We just read two interesting articles about the politics of food (and we’re not just talking about Sarah Palin cookies or debate-watching specials). In the first, John Schwenkler argues that conservatives were wrong to vilify Barack Obama as an elitist liberal for complaining that arugula prices have risen at Whole Foods: “If a guy can’t eat this stuff without being accused of being a latte-sipping closet communist, then what does that say about the state of our public discourse?”
And according to another article, Lebanon is suing Israel for marketing traditional Lebanese food such as tabouleh, kubbeh, hummus, falafel, and fattoush as their own. It seems the country is hoping for an outcome similar to the time the European Union granted Greece the exclusive right to market “Feta” cheese (at the time, France, Denmark, and Germany were producing 12,000 tons of the stuff per year).
All this fighting over food labels? Look: You say “tomato,” I say, “tomah-to,” let’s call the whole thing off. (Sorry.)
Lebanon: Israel stole our falafel [Y Net News]
A country so polarized that consuming arugula has become a political act [Plenty]
