Interfood Dialogue: Peaceful Endeavours Over the Dinner Table

Maufur

‘Interfood dialogue’ in the title above might give you the impression that I am playing word games because of its similarity in both letter and sound to ‘interfaith dialogue’. You are not one hundred per cent right or wrong. The use of this term is indeed related to the second term, which is popular among interfaith dialogue activists. However, rather than being a pun or a joke, I am very serious about the idea of making food an important part of a dialogue or conflict resolution model, especially in the Indonesian context. If we are familiar with the term ‘dinner table diplomacy’ in the context of politics or interstate relations, why don't we also use this model in interfaith dialogue or peace efforts.

This article was inspired by my personal experience when participating in several peace activities abroad. In 2013, I had the opportunity to attend a Summer Programme on Religion and Conflict Resolution held by the Center for Religion, Culture, and Conflict (CRCC) in New Jersey, USA. In 2016, I was again invited as a facilitator at this event that lasted for approximately one month. The participants were from different religious backgrounds and came from a number of countries experiencing ethnic and religious conflict: Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Nigeria and Indonesia. In the forum, debates between Israeli and Palestinian participants were very heated, and it was not uncommon for tables to be broken or participants to walk out. This dynamic is understandable, due to the long conflict between the two countries.

However, the heated situation in the classroom did not extend beyond the classroom. In fact, some of the participants who had previously struggled became close friends. Moments of intimacy were especially evident during meal breaks. The committee deliberately arranged the seats based on differences in religious or national identity; the aim was to allow them to have a dialogue while enjoying the food that had been prepared. There was no shouting, finger pointing, or table banging; the atmosphere was filled with laughter, intimate conversation, food tasting, or if there was a serious discussion, there was no frowning or reddening of the face due to holding back emotions. At the end of the programme, when all participants had to fill in an evaluation sheet, I wrote that the real dialogue happens during meals, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Food is an integral part of the lives of all creatures, especially humans. Food not only serves as a means of survival, but it also determines the direction of human civilisation. From a theological perspective, food is a symbol of a servant's purification and obedience to his Lord. In fact, the story of human creation also involves food (apples) as in the story of Adam and Eve. It is no wonder then that any religion would have rules about what can be eaten or not. In Islam, we know halal and haram foods; Judaism has kashrut laws that strictly regulate the types of food for Jews. The same goes for other religions and traditions, though to varying degrees and strictness. Food is also an integral part of many religious rituals. In Christianity, for example, bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus, symbolising purity and sacrifice.

From food we also learn how different traditions meet and form a unity. If you've ever travelled to Kediri, for example, you'll easily find ‘tahu takwa’, the city's speciality food sold around the Chinatown area. But make no mistake, the word ‘takwa’ here has nothing to do with piety in the theological sense. According to Aminuddin Kasdi (2015), as quoted in www.aremmadia.com, the term ‘takwa’ refers to the name of the spice that is the basic ingredient of this yellow-coloured food. Another version says it represents the name of a Chinese tribe ‘Kwa’ which turns into ‘takwa’ on the Javanese tongue. Until now, the existence of ‘tahu takwa’ has been so attached to the identity of Kediri City. Perhaps, this is a simple example of how food affects the identity of a city, or even a nation.

Unfortunately, in Indonesia, food is only a garnish or a distraction in interfaith dialogue or conflict resolution events. It is true that every dialogue event involves eating among the participants. However, there is rarely a serious effort to make food part of the interfaith or peace dialogue model. I hardly ever hear or come across pamphlets for peace activities that make food the main model of dialogue. A small example, for example, is that there are not many open meals held with interfaith communities as a meeting place to strengthen harmony. In fact, theoretically, food can be an effective means of breaking down the walls of prejudice by first building intimacy at the dinner table. ‘Sharing food ... brings people into contact in an intimate and pleasurable setting,’ says Sam Chapple-Sokol (2014). Equally, the lack of attention to the role of food in conflict resolution is also reflected in the lack of academic studies on the topic.

Reflecting on conflict efforts abroad, many peace or conflict resolution initiatives take food as a central theme amidst official dialogue efforts. Some examples of initiatives are worth mentioning here. In Pittsburg, USA, for example, there is a restaurant called Conflict Kitchen. It serves food from different parts of the world that are in conflict with each other. The main goal is to introduce Americans to the specialities of countries that have been considered ‘enemies of America’ such as Afghanistan, Iran or Cuba. A similar initiative is the Conflict Cafè initiated by the London-based organisation International Alert. The programme promotes peace through food outlets in nearly 30 conflict-torn countries. These are some examples of efforts to model initiatives with food as the main theme.

Food can be a source of conflict, but it can also be a source of peace. If ‘dinner table diplomacy’ has been prevalent at the political level and in interstate relations, grassroots peace or conflict resolution efforts need to seriously consider food as an important part of their dialogue model. No matter how great the hatred or animosity, friendship and brotherhood can start at the dinner table because that is where laughter and flavours are born. ‘Food is a symbol of love when words cannot adequately express it,’ said the wise Alan D. Wolfelt.

Bon Appètit!

Sekretaris Prodi Studi Agama-Agama (SAA)

Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Kediri