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CONFLICT KITCHEN PUTS PEACE ON THE TABLE
Food can promote understanding between communities in dispute, as a
pop-up restaurant in London aims to show
Phil Champain Wednesday 10 September 2014 07.00
A cook serves traditional Peruvian dishes, which will also be
available at London's Conflict Kitchen. Photograph: Enrique
Castro-Mendivil/Reuters
During more than a decade of working in parts of the world affected
by conflict, I have never been far from sharing food. As an outsider,
invariably I have been the guest at a restaurant or the family home
of a relative stranger.
On occasions, food itself has been the subject of argument. In
2008,Lebanese chefs created the world's largest hummus plate in Beirut
and decorated it with the Lebanese flag during a row over traditional
dishes. Armenians have taken steps to safeguard what they believe
to be the Armenian lineage of tolma (stuffed vine leaves or other
vegetables), which are frequently also served in Turkey (where they
are known as dolma). And on the other side of the conflict divide,
Azerbaijan's culinary watchdog the National Cuisine Centre has not
been reluctant to persuade people that Armenian cuisine is in fact
Azeri cuisine. It seems food can be used to strengthen positions in
a conflict.
But it can also be an important part of deepening understanding. In
the case of chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, food can be a
vehicle for exploring the similarities in traditions associated with
communities in conflict. The cookbook Jerusalem was written by the
two chefs who grew up on opposite sides of the divided city, Tamimi
in the Arab east, Ottolenghi in the Jewish west. Notes and essays
included in the cookbook convey the authors' awareness that trying
to contain both Arab and Jewish traditions in one book is inherently
controversial, but nevertheless important.
Food is wrapped up with the way we manage our dialogues and
discussions. As chef Claudia Roden reminds us, "dishes carry the
triumphs and glories, the defeats, the loves and sorrows of the past".
It can help our efforts to understand each other.
Food is also part of our rituals. Not only birthdays and weddings,
but of rituals designed to reconcile differences and resolve conflicts.
For example, the ritual process of sulh (literally meaning
"peace") in the Middle East usually ends in a public ceremony of
musalaha("reconciliation") performed in a public place. The families
of both the victim and the guilty party line up along the road to
exchange greetings and accept apologies. The ceremony includes a visit
by the family of the perpetrator to the victim's home to drink a cup of
bitter coffee, and it concludes with a meal hosted by the family of the
offender. The specific form of the ritual varies from Israel/Palestine
to Lebanon and Jordan, but the basic philosophy is based on musafaha
(hand-shaking), andmumalaha (meaning "partaking of salt and bread",
ie breaking bread together).
In the UK, some of those advocating restorative justice practices
also focus on ritual. In her recent book, Just Emotions: Rituals
of Restorative Justice, Meredith Rossner from the London School
of Economics uses ritual theory to explore the dynamics at play
during an encounter between victim and offender, highlighting the
importance of rhythm, emotional highs, preparing participants and
managing expectations, and turning points. The provision of food is
seen as an important part of such encounters, helping to create a
non-threatening environment.
These are the unsung benefits of eating together and the reasons
whyInternational Alert has launched the pop-up restaurant, Conflict
Kitchen London. The idea is inspired by, but independent of, the
Conflict Kitchen conceptualised in the US, which serves food from
countries with which the US is in conflict.
The London kitchen will serve dishes from Burma, Jordan and Peru.
Discussions around the tables will touch on the challenges Burma is
facing during its political transition from decades of authoritarian
military rule to the aspiration of a civilian democracy; Jordan's
precarious position in the Middle East as it deals with refugees
crossing its borders with Israel, Syria and Iraq; and prospects
for Peru's indigenous people in light of the country's significant
mining industry.
The ingredients and the preparation of dishes tell us something
about a place and a community, and can spark difficult but important
exchanges between people. Ultimately, food is an important part of
the rituals we enter into to resolve our differences and restore a
sense of justice and fairness within our communities.
* Conflict Kitchen London runs in partnership with Grub Club and
Monikers Restaurant from 11-27 September. Phil Champain is director
of emerging programmes at International Alert
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/sep/10/conflict-kitchen-puts-peace-on-the-table
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Food can promote understanding between communities in dispute, as a
pop-up restaurant in London aims to show
Phil Champain Wednesday 10 September 2014 07.00
A cook serves traditional Peruvian dishes, which will also be
available at London's Conflict Kitchen. Photograph: Enrique
Castro-Mendivil/Reuters
During more than a decade of working in parts of the world affected
by conflict, I have never been far from sharing food. As an outsider,
invariably I have been the guest at a restaurant or the family home
of a relative stranger.
On occasions, food itself has been the subject of argument. In
2008,Lebanese chefs created the world's largest hummus plate in Beirut
and decorated it with the Lebanese flag during a row over traditional
dishes. Armenians have taken steps to safeguard what they believe
to be the Armenian lineage of tolma (stuffed vine leaves or other
vegetables), which are frequently also served in Turkey (where they
are known as dolma). And on the other side of the conflict divide,
Azerbaijan's culinary watchdog the National Cuisine Centre has not
been reluctant to persuade people that Armenian cuisine is in fact
Azeri cuisine. It seems food can be used to strengthen positions in
a conflict.
But it can also be an important part of deepening understanding. In
the case of chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, food can be a
vehicle for exploring the similarities in traditions associated with
communities in conflict. The cookbook Jerusalem was written by the
two chefs who grew up on opposite sides of the divided city, Tamimi
in the Arab east, Ottolenghi in the Jewish west. Notes and essays
included in the cookbook convey the authors' awareness that trying
to contain both Arab and Jewish traditions in one book is inherently
controversial, but nevertheless important.
Food is wrapped up with the way we manage our dialogues and
discussions. As chef Claudia Roden reminds us, "dishes carry the
triumphs and glories, the defeats, the loves and sorrows of the past".
It can help our efforts to understand each other.
Food is also part of our rituals. Not only birthdays and weddings,
but of rituals designed to reconcile differences and resolve conflicts.
For example, the ritual process of sulh (literally meaning
"peace") in the Middle East usually ends in a public ceremony of
musalaha("reconciliation") performed in a public place. The families
of both the victim and the guilty party line up along the road to
exchange greetings and accept apologies. The ceremony includes a visit
by the family of the perpetrator to the victim's home to drink a cup of
bitter coffee, and it concludes with a meal hosted by the family of the
offender. The specific form of the ritual varies from Israel/Palestine
to Lebanon and Jordan, but the basic philosophy is based on musafaha
(hand-shaking), andmumalaha (meaning "partaking of salt and bread",
ie breaking bread together).
In the UK, some of those advocating restorative justice practices
also focus on ritual. In her recent book, Just Emotions: Rituals
of Restorative Justice, Meredith Rossner from the London School
of Economics uses ritual theory to explore the dynamics at play
during an encounter between victim and offender, highlighting the
importance of rhythm, emotional highs, preparing participants and
managing expectations, and turning points. The provision of food is
seen as an important part of such encounters, helping to create a
non-threatening environment.
These are the unsung benefits of eating together and the reasons
whyInternational Alert has launched the pop-up restaurant, Conflict
Kitchen London. The idea is inspired by, but independent of, the
Conflict Kitchen conceptualised in the US, which serves food from
countries with which the US is in conflict.
The London kitchen will serve dishes from Burma, Jordan and Peru.
Discussions around the tables will touch on the challenges Burma is
facing during its political transition from decades of authoritarian
military rule to the aspiration of a civilian democracy; Jordan's
precarious position in the Middle East as it deals with refugees
crossing its borders with Israel, Syria and Iraq; and prospects
for Peru's indigenous people in light of the country's significant
mining industry.
The ingredients and the preparation of dishes tell us something
about a place and a community, and can spark difficult but important
exchanges between people. Ultimately, food is an important part of
the rituals we enter into to resolve our differences and restore a
sense of justice and fairness within our communities.
* Conflict Kitchen London runs in partnership with Grub Club and
Monikers Restaurant from 11-27 September. Phil Champain is director
of emerging programmes at International Alert
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/sep/10/conflict-kitchen-puts-peace-on-the-table
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress