| Friends and readers— This week at R&K, the spotlight is on Cuba, one of our favorite places (and places to write about). Photographer and Pulitzer Prize-finalist Greg Kahn spent two years photographing young people in Cuba—those born after 1989, who grew up during the "Special Period" of economic hardship following the collapse of Soviet Union (and its related subsidies) and the tightening U.S. embargo. Kahn captured this generation, now in their twenties, hanging out on the Malecón, going to gigs and parties—but also hard at work, creating, being online, making music and art—in short, hustling their way to a life different from the one Cuba's system may have conceived for them. Kahn notes that this generation has chosen to cast off the historical baggage that can come with being Cuban—whether one stays or leaves: "I'm seeing a change in mentality. Young people no longer look at leaving Cuba as the answer, but want to stay and make it the place they want to be." Kahn's new book, Havana Youth, contains intimate portraits of the people he met and captures a thriving counter-culture that he believes will reshape the country. Cengiz Yar interviews Kahn about why he chose to tell this story, the challenges that come with being young in Cuba, and why we're going to look back to this period as when Cuba fundamentally changed forever. Also, we're excited to kick off our Beirut revolution podcast episodes for The Trip: Drinking with Exceptional People Around the World, with one of our culinary heroes, Anissa Helou, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and journalist and self-described "orphan of two countries"—Lebanon and Syria. Helou spent 20 years in the art world, working for Sotheby's in London and eventually buying art for members of the Kuwait royal family—then started her prolific writing career (nine books and counting) with "Lebanese Cuisine" in 1994. The book wasn't just a way to address what she saw as a gap in the market for an accessible, modern guide to Lebanese food culture (complete with painstakingly transcribed recipes from her own family). She also created it for all the young Lebanese displaced by the civil war who may not have seen these dishes prepared at home. When we were in Beirut for The Trip podcast, Helou was back in Beirut to visit her mother, greet the revolution, and to eat food that is here and nowhere else. She talks with Nathan about growing up in dolce vita-era Beirut, what it's like to be exiled from both Lebanon and Syria, and the fundamentals of drinking Arak. Next week's The Trip guest is Syrian-Filipino rapper Chyno, who runs The Arena, the first battle-rap league in the Middle East. Chyno talks about growing up in Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the Philippines, and how Lebanon's hip hop scene fits in to the revolution. (You can also check out Alexandra Talty's piece on The Arena and its contestants and personalities, including Chyno, here.) We have Berlin, New Hampshire, and Cuba coming up on The Trip. Join us! You can sign up at Luminary for The Trip and many other exclusive podcasts: $4.99/month (and $34.99 annually) plus a 7-day free trial. —Alexa | 
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