At 10 am on Saturday, February 15, Wissam Bakdash filled dozens of small bowls lined up on long tables with white cream. This corpulent, jovial 40-something is the fourth generation to run the Bakdash ice cream parlor, a Syrian institution celebrating its 130th anniversary this year. Behind him, two employees vigorously struck the bottom of steel tubs with mortar. The sound of their blows punctuated the conversation. One of them played a little melody as he banged the wooden handle against the rim of the container. Seven minutes later, yet another roll of white ice cream, coated with pistachio slivers, landed on the counter, before being cut into individual slices.
Some 30 customers were already occupying the rooms. No matter how early in the morning, there's no set time for enjoying bouza. This famous Syrian ice cream, elastic and deliciously sweet, is enough to put a smile on anyone's face. Even more so with a new-found freedom, after 14 years of civil war and five decades of dictatorship. "Since the fall of the regime on December 8, everything has changed and people are smiling," said Wissam Bakdash.
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