In Beirut, early in the morning, the milkman would arrive with a barrel of milk in a cart, using an aluminum half-liter mug to measure out each customer’s portion. In the mountain village of Bhamdoun, where Sheila Mann and her family spent their summers, the milkman would bring the milk on a donkey.
Since Lebanon was once a French colony, many households, including Sheila’s, enjoyed baguettes paired with Dutch butter. It was customary for essentials like bread and milk to be delivered directly to homes, eliminating the need to buy them from the streets.