When I read BBC News Mark Duff's piece-Food Festival Has Peace on Menu, I thought I'd share his fascinating findings with all of you. It seems that one of the world's most famous food festivals is doing its part to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace by way of food.
As Duff points out, one usually only hears about food in the news when there's scarcity, war or some other catastrophy surrounding it. At this year's Salone del Gusto in Turin, Italy, food talk over the next week will celebrate more than the 20 years of the Slow Food Movement (which coincidentally started in Italy). This year, Israeli and Palestinian chefs will also cook together at the show, creating a lavish spread, using each country's culinary history and traditions in doing so. The "Peace Meal" as it's called, is part of the Chefs for Peace association's attempt to promote dialogue between the two sides by opening a door through their shared love of good food.
As Mark Duff says in his piece about the meal and the Israeli-Palestinian collaboration, "...it is more than a gimmick. Other events include talks on both the immediate impact of war on agricultural communities - and the longer-term devastation caused by the destruction of crops and livestock."
While some cook for peace, others write plays, using food as common ground about the situation in modern-day Israel and Palestine. Read The Arab-Israeli Cookbook for another glimpse into this region's conflicts.
