Today I had the pleasure of volunteering with a hostel in downtown Chicago. The outreach program in which I participated was called Cultural Kitchen and works with Chicago Public School students. The mission is to have the youth learn about the culture of a country of their choice (it can't be a country which the majority of them are from) and then, at the culmination of their lesson, come to the hostel and cook a meal from that country. I was excited when I learned the country would be Morocco since my dear friend Courtney Sharpe has been there for the Peace Corps.
Naturally, being the lazy vegetarian I am (my meals consist of steamed broccoli and garbanzo beans) I was assigned to cook the meat pies with phyllo dough. It started off problematic when we realized the chicken was supposed to have been cooked already. Not knowing how to do this, I gladly let the students (high school sophomores and juniors) step up, and they did not disappoint. I even learned from one girl that if you put a bowl of cold water near you while cutting onions, they won't make you cry! After we finally got the damn pies in the oven, he had some left-over dough which I suggested we use to make little cinnamon and sugar cookies and which other students used to make little meat pockets with the left-over chicken. My favorite moment was when one girl who had been skeptical the entire time said, "Hey, this is FUN!"
The activity ended with the students eating the food they made as well as serving it to a few travelers staying at the hostel and getting to interact with them. All in all, a lovely evening.
So, imagine my delight when I learned of Pittsburg-based
Conflict Kitchen. The take-out restaurant only serves cuisine from countries with which the U.S. is in conflict. The storefront rotates identities every four months to highlight a different country. Here's a mini bio:
"Each Conflict Kitchen iteration is augmented by events, performances, and discussion about the culture, politics, and issues at stake with each county we focus on. We are currently presenting the second iteration of Conflict Kitchen via Bolani Pazi, an Afghan take-out restaurant that serves a savory homemade afghan turnover filled with either pumpkin, spinach, lentils, or potatoes and leeks. Developed in collaboration with members of the Afghan community, our bolani comes packaged in a custom-designed wrapper that includes interviews with Afghans both in Afghanistan and the United States on subjects ranging from Afghan food and culture to the current geopolitical turmoil."
Not only is it a great concept, but look how beautifully it's designed!!!! Dear Conflict Kitchen, plz open a storefront in my backyard.
Caroline
