BEIRUT, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Edmond Akl, his wife Norma and their two sons visited fields in Qlaiaa, southern Lebanon, in the early morning, equipped with straw baskets and medium-sized burlap bags to collect wild snails.
Akl's family was not the only one to visit fields in the snail season, which was delayed for several weeks this year due to the lack of rain in October and November, as dozens of people were active in the fields and orchards vigorously searching for snails in the rocks and among grasses.
Georgette Eid, who was searching for snails with her 11-year-old daughter on the outskirts of Marjeyoun town, told Xinhua that snails come out of their shells with November's rain.
"We wait for this season year after year in search for snails, which are known for their good taste, great health benefits and good financial revenue in light of the current difficult economic crisis in parallel with the outbreak of COVID-19," Eid said.
Snails are usually collected and placed in containers of various sizes to be marketed and sold at the sides and intersections of roads.
"We do this with passion every year," Ramez Shamoun told Xinhua.
Shamoun, who collects snails with his three children, said he sells them in the afternoon to customers waiting for this short season which lasts for only one month.
Shamoun pointed out that he collects between 1,000 and 1,500 snails daily, which he sells to houses and shops.
"Our daily work with snails provides us with a return of 20 U.S. dollars, which is an acceptable amount, noting the rampant unemployment and current difficult living conditions," he said.
For her part, Farida Daher goes out with friends to collect snails in the Khiam Plain in southern Lebanon for financial return and fun at the same time.
"We get to earn an acceptable amount of money for selling snails, while spending several hours in the pursuit of snails which is a sport and fun activity at the same time," she told Xinhua.
Daher said that snails constitute one of the best and healthiest dishes in the fall season.
She explained that cooking snails usually goes through different stages starting with starving them in a sealed bowl, washing and boiling them until they are ripe, to be served on the table after they were mixed with salt, garlic and other spices.
Syrian refugees' families in Lebanon also find it a good opportunity to secure part of their needs by collecting and selling snails.
Hassan Abou Sameh, a displaced Syrian refugee from Aleppo, told Xinhua that he collects snails with his wife and three children from the plains near his camp in Wazzani, southern Lebanon, which is both entertaining and profitable, while requiring nothing but good energy.
"Our daily revenue from selling snails ranges between 100,000 and 120,000 Lebanese pounds, which is sufficient to secure some basic products for the winter such as clothes and diesel," he said.
Lebanon has been going through severe economic and financial crisis prompting most of the families to search for different sources of income to be able to meet their daily basic needs. Enditem