The nexus between food, culture, and international relations
A little-known but very awesome piece of culinary diplomacy is Le Club des Chefs des Chefs, or in awkward English, “Leaders’ Chefs’ Club.” Created in 1977 by Gilles Bragard, the designer of chef uniforms, it is an informal organization bringing … Continued
I’m sure everyone (in the US, at least) is totally and completely fed up with this damn election. I know I’m constantly refreshing 538 and foxnews to see who’s outflanking whom in the my-polls-are-holier-than-thine debate. Though we’re all suffering from … Continued
I’ve written before about the US State Department’s new Culinary Diplomacy initiative – a (hopefully expanding) program using American chefs and American culinary traditions to reach out to foreign audiences. I’ve also written that culinary diplomacy isn’t confined to the … Continued
New cookbook from British-Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi and British-Palestinian chef Sami Tamimi highlights the common experience between Palestinians and Israelis in modern Jerusalem, according to this article on NPR. Ottolenghi, the owner of a few restaurants in London, and Tamimi, … Continued
The US isn’t the only place that Culinary Diplomacy is hot. This past week it was Korean Food Week in Abuja, Nigeria. Korean Ambassador to Nigeria Choi Jung-Hyun hosted Nigerian dignitaries and government officials at the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja. … Continued
The Department of State has officially immortalized Culinary Diplomacy on its Tumblr page. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock updated State’s blog, as well as its Tumblr page, to discuss the International Visitor Leadership Program … Continued
Judging by the name of this blog, I’ve obviously chosen a side in the debate (a still-nascent debate, really – you probably didn’t even know it existed) about whether food can really be used as a tool of diplomacy. The … Continued
Costas Constantinou, a professor of diplomacy at the University of Cyprus, wrote the following in 1996: “Even though the importance of gastronomy is well registered in diplomatic practice, it is nonetheless conventionally approached as a dignified, not an effective, aspect … Continued
One of my favorite examples of culinary diplomacy (or more precisely: public culinary diplomacy) is the Conflict Kitchen, a take-out restaurant in Pittsburgh. The catch here is that Conflict Kitchen only serves food from countries with which the United States … Continued
In an earlier post I define ‘Culinary Diplomacy’ as: “The use of food and cuisine as an instrument to create a cross-cultural understanding in the hopes of improving interactions and cooperation.” I’d like to hone in a little on the … Continued