A varied vegan menu at Luna's, Beirut. (Credit: Luna's)
At Luna's restaurant in Hamra, different dishes fill the table: pizza, different types of kebbe, chicken shawarma, steak, and chicken salad. These could be ordered anywhere, except for one detail: none of these foods contain any animal ingredients.
The owner of this vegan restaurant, one of the oldest of its kind in Beirut, has been living this lifestyle for about six years, “It wasn’t something I chose; it was imposed on me,” said Omar Ghandour. The menu is entirely vegan, but Ghandour still makes sure that his customers, most of whom do not share his convictions, still find it appealing. He also wanted to show that a vegan menu isn’t just about salads, especially when there are now soy, wheat, and other alternatives to meat and dairy.
For Georges Hayek, owner of Hayek Hospital, it all started about 12 years ago when he watched a video shared by a vegan friend, showing a cow being brutally slaughtered in a slaughterhouse. “I was devastated,” he recalled. Returning home to his beloved dogs, it suddenly struck him, why treat our pets with affection while remaining indifferent to the fate of animals slaughtered for food? This realization led him to a lifestyle that aligned with his beliefs. After becoming a vegetarian, he eventually eliminated all animal products from his diet.
“Many don’t know, but a dairy cow’s life is miserable. To produce milk, she is constantly inseminated to become pregnant, and her calf is always taken away from her, even though it’s a sentient being. Once she can no longer produce, she ends up in the slaughterhouse. Male calves are slaughtered young. This is how the industry treats these animals,” Hayek explained.
Compassion for animals is the main reason for switching from a meat-based diet to a vegan one. This was also the case for Roland Azar, a digital marketing professional, who stumbled upon a slaughterhouse video shared by Lebanese Vegans, an association founded by Georges Hayek. Roland made his transition nearly a year later, after researching the treatment of farm animals. “It was just a few habits to change, a few preconceived ideas to overcome,” he said.
For Zeina Rkein, a young journalist, the transition was painful. “I loved meat, but gradually, I couldn’t eat it without imagining the animal’s suffering,” she said.
In contrast, Walid Nasreddine adopted the lifestyle for health reasons. “My wife had constant migraines since childhood, and she healed through diet,” he explained. Gradually, the couple adopted a healthier, vegan lifestyle. Since 2002, they have owned Coara, the oldest vegan restaurant in the country, located in Chouf.
Veganism: Fashion or Philosophy?
“If, as humans, we consider ourselves the strongest, how can we accept violence against the weakest?” Omar Ghandour asked.
“It’s not even about loving animals; it’s a moral duty to respect their right to life and move beyond this superiority complex,” emphasized Roland Azar.
For Walid Nasreddine, more than moral arguments, it's a spiritual well-being he has felt since adopting this lifestyle over two decades ago. “I notice that red meat consumers tend to be more aggressive,” he theorized.
However, vegans can face hostility regarding their lifestyle choices. “Maybe some feel threatened by our stance as if it questions their way of life or labels them as criminals,” observes Omar Ghandour. Zeina Rkein has even experienced online harassment, receiving barbecue photos on holidays, for example. Some people also argue from the standpoint of "traditions" in meat consumption, to which vegans respond that traditions are not meant to remain unchanged. Nevertheless, everyone agrees that there is more awareness today than a few years ago.
Some vegans believe mere “tolerance” isn’t enough. For instance, Georges Hayek and Roland Azar think spreading their information is crucial. Hence the actions of Lebanese Vegans and the conference on veganism that gathered over 400 people at Hayek Hospital on June 4 for talks and debates. “Most attendees were non-vegans showing interest, and they were precisely our target audience,” explained Georges Hayek. The association also established a club and cafe to showcase the richness of vegan menus and initiate social actions for the underprivileged. A quick tour of social media shows that vegans in Lebanon form a sort of community. While this lifestyle might appear as a recent "trend," for these dedicated individuals, it’s indeed a philosophy of life.
