{"id":1273,"date":"2014-07-15T21:33:44","date_gmt":"2014-07-16T01:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chefkevinarcher.com\/WordPress\/?p=1273"},"modified":"2020-11-13T22:06:49","modified_gmt":"2020-11-14T03:06:49","slug":"pmsc1-liberation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kevinrayarcher.com\/WordPress\/pmsc1-liberation\/","title":{"rendered":"Peace Meal Supper Club™ #1: Liberation"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was very proud to send out an announcement last week to close friends, activist associates, and new acquaintances. It regarded the debut of Peace Meal Supper Club™<\/strong>, an intimate evening of fine food and progressive discussion, focused on strengthening ourselves as agents for positive change. It\u2019s a private event, held in the home I share with my partner, The Stapler<\/a>.\u00a0 She serves as hostess while I keep the pans hopping on the stove.<\/p>\n

The event is simple in concept, like salon-meets-dinner-party. I design a menu centered upon a theme. The diners, while enjoying the meal, freely explore the theme through their dinner conversation.<\/p>\n

Peace Meal Supper Club™ is the physical manifestation of an idea\u2014that food and harmony and social justice and animal rights and environmental responsibility and all other good things can coexist around a single dinner table. It\u2019s the idea that we can all be nourished sufficiently and satisfactorily at the same time, with no harm being done to anyone living. It\u2019s a big idea, so it\u2019s going to take a lot of good food. And a lot of progressive discussion.<\/p>\n

These two focal points will manifest in their most natural ways.<\/p>\n

The food will be exploratory, fusion-inspired, organic, always vegan. Through the dinner\u2019s four courses, I will highlight ethnic commonalities in the use of techniques and spices, hopefully illustrating our global communion.<\/p>\n

The discussion, provided by the diners with only subtle suggestion from me via the menu, will be, like all good discussions, free form, widely ranging, self-governing and civil. But the theme will be clearly on the table, with each course reminding the diners that there is a purpose to our being here.<\/p>\n

That leaves only the outcome–which will also be free form and widely ranging. Everyone will respond in their own way, but they will be better informed and perhaps more focused after having come to Peace Meal Supper Club™.<\/p>\n

The theme for the first one is Liberation\u2014a fitting theme for the month of July, in which so many nations celebrate their liberation from other powers. Sometimes we can understand an idea better through contrast. While it would be easy to say USA vs. China, for example, that is indeed too simplistic. It is much more informative to look at those living amidst liberty yet having their own denied. For example, men incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp; Leonard Peltier\u2014and indeed all indigenous Americans; Mexican nationals working in American agricultural fields; and animals held against their will, used for human food.<\/p>\n

While preparing for the debut of Peace Meal Supper Club™, I\u2019ve revisited old notes and memories. Scribbles of culinary ideas take shape easily, and with a certain plating flair the result will suffice to break the conversational ice. What\u2019s hard is trying to encapsulate all the intellectual ideas. Showing visual contrast on a plate is easy with color and space; on the palate, I can play with bitter or sweet flavors. But how does one show ideological disparity in a main course?<\/p>\n

While I try to figure that out artistically, I will sow seeds with words. Let the diners\u2019 discussion bloom into the fruit of change.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, here\u2019s the menu for Peace Meal Supper Club™ #1: Liberation.<\/p>\n

Course 1:<\/p>\n

Vegetables Stir-Fried with Afghan Spices ~ Red Chile Aioli ~ Naan<\/p>\n

In honor of the 149 hostages presently held in Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, and the 630 that preceded them<\/em><\/p>\n

Course 2:<\/p>\n

Wild Rice Pilaf ~ Smoked Butternut Skewer ~ Maple Currant Glaze<\/p>\n

With respect to Leonard Peltier, US political prisoner since 1977, and to his people, without liberty since 1877<\/em><\/p>\n

Course 3:<\/p>\n

Mushroom Picadillo Tamales ~ Mole Amarillo ~ Roasted Fingerlings<\/p>\n

For the 5 million Mexican and American farmworkers excluded from US labor protections<\/em><\/p>\n

Course 4:<\/p>\n

Vanilla Cr\u00e8me Brulee ~ Cherry Chutney ~ Cardamom Cookie<\/p>\n

In memory of the billions of animals used annually by the US industrial agricultural system<\/em><\/p>\n

(On the reverse side of the menu I will offer diners an opportunity to go deeper into the theme via relevant books, websites, and films. The backside of the Liberation menu, therefore, contains the following.)<\/p>\n

Seven hundred and seventy nine humans have been incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp <\/strong>since 2002, most of whom were captured under a US-sponsored bounty system. International treaties, Geneva Conventions, UN statutes, US laws, and human rights principles have been openly flouted in order to continue \u201cpolitically expedient\u201d detention of men without filing formal charges against them. Rampant denial of rights continues under the present administration, though closure of the camp had been promised. Course 1 highlights the Afghan crossroads of cuisine, culture, and capture.<\/p>\n

Learn more:<\/p>\n