The nexus between food, culture, and international relations
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
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