The Connective Sea

There is something about the Mediterranean that is not only fascinating to me but has been fascinating to many archeologists, historians, anthropologists, writers and even ordinary people, and we have big names such as Fernand Braudel, David Abu-Al'afia, Peregrine Horden and Nicholas Purcell etc. who have shown great interest in the Mediterranean. Some have written about the sea itself, some have written about the land and geography, and others have written about people and their activities (especially Nomadism/Transhumance). But for me, I am more concerned with food, as I believe it is a crucial part of culture. Having said that, I remember a story one of my professors shared with us. When she was a young girl, she joined a summer camp where kids from all around the world also joined. One day, the coordinators asked the kids to prepare their favorite traditional meal, and my German professor did not know any German dish - she did not even know there was any specific German food. So, she settled for spaghetti with tomato sauce.
She could not emphasize enough how culture rotates and crosses borders, and it is then adopted by others with modifications, and she is absolutely correct.

Are all countries in this big Mediterranean region (however we measure the "Mediterranean") alike? They don't even speak the same language, and each country has its own cuisine, yet we still find one big category that unites all Mediterranean cultures, different or similar, from Greek salads to Arabic mezze, in one simple sentence: Mediterranean Cuisine.

And I'll finally introduce the one restaurant I fully salute (here in Dubai) for its Mediterranean fusion: Qbara in Wafi. It integrates many cultures in one dish, making you taste a bit of everything.
If the name is odd, it's inspired by the french word Arabique and is spelt backwards (omitting e, u and i). Luckily, I was very hungry during my first visit to Qbara! The pictures are not that clear since the lights are dimmed in the restaurant.

The bar

Seared spiced salmon

"Milk & Honey" simply Italian panna cotta with Greek yogurt and Persian pashmak

Spiced fried potatoes, and at the back (barely showing): marinated poussin or baby chicken (musakkhan style) atop Lebanese bread

And I missed taking a picture of the very yummy chicken liver, which I probably finished in milliseconds.