Chef Tries to Create a Thaw in Frigid Relations Between Turkey and Israel
Perhaps it's an indication of how bad things have gotten between Turkey and Israel -- whose once close relations have been severely downgraded in recent years -- that what would otherwise be normal gestures between regional neighbors are viewed as possible breakthroughs. When Turkey sent firefighting airplanes to help Israel out with the massive 2010 Carmel forest fire the gesture was hailed as "fire diplomacy," while some suggested Ankara's acceptance of Israeli aid during last year's devastating earthquake in Van could serve as a form of natural disaster diplomacy. Meanwhile, as Eurasianet's Turko-File blog previously reported, the decision in 2010 by two zoos in Israel to send some extra animals to a Turkish zoo was also weighed down with perhaps more political significance than it really deserved.
Now the task of bringing the two bickering countries together is being handed over to Israeli celebrity chef Shaul Ben Aderet, who recently practiced some "culinary diplomacy" by appearing live on a Turkish television cooking show. From a report on Israel's Ynetnews website:
Turkey and Israel haven't been the best of friends in recent years, but agreements may be reached in the kitchen. Famous Israeli chef Shaul Ben Aderet embarked on a 24-hour visit to Istanbul on Wednesday in order to cook live on Turkish TV.
The initiative is part of a Israeli-Turkish collaboration involving Israel's Ananei Tikshoret company, which operates the Israeli Food Channel, and one of Turkey television's leading lifestyle channels – TurkMax of the DigiTurk network.
"I have already cooked in many countries," says Ben Aderet. "I'm not afraid of cooking in Turkey or traveling there despite the political tensions, because it's a known fact that chefs get along in the kitchen – even though there are knives involved.
"The beautiful thing about the kitchen is that you don't even have to talk or understand each other. Good food created a bridge between cultures and reconciliation to overcome anger.
"On the personal level, my dream is to cook for Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan."
With the two sides on the divided island of Cyprus recently trying out some "dinner diplomacy," could kitchen-based rapprochement be a winning formula for peacemaking? Stay tuned.
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