Growing up, we never ate dates at home. In my parents’ house there was never such fruite to be found. Hence, it was only two years ago, when I moved to Manchester that I, for the first time in my life, saw dates in supermarkets. Naturally, I bought some without checking the label. Dates are very sweet, sweeter than most fruit I know. However, I continued consuming cautiously until I, by coincidence, read the label. They originated from the apartheid regime. And to my disbelief, most shops were selling dates from that very same origine, or from Sunni countries which were part of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition invading Yemen. I immediately terminated consuming those dates. This experience made me think hard about why my parents would not eat dates in the first place, and also why my country of origin and later the country in which I grew up were not inclined to consume dates.

However, I recently discovered these dates in the picture. It took me by surprise to find out that this brand sells dates produced by ZAYTOUN, a Palestinian-based organic and fair trade company producing a vast array of goods. I used to buy their olive oil and donated several olive trees. This was before I had heard of the biggest humanitarian crisis called Yemen.