Food, Culture and Identity: On the Importance of Rolling Grape Leaves—Toqa Ezzidin

Special Report Food, Culture and Identity: On the Importance of Rolling Grape Leaves

By Toqa Ezzidin

A GROWING BODY of evidence shows that food—and the methods we use to prepare it—is an inseparable part of personal identity, culture, politics and history. This is an important reality for the people of the Middle East to reflect on, given the recent massive influx of Western eating habits into the region.

The association of a dish or cuisine with a country or even locality is common. It’s more than just taking pride in traditional food—it also influences domestic policies and global politics. But what happens when food is simply about money and convenience?

Envision this: A food menu that is tens of pages long with countless food items that are largely unrelated and lack relatedness to one single cuisine. This style of menu is obviously not uncommon across restaurants in the United States. However, this U.S.-centric experience has been steadily gaining traction in the Middle East.

Burger joints and fried chicken restaurants have been expanding at an exponential pace in recent years across the region. These “restaurants” are no longer solely run by big corporations, such as KFC and McDonald’s, which started penetrating the market in the 1990s. Rather, local entrepreneurs have begun emulating their business philosophy by opening their own fast-casual concepts. These restaurants are willfully steering toward a model that is efficient, capable of mass production and The Texas Chicken fast food restaurant in a Dubai mall food court in the United Arab Emirates. requires little to no culinary mastery. There are multiple elements that explain the rise of fast-food restaurants in lieu of traditional food. Studies have shown that younger generations have different eating habits than those of their elders—a result of globalized mass media and immigration flows, among other factors. In an increasingly fast-paced world, there is also a fading urge to invest large amounts of time in preparing and cooking food. Syrian food researcher and writer Antonio Tahhan told the Washington Report that the process to prepare traditional Middle Eastern food is rather lengthy. For instance, it takes a lot of time to roll warak enab (stuffed grape leaves), a popular Middle Eastern dish. Given the growing adherence to the “time is money” capitalistic mantra, many now view rolling warak enab as a waste of time, or simply an unnecessary inconvenience. The rise of fast food is doing more than merely diversifying the cuisine of the region—it is also changing the way people engage with each other. Tahhan points out that the preparation of traditional dishes usually happens over family gatherings. While cultures across the Middle East have historically embraced large extended

JEFF GREENBERG/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES Toqa Ezzidin earned her master’s degree in intercultural and inter‐national communication from American University’s School of In‐ternational Service (SIS) in Washington, DC. Ezzidin, now living in Egypt, is interning with the Washington Report.

families, there is a growing trend to place more emphasis on immediate family members. This growing Western view of family has contributed to lessening the desire to cook traditional meals and the growing dependence on fast food.

Egyptian food anthropologist Dahlia ElOrabi seconds Tahhan’s point on the growing focus of the nuclear family. “Restaurants now do not have the capacity to host large families,” she told the Washington Report. “If the number of people at a restaurant is six-plus, there will have to be arrangements and different logistics to fit the number.”

Indeed, the Middle East seems to have not only liberally borrowed the Western fast food model, but also much associated with it, including the solitude that accompanies eating fast food. The reality of more people eating alone in the name of convenience and expediency could help explain the increasing number of mental health issues, such as depression, El-Orabi said.

Capitalism is an imperative factor in why Middle Eastern food habits have changed. Not only has it altered the food production processes, but also the way people prepare and experience food. El-Orabi believes the paradox of capitalism is clear when it comes to food. On the one hand, the way we experience food is becoming more rapid, allowing us to circle back to “productivity.” On the other hand, the food we consume is appreciably less healthy—hence causing major health implications that negatively influence productivity.

Diverting to more Western-style food is also changing language, according to ElOrabi. Social class has become an integral part of the food experience and the rise of fast food restaurants, particularly in the case of Egypt. The middle and lower classes want to be acquainted with the Western food scene to gain a sense of social ascension, she noted. As such, people typically learn to speak some English in order to be able to consume Western food.

However, since many are now familiar with American food terms, some restaurants are now publishing menus in other languages, such as French, to provide an aura of exclusivity and distinctiveness. French toast, for instance, is becoming “pain perdu.”

Language isn’t the only change on some menus. In Egypt, for instance, menu options for meals such as brunch have also changed. People no longer order foul (fava beans) and falafel. Rather, menus are becoming more Westernized, and are usually comprised of items like pancakes that are not an inherent part of Middle Eastern cuisine.

On how to preserve traditional food, Tahhan said the idea is not to go backwards in time or resist modernization, because this is unlikely to happen. Rather, it is important to preserve traditional food without the Western element of attempting to “elevate” the dish—meaning to make it more about status and convenience than culture.

Tahhan suggests simple ways for people to preserve their food culture, such as supporting local farmers selling their goods on the streets, sharing a meal with friends, or employing social media to spread awareness. Although he is not necessarily a proponent of nationalism, Tahhan still acknowledges the imperative of food as part of the national identity.

“[Traditional food] is worthwhile to save,” he said. It is not only a way to stave off cultural colonization, but it is also “integral to identity and social relations.”

El-Orabi believes the way we perceive and talk about cooking could be changed. While it is not uncommon to believe that the time used to cook is wasted time, she says the opposite is actually true. “When cooking, you have to be organized, you have to be safe and aware. It is an entire process, and it is so powerful,” she noted. “One of my favorite things is when I cook and eat. It is an empowering process and you know you are in control. It is not a waste of time; it is a set of skills that is so freeing.” ■

PHOTO BY MAHMUD HAMS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Syrian chef and refugee Anas Qatorji serves patrons at a restaurant in Gaza City on Dec. 4, 2021.

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