Palestinian cuisine a variety of leaf vegetables, primarily grape leaves, cabbage leaves and less often chard. "Mahshi" requires delicacy and time—the main reason it is prepared before the day it is cooked and served. Many female family members participate in the rolling and stuffing of the vegetables, relaxing the amount of individual effort required, with great attention to detail. "Waraq Dawali" (stuffed grape leaves), is a "mahshi" meal reserved for large gatherings. The grape leaves are normally wrapped around minced meat, white rice and diced tomatoes, however meat is not always used. Dawali is an excellent representation of the attention to detail
A Leaf in the Bitter Wind the Bitter Wind" received positive reviews from professional critics, who praised the book's ability to engross readers despite the difficult subject matter. The Barrie Examiner described it as "fascinating yet horrifying", while a review appearing in Cityview called it "a page-turner that can be enjoyed as exquisite grassroots history, or as the simple story of one woman’s triumph over brutish odds". Writing for the Ottawa Citizen, Patrick Kavanagh claimed that "Ting-Xing Ye tells her story with such vividness of imagery and such a galloping momentum that the narrative reads like splendid fiction". A Leaf in the Bitter Wind A Leaf