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Pittsburgh restaurant features 'conflict cuisine'
Most American travelers will never set foot in Iran, but at least now if they make it to Pittsburgh, they can enjoy some of the country's delicious cuisine. It's the idea behind a new take-out restaurant called Conflict Kitchen, a new eatery that's attempting to feature cuisine from countries the United States is in conflict with.Conflict Kitchen might serve food, but it's hardly your normal carry-out joint. The project, which was started by artist Jon Rubin, will regularly shift themes to feature a different "conflict country" and promote cross-cultural understanding. The first four months are devoted to a collaboration with Pittsburgh's Iranian community. In addition to delicious food like the Kubideh Sandwich, Conflict Kitchen also plans to host events, performances and discussion surrounding this much discussed Middle Eastern country. Though there's been no announcement on the project's website, chances are good that other "rogue states" like North Korea, Venezuela and Afghanistan will get similar treatment.
The Conflict Kitchen project raises an interesting question. Who are we demonizing when we disagree with a country's politics? Is it the government of that country? Or is it also the people who live there, many of whom have nothing to do with the policies we dislike? Perhaps by traveling and through projects like Conflict Kitchen we can learn to better differentiate between the two.
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Filed under: Food and Drink, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, News, Middle East
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
t-rex Jul 10th 2010 9:49PM
Let`s all sit in a circle with our enemies after dinner and sing the coka-cola song, if you`re not too busy throwing up. Get real, people. Don`t you get it, our enemies are laughing at us because we think everything can be fixed if we just understand them. They couldn`t care less if we understand them or not,we`re infidels.You don`t make friends with a snake and all you NEED to understand is that --that snake will bite you, and not care if it hurts.
Kim Jul 10th 2010 11:10PM
You are 100% right T-Rex. I may be a bleeding liberal, but I have had extensive experience in the Iranian/Arabic communities. Most Americans do not realize that as a whole, THEY HATE US. I have been told to my face by "friends" in these communities that "Americans are sub-human. The only reason they are here is to use us for our wealthy country and our education, and that they would eradicate us if they could." I am not kidding. We cannot understand them because their very philosophy in Islam is completely alien to all of our values. They do not believe in compromise. Holding hands and looking to get along will only destroy America as we know it. Remember, most Americans saw Hitler as harmless in the 1920's - then look at what happened. It's happening again. Just because we're paranoid does not mean that they're not out to get us!
justhorses Jul 10th 2010 10:29PM
Conflict cuisine, sounds like I want pizza and you want chicken. If it were only that simple. I can`t wait to eat Iranian food. Maybe some dead woman salad to start,don`t forget to sprinkle generously with stones. Or, even better, let`s share an IED smothered in berkas. Then for dessert, we can crunch on some bullets since thats what our soldiers have to eat daily.And whats good enough for them should be good enough for you. Instead of supporting our enemies why don`t we support our American soldiers?
jon Jul 10th 2010 11:16PM
As one of the co-creators of Conflict Kitchen I could not help but comment on this blog. Our current Iranian version of the project has given us the opportunity to talk with many Iranians both in Pittsburgh and currently living in Iran. What several of you might be surprised to find out is that many Iranians respect and admire Americans and American culture. Many also do not agree with their governments policies and don't feel that they represent all of their interests or values (I think many Americans could say the same). The hope of the project is to present the daily life and culture of the people of each country we focus on and in so doing open up a more nuanced conversation about similarity and difference. I'm sure many of you, whether from the right or left, do not want to be represented in the most simplified, two-dimensional fashion based on the grossest stereotypes of your race, religion, or ethnicity. I think at the end of the day we all lie in bed and imagine ourselves as being quite complex, our feelings sometime contradictory, our beliefs evolving, our selves as something bigger than our circumstances. Why would this not be true of someone living in another country regardless of their government's policies. Do you, as an individual, want your identity to be defined only with the worst attributes of your country or religion? It would be troubling to most Catholics certainly to be be labeled child molesters without ever meeting them. The issues we are facing globally are very similar to the race issues we faced and continue to face internally. Certainly there are real injustices being perpetrated in the world, and dealing with these injustices is an incredibly complicated task. But what is the byproduct of calling an entire country, and an entire people our enemy? And is it any different when you are a misrepresented and when you misrepresent someone else?
Carol Stout Jul 11th 2010 12:37AM
Jon, I hope that your restaurant succeeds. Just because we are having conflicts with various countries does not mean that they don't have some very good food. I like to try different foods from different places myself. Just because some of the people hate us does not mean that all of them do. Learning a little about other countries doesn't hurt anyone at all. One of the best ways to get to know about people is sitting down and having a meal with them. We are all just a little more "human" and civil to each other at those times usually. Then we can take what we learn at that time and add to it as we go along. We might even become very good friends with people who had been perfect strangers to us before that time and all of us could end up understanding each other a little better. Even if we don't end up becoming friendly with the people from these countries we can at least enjoy some of their cuisine.
Just because you are choosing to serve food from countries that we are in conflict with does not make you any less American then anyone else either.
JC Jul 10th 2010 11:48PM
I sincerely hope this dive fails miserably. What a pack of jerks!
Sharon Jul 11th 2010 4:24AM
You are missing the point entirely. How sad.
donald pierce Jul 10th 2010 11:55PM
I do not mind foreigners but i do mind the attitude of most of them and we do not need to bow down to them in any way shape or form, BTW I am part Cherokee and my son is cherokee and apache. They come here and they take and do not give naything but trouble from the one's i have met.
justhorses Jul 10th 2010 11:54PM
To Jon. I hope you read the comments from t-rex and kim, because I think you could learn something from them. I realize you`re wanting to make money with your restaurant, but while you`re cooking your foreign dishes and promoting love between us all,you`d better be watching your back. They count on our gullibility and take advantage of it. Kim was so right, we are sub-human to them and they DO NOT want to be our friend. I`m insulted that as a country we invite our enemies onto our shores with open arms thinking they are of the same mindset as we are.You can also compare the way I feel to other times in history,but it doesn`t change the facts.You go ahead and let your heart bleed for these "mis-understood people" but I will keep my opinions just as they are.I DON`T AND WON`T TRUST A mUSLIM,RICH OR POOR.
justhorses Jul 11th 2010 12:03AM
One more thing,Jon, I don`t consider myself right or left. I`m red white and blue American.
littlemissr17 Jul 11th 2010 1:11AM
It's amazing the sort of ignorance promoted by this idea of being a "true" American. I love my country, but I love it because it is a mix of so many different, beautiful cultures and people and spawning hate for those people who aren't white and christian only divides our country further. Remember, Islam is an off-shoot of Judaism, just like Christianity and if anyone would ever bother to take the time to study it, they'd realize it's not terribly different from its big brothers. The average people of every country aren't fairly different. Of course they have their prejudices against America, after all, you obviously have a prejudice against them, all of it based solely on government propaganda. The theory behind Conflict Kitchen is beautiful and refreshing and I hope it helps expands American horizons, so that prejudice everywhere can be erased, eventually. Besides, Middle Eastern cuisine is incredible.
justhorses Jul 11th 2010 2:08PM
Usually I don`t take time to feel sorry for airheads but you, what a head case. You sound like food will erase hate. Food erases hunger. It would be a great thing to all get along. To hold hands and run through a field of wild flowers, with the sun on our faces bla bla bla. Wake up! You eat with whoever you want, and whatever you want and I`ll do the same. In the end, let`s just agree to disagree. Bon Appetite, or whatever.
Sharon Jul 11th 2010 4:36AM
How about Europeans entering into 300 treaties with Native Americans and breaking every single one of them? How about importing black people and snatching the babies from their mothers' arms and selling them? How about lynchings, burnings, castration of enslaved Africans? How about putting Japanese families into concentration camps? We could go on and on with this. No nation has ANY room to talk about another, for ALL have sinned and fall far from the grace of God. LET THE ONE WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE.
james russell Jul 11th 2010 6:14PM
There are several nations that make extordinary foods and there are places in the United States that serve authentic foods. Persian foods are good and some are not for every taste.
Do not compare the food being served to the nation that it represents. Korea does serve dog as a meat. There are some that serve snake as a meat. There are countries that serve horse meat. So far I have heard of any that serve cats.
When you compare the food to the policies of a nation or people remember that these countries are many centuries old and their customs are ingrained into their life. Iran and a few other middle east nations still comdenm people to stoning when it comes to adultery and in certain cases rape. These Nations also still allow HONOR killings. Remember that women in these countries are not to be seen on the streets by themselves. They have to have a male escort. If the woman is a widow she sometimes must marry the brother of her husband. Females until they are 12 years old don't have to wear coverings but they still have to have some male escort them around when they are out and about. The lady condemned in Iran for adultery and who was supposed to be stoned may still be executed by other means. Saudi Arabia still exectues by beheading any person convicted of adultery.
There are foods here in the United Sates that I would not even think of putting in my mouth just knowing what it was made of. I can't even think of eating raw fish or under-cooked meat. If you served me oysters on the half shell I would return it untouched. Just because someone eats the food doesn't mean that you have to eat it or the "conflict country" food is bad. That's a bad term anyway.
Ryan Jul 11th 2010 10:08PM
Jon,
Best of luck. I'm shocked and embarrassed at these sheltered, close-minded comments. Next time I'm in Pittsburgh I'll be sure to stop in, say hi and sample a cuisine and culture new to me.
Ryan
SS Jul 12th 2010 3:55AM
THIS IDEA IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
shelley miller Aug 4th 2010 9:38AM
My dear friend lived in a conflict conuntry during WWII. She lost a kidney to malnutrition. Her own country (Germany) starved her. She is one of the best cooks ever. She loves America and is proud to be here. Not all people from conflict countries in this day and time even get to eat 3 meals a day. I would myself love to try some of these foods. Because of conflict I would never travel to these countries. Remember Japanese, China, Germany, England, France...the list goes on were at one time conflict countries.
Dawn Weleski Sep 10th 2010 7:21PM
Dear Jeremy Kressmann,
Thank you for featuring Conflict Kitchen in your article Pittsburgh’s Conflict Kitchen: Axis of Edible? on July 9th.
We have recently launched a campaign on Kickstarter.com, a website that helps innovative projects get funding. We have had a successful launch with Kubideh Kitchen and have sparked many conversations about Iranian culture and politics. Now we need your help in making our next
stage of Conflict Kitchen as successful as our last.
In October, Kubideh Kitchen will go out of business and change identities in order to highlight and provoke discussion around Afghan culture. We would greatly appreciate if you wrote a follow-up
blog post highlighting our Kickstarter pledge drive to help us reach our goal of $4,000 by the end of September. Donations will go towards the creation of our next iteration, Bolani Pazi, which will serve Afghan food wrapped in a custom-designed wrapper printed with Afghan perspectives and opinions. Your blog post will be featured in our newsletter and other marketing media.
Here is a link to our page, which includes a video and blurb explaining our efforts:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/1859717557/conflict-kitchen
Thank you in for your continued support and interest.
Dawn Weleski
Conflict Kitchen
http://www.ConflictKitchen.org