I've said it before, and so have many others, but I love Vittles. And this sharply observed piece by Sharanya Deepak, with its spot on final suggestion, is one of the reasons why. Thank you (again...)
Brilliant essay, saying that even though at times I've been part of the problem. Thank you Sharanya Deepak for writing this, and of course published by Vittles, where else.
It’s a sad state of affairs if this is the case - of course hospitality shouldn’t be conditional in the way you describe.
Growing up in England in the 70s I was never taught about partition at school. I only learned about it years later - and then, finally, understood impact it had on millions of people: the very real cost of life and the impact on future generations it had.
But I’m not sure that there’s always an agenda when people refer to a nation’s hospitality to describe them. Perhaps sometimes it’s just a way of people attempting to comprehend another culture when they know very little about it? (As I write, I realise that seems to affirm what you said!)
A very well written piece in any case. Thank you for sharing the perspective.
"Meanwhile in the West, critiques of Israel’s culinary and agricultural hegemony on Palestinian land and its cultures are infrequent and inadequate...." Like clockwork, of course this nonsensical comment was waiting to pounce, one that completely elides the fact that half of Israelis are Mizrahi (from North Africa and the Middle East), including my family that lived in Iraq from the Babylonian Exile, until they were exiled again - back to Jerusalem.... they brought their food traditions with them, but thank you for displaying the same kind of ignorant and facile reductionism that you claim to challenge.
I've said it before, and so have many others, but I love Vittles. And this sharply observed piece by Sharanya Deepak, with its spot on final suggestion, is one of the reasons why. Thank you (again...)
Brilliant essay, saying that even though at times I've been part of the problem. Thank you Sharanya Deepak for writing this, and of course published by Vittles, where else.
It’s a sad state of affairs if this is the case - of course hospitality shouldn’t be conditional in the way you describe.
Growing up in England in the 70s I was never taught about partition at school. I only learned about it years later - and then, finally, understood impact it had on millions of people: the very real cost of life and the impact on future generations it had.
But I’m not sure that there’s always an agenda when people refer to a nation’s hospitality to describe them. Perhaps sometimes it’s just a way of people attempting to comprehend another culture when they know very little about it? (As I write, I realise that seems to affirm what you said!)
A very well written piece in any case. Thank you for sharing the perspective.
"Meanwhile in the West, critiques of Israel’s culinary and agricultural hegemony on Palestinian land and its cultures are infrequent and inadequate...." Like clockwork, of course this nonsensical comment was waiting to pounce, one that completely elides the fact that half of Israelis are Mizrahi (from North Africa and the Middle East), including my family that lived in Iraq from the Babylonian Exile, until they were exiled again - back to Jerusalem.... they brought their food traditions with them, but thank you for displaying the same kind of ignorant and facile reductionism that you claim to challenge.
great piece, Sharanya!