cuisine. Tuna is especially popular because it's nutritious and affordable. This tradition follows suit in Tunisia and also Malta, which is only a stone's throw away from the Libyan coast. I guess the Mediterranean has a way of connecting cultures through food. I remember I used to see lights from far into the distance from the Janzour shoreline and I was told that was Malta. That made me curious. It made me think of Malta as a luxury island only accessible by the elite.
So on days when I didn't have lunch from home, I happily skipped to the canteen to cop myself one of those sandwiches. It was a simple pleasure that made me grin from ear to ear. I savored every bite.
While unfortunately, I never went back to Tripoli since I left in 2003, the memory of this sandwich is still etched in my mind and I came close to reliving the experience when I visited Malta in the summer of 2014. I was so happy to discover that they highly valued tuna in their cuisine and ate my fair share of tuna sandwiches while I was there. I sat by the sea and reminisced those moments of pure joy and happiness that the ISM canteen sandwiches brought me. I felt honoured to visit this island that I once thought was only for the elite.
To this day, I still eat tuna. In fact, I had tuna and hot sauce before writing this blog post. Some things never leave you.
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