One of my friends (@KrissyPaul) on Twitter posted this link the other day. Kubideh Kitchen, a take-out restaurant that only serves cuisine from countries that the United States is in conflict with.
How cool is this idea? First of all…yum! Secondly, some sociologists have noted, food is probably one of the easiest ways for cultures to assimilate one another. It will be interesting to see what country they will highlight next. Someone in the SL,UT needs to jump on this idea and set up shop here. Not that we don’t already have Middle Eastern restaurants here (I’m dying to try Mazza), but the idea behind why is brilliant! Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all tried to understand and embrace each others culture? And this would be why I’m an International Studies student. Foreigners and foreign cultures fascinate me and food is always a great introduction.
This reminds me to tell you about the book I am currently reading, Laughing without an Accent: Adventures of a Global Citizen, which is the second book by Firoozeh Dumas. The first book being, Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America. Both, excellent reads. Each chapter, a vignette of humorous stories of the life of an immigrant from Iran. I particularly like the stories about her father, Kazem. I need to meet this man, what a character! Having come to the US prior to the Iranian Revolution, it was heartbreaking to read how she and her family were treated by Americans during and after the Iran Hostage situation. I was only 10 at the time that occurred, but I vaguely remember the negative sentiment towards Iranians. Same goes for current conditions with Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention Iran and other Middle Eastern countries. We can not take the evil actions of some and paint a sweeping judgement across them all. Each has a unique and beautiful history and culture, filled with amazing, vibrant people. And food, don’t forget the food!
Firoozeh Dumas is also a contributor on NPR, you can hear her podcasts here.
Want more books that look into other cultures? I’ve read several books written by Jean Sasson, to include the Princess Trilogy. A fascinating look into life in Saudi Arabia.
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women. Endlessly fascinating and a real eye opener.
Both books by Luong Ung (Cambodia) and Le Ly Hayslip (Vietnam). Both women write about their experiences in their native countries, during The Killing Fields and Vietnam War, respectively. With follow up books describing their experiences as immigrants in the US.
Any book by Amy Tan, although novels, she includes mass amounts of information about Chinese culture. I really liked Saving Fish from Drowning, which takes place mostly in Burma (Myanmar) and introduced me to Animism and how this religion or philosophy works.
And for God’s sake, next time you go out to dinner, skip the nasty chain restaurants and check out a locally owned ethnic place. Don’t know where to go? Check out Urbanspoon. Restaurants are rated by customers, include media and customer reviews and often have a link to menus and websites. Try something new. Learn something new. Look beyond being American.
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