In Syria, a new order for daily bread

ALEPPO, Syria — The bags of pita bread are stacked in tight formation on the sidewalk, as if standing at attention.

From here they will be dispersed across the rebel-held neighborhood to small, nondescript distribution centers: the bike repair shop down the street, the corner convenience store or the electrician's shop. The long lines that used to form outside bakeries, tempting targets for government air attacks, are gone.

"We created the center for the protection of the people," said Abu Muhammad, a member of the bakery committee for the Bustan Qasir and Kalaseh neighborhoods.

The war in Syria has disrupted food supplies, and few scarce commodities are missed more than bread, a staple in the nation. At the height of the shortages last year, Syrians posted sonnets online about a boy and his beloved: a loaf of bread.

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-syria-bakeries-20131115,0,5919981.story