Antoun Issa, journalist and author

Three Food Memories

Three Food Memories
Antoun Issa, journalist and author
May 11, 2026 Season 12 Episode 2
Savva Savas

"These wars are just part of this acceleration and expansion of colonialism"

Journalist and author Antoun Issa's new book Rebirth: A Love Story From the Depths of War has just been released. The book is about his mother's experiences of her time in Beirut in 1974 during the Lebanese Civil War and her migration to Australia.

On the menu: Ashta without rice, burnt chicken drumsticks, and cheesecake with chocolate. 

Sides include: food as a tool of communication, coming out to the family, and a sprinkle of Canaanite mythology.  

Antoun's social cause is free access to quality healthcare and education for all. It helps marginalised communities, it helps the millions struggling with cost of living and housing, it helps the poorest among us, it helps the elderly, it helps children, it helps parents, it helps First Nations communities, it helps those with serious mental health issues. It provides a foundation for a quality of living that every human being has the right to, which then feeds into healthy, productive and happier communities. 


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TFM is produced and edited by Lauren McWhirter with original music by Russell Torrance

Episode Artwork Antoun Issa, journalist and author 44:43 Episode Artwork Antoun Issa (bite-sized) 7:09 Episode Artwork Warwick Thornton, film director 48:16 Episode Artwork Warwick Thornton (bite-sized) 9:57 Episode Artwork Iconic Aussie Foods 8:35 Episode Artwork ❔Issac Eatsalot asks Savva "what's your death row meal?" 0:49 Episode Artwork ❔Havva Ramadan asks Savva about Cyprus 7:53 Episode Artwork Craziest Food Memories 8:17 Episode Artwork Beryl Lane, teacher, traveller, and grandmother 18:22 Episode Artwork Spilling the Royal Tea with Emily Maitlis, Tom Parker Bowles, and Kathy Lette 10:20 Episode Artwork ❔Gennaro Contaldo asks Savva "do you cook?" 3:23 Episode Artwork ❔Sophie Ellis-Bextor asks Savva "what do you recommend doing when travelling with your kids?" 2:57 Episode Artwork Bron Lewis, comedian and former high-school teacher 57:58 Episode Artwork 🍦Bron Lewis (bite-sized) 🥩 9:36 Episode Artwork Giorgio Bargiani, mixologist 29:52 Episode Artwork 🍸 Giorgio Bargiani (bite-sized)☕ 8:34 Episode Artwork Havva Ramadan, author, poet, singer-songwriter 52:30 Episode Artwork 🐟Havva Ramadan (bite-sized) 🍬 6:39 Episode Artwork Kathy Lette, author 44:42 Episode Artwork 🍳Kathy Lette (bite-sized) 🍮 4:29 Episode Artwork Jeremy Fernandez, ABC News presenter 56:11 Episode Artwork 🍛Jeremy Fernandez (bite-sized) 🍓 8:00 Episode Artwork Sir Issac Eatsalot Martin, food critic 46:37 Episode Artwork 🥙Issac Eatsalot (bite-sized) 🍔 9:29 Episode Artwork Emily Maitlis, British journalist 40:23