Can you taste it?
Anyone who's purchased a meal from a streetside cart knows that its food can often be tastier than what's offered in a restaurant. What you might not have considered is how street food is one of the best ways to learn about the local culture.
The new eight-part Al Jazeera series "Street Food" explores what street food can teach us about culture by taking us to the carts of Penang, San Sebastian, New York City, London, Nairobi, Beijing, Cairo and Jerusalem.
While food is the focus of the show, it is difficult to separate its influence on culture, politics and health. Topics such as the global food crisis, food shortages and the rise of Western diets and obesity are covered of the program. “The so called rich man’s diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure, are starting to appear," warns a popular TV chef in Nairobi. Episodes also highlight the everyday struggles of both food-cart vendors and their customers.
Although the shows certainly showcase the distinctiveness of local foods, one also demonstrates how food can bridge differences: The Jerusalem episode features Chefs for Peace, an alliance of chefs from Israel and Palestine who bring together people of different faiths to share in the delight of great food.
Watch the first episode of "Street Food" in Nairobi, Kenya.
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Printer-friendly version
Comments
Slow Food Movement
Across nations, local food allows individuals to identify with their culture at both regional and national levels.
The Slow Food Movement (http://www.slowfood.com/), which was founded 22 years ago in opposition to the opening of the first McDonald's in Rome, aims to inform consumers about the origin of their food, and how what we consume affects the rest of the world.
One important goal of the movement (which now includes members from 132 countries) is the encouragement of consumers to take interest in those who produce the food we eat, how they produce it, and the issues they face in the process. The idea is for consumers to become actively involved in the production process from the ground up.
A smaller branch of the larger Slow Food organization, the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity (http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com/) takes further steps towards understanding and promoting biodiversity. This makes it possible for consumers to enjoy a wide range of traditional, local and diverse foods at the same time that the individuals and communities who produce these foods are sustained, and their cultures preserved.
Post new comment