The nexus between food, culture, and international relations
Dedicated readers of the Culinary Diplomacy blog, It’s been far too long since I’ve posted here, so I thought I’d start a new tradition for 2014: a semi-periodic roundup of insightful, relevant, and interesting links (or they may be asinine … Continued
Souk El Tayeb, the first farmers’ market in Lebanon, has been doing wonderful work to “share food, traditions and hospitality in a way that has helped bring together fractured communities” in Beirut and throughout Lebanon. Expanding beyond farmers’ markets, the … Continued
Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Eat More Yogurt For the past year or so, an idea has been brewing in my head. Or maybe it’s really been fermenting in my large intestine, and has finally bubbled up … Continued
Last week I was fortunate enough to experience a rare and unique culinary experience — an open-air lunch with a group of Amish farmers. It was a hot July day, and the group of men and boys had come in … Continued
The long-overdue Wikipedia page about Culinary Diplomacy / Gastrodiplomacy is now live. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culinary_diplomacy It’s bare-bones now, but since it’s Wikipedia, anyone can edit. If you feel like you have something to contribute, please do — let’s flesh this out. -Sam
It’s official. I published an article in the peer-reviewed journal The Hague Journal of Diplomacy. It is called “Culinary Diplomacy: Breaking Bread to Win Hearts and Minds,” published in HJD Volume 8:2 (2013). Here is the link to the Journal’s … Continued
Here’s a recording of a Google Hangout in which Mary Jo Pham (author of a fascinating piece on South Korean gastrodiplomacy), Paul Rockower (author of many great pieces, including this and this), and I discuss “edible nation branding” with Mazin … Continued
[This is a post I originally wrote after the second episode of Anthony Bourdain’s new show Parts Unknown on CNN.] Anthony Bourdain has been many things over his long career. Line cook, chef, restaurateur, author, TV host. For the past … Continued
Well, maybe it’s not as drastic as all that, but I’d like to explore a couple of recent headlines about another aspect of culinary diplomacy. One article published by Hayden, Canuel, and Shanse in the Journal of Archaeological Method and … Continued
I was fortunate to attend the fifth annual Embassy Chef Challenge, self-proclaimed as “DC’s premier international culinary event.” It was a night of Culinary Diplomacy meets Iron Chef, a competition between chefs of DC embassies to decide whose cuisine reigns … Continued