"Pasta, sushi, tacos, samosas, and pad thai: In the U.S., enthusiastic eaters will likely be able to name traditional dishes from a wide variety of cuisines around the world. But most of us couldn’t name a single Native American dish from any one the vast network of tribes, cultures, and cuisines that spread across the U.S. before Europeans arrived. Today, farmers, activists, and chefs are trying to change that. They're bringing back Native foods—not just to teach all Americans about the indigenous foods of their country, but to improve the lives of Native Americans themselves, who suffer from some of the highest levels of debilitating and often deadly diet-related diseases. Can a return to a Native diet help?"  (From The Atlantic, Nov 2016)

Learn more about this initiative in a BBC World Service programme here. 

"J.I Rodale, founder of the Rodale Research Institute and Organic Farming and Gardening magazine, is commonly regarded as the father of the modern organic farming movement. Beginning in the 1940s, Rodale provided the main source of information about “non-chemical” farming methods and was heavily influential in the development of organic production methods. Rodale drew many of his ideas from Sir Albert Howard, a British scientist who spent years observing traditional systems in India. Howard advocated agricultural systems reliant upon returning crop residues, green manures and wastes to soil, and promoted the idea of working with nature by using deep-rooted crops to draw nutrients from the soil."  (From Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education.)

Learn more about organic foods and farming here.

"There’s no scientific evidence that eating locally-farmed food is better for you. But it does give you the sense that you have more control over what you put into your body. Eating local often means you can meet the people who produce your food because they are selling it themselves at the local farmers’ market. You can ask questions about pesticide use and farming methods, and sometimes you may even be able to visit the farm or dairy where your food is grown or raised.

Most people who follow the 100-mile diet do so because they like fresh food and because they want to help the planet. Buying locally means less fuel burned to transport food, which means less pollution. Local farmers often are organic producers who employ earth-friendly farming methods or raise free-range animals. Recently, the concept of the 100-mile diet has gained attention after the release in April of the book “Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally.” The book chronicles the efforts of authors James MacKinnon and Alisa Smith to eat foods produced within 100 miles of their Vancouver apartment." 

Learn more about the 100-Mile Diet here.

"Climbing into a supermarket bin to find your dinner amongst bags of waste might not sound that appealing, however it’s a way of life for freegans: anti-consumption activists who avoid buying anything and instead pull discarded food out of skips and bins - as well as furniture and other reusable items.

In 2015, the Guardian spoke to a group of students who spent most nights standing in the bins at Tesco and other supermarkets, sifting through the waste food to find their next meal...

It might cause you to raise an eyebrow or two, but the issue of food waste really isn’t one to be sniffed at. According to Greener Scotland, Scottish households throw away 600,000 tonnes of food every year. And by reducing this, even by a small amount, the average family could save up to £437 a year.

Freegans, of course, take this ethos much further. It’s not just about food, either - though that’s a big part of it. They reclaim discarded furniture, clothing and other dumped items too, saving them from landfill."

Learn more about Freeganism here.

Conflict Kitchen is a restaurant that serves cuisine from countries with which the United States is in conflict. Each Conflict Kitchen iteration is augmented by events, performances, publications, and discussions that seek to expand the engagement the public has with the culture, politics, and issues at stake within the focus region. The restaurant rotates identities in relation to current geopolitical events. 

Our current Haudenosaunee version introduces our customers to the food, culture, and politics of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, the Haudenosaunee is a league of six Indigenous nations located primarily in upstate New York with historic ties to Western Pennsylvania. Throughout this iteration, we will share the food and culture of the Haudenosaunee people and offer their perspectives on Indigenous sovereignty, economic and environmental conflict, and cultural erasure.

Learn more about Conflict Kitchen here.