Peakhurst food blogger Lina Jebeile hopes that by sharing her love of food it will help overcome cultural barriers
The mum of four is behind The Lebanese Plate and has amassed more than 20,000 followers on her Instagram page since it was launched last year.
Deciding to use her newfound popularity for good she recently started using the hashtag #spreadhummusnothate.
She said the idea behind the social media campaign was to invite people to share food and celebrate their similarities not their differences
‘’When you look into so many different cultures people everywhere do everything over food,’’ she said.
‘’It’s this common thread.
‘’I want to use that to bring people together and break down barriers.’’
The hashtag has already proved a hit with a number of brunches already planned including one with a Anglican priest.
Despite being born and raised in Australia she said she still dealt with being targeted because she is Muslim.
Recently she was told to go back to her own country by a stranger in an elevator.
Her daughters have also been taunted on the train.
‘’It’s like am I going to be going to be okay leaving my house? Am I going to be okay going to the supermarket? Can I get on the train and feel safe?’’ she said.
‘’We’re all afraid of what’s going on in the world.
‘’But fear is not an excuse to label a whole group of people. That’s not okay.’’
A former English teacher she left her career for a change.
Reconnecting with her Lebanese background she fell back in love with cooking.
‘’When I was working I just whipped up something quick for dinner so either pasta, stir-fry or take away,’’ she said.
‘’Being from a Lebanese background I started getting more interested in Lebanese food.
‘’Lebanese food is delicious but when you look at it, it looks strange. You don’t realise how nice it is by looking at it.
‘’I thought I needed to change that through my photos. I needed to make Lebanese food look as good as it tastes.
‘’I also wanted to bring back Lebanese food into our house because over time we’re kinda losing our Lebanese-ness.’’
Her posts now reach thousands of people from across Australia and the world.
‘’It’s kind of amazing how it can connect you to people from all over the world,’’ she said.
‘’That’s what I really love about it.