Hezbollah Tofu
The conversation went something like this.
Me: It would be really funny to veganize Anthony Bourdain's recipes.
Another person: We should make and sell a zine, then donate the proceeds to a vegan charity.
Then, this: http://hezbollahtofu.blogspot.com/
(I had nothing to do with the site, except that I'm posting the link here because it's hilarious and contains delicious-looking French vegan food. I will just be bragging about it being "my" idea forever).
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14 Comments:
That's friggin hysterical. I love Anthony Bourdain, even though I'm a vegetarian. I think I'm going to have to try the mushroom recipe soon!!
emes1 at 10:55AM on 03/26/08
The notion may be funny; the name is unnecessarily inflammatory and demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the world right now.
I'm afraid that I simply won't investigate the content as a result of the package on this one.
ccbweb at 11:01AM on 03/26/08
The name comes from a much-cited Bourdain quote, in which he compares vegans to Hezbollah:
"Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter
faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any
chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock,
pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even
stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians
are the enemy of everything good and decent in the
human spirit, and an affront to all I stand for, the
pure enjoyment of food."
KarynMC at 11:09AM on 03/26/08
Oh, and I love Bourdain, too.
KarynMC at 11:10AM on 03/26/08
Yeah, I know it comes from his unfortunate quote. I didn't think it was a good choice of words when he said it, either.
ccbweb at 12:38PM on 03/26/08
Sorry, in what respect exactly are Hezbollah supposed to be like vegans? Are they also supposed to be a 'splinter faction'? of what, again, exactly? This is sloppy at best, exploitative at worst. Yes we know Bourdain was in Beirut when Israel attacked in 2006. Too bad he didn't return with any better understanding of the food or the politics or of their relationship. He has a platform from which he might draw attention to the devastation Israeli cluster bombs have wreaked on the southern agrarian economy and efforts of ngos such as Land & People to promote local food traditions to help otherwise destituted people benefit from their few remaining resources. For example. And yes, like ccbweb I haven't actually gone to the site. Some sick (racist, sexist, fascist whatever) puns are just not worth investigating.
dbird at 5:34PM on 03/26/08
The site is a joke, it simply contains vegan recipes adapted from The Les Halles Cookbook. And it cracks a lot of jokes at Bourdain's expense.
As for why Bourdain thinks vegans are like Hezbollah, and think it's appropriate to compare the two, you'd have to ask him. I heard once it has to do with militant vegans attacking a chef who served foie gras - but that might just be rumor. In any case, militant vegans are few and far between and very unlike Hezbollah.
I attribute the quote (and the other things Bourdain has said about vegans and vegetarians) to his "bad boy" persona and need to attack various food groups and personas (The FN, Emeril, RayRay, etc.). Plus, he smokes a lot and eats too much red meat, and might mistakenly consider vegans puny, pale, and weak (read: easy) targets unlikey to take back their lunch money.
KarynMC at 6:06PM on 03/26/08
Oh man c'mon guys. It was a joke. I understand that people rightly feel that the political/military situation is quite serious and not to be made light of, but the world is no better off when people take silly nonsense like this so seriously. It isn't worth thinking about that hard.
lexophile at 6:32PM on 03/26/08
I guess I don't agree that it's ridiculous for people to demand accountability for the casual employment of stereotypes of various ethnic, national or political groups. I'm not humourless and I despise the empty posturing of the politically correct (not to mention their lack of style). But I'd love to know what the reaction would be to 'zionisttofu.blogspot.com' or a Bourdain quotation reading:
"Vegetarians, and their Zionist-like splinter
faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any
chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock,
pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even
stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians
are the enemy of everything good and decent in the
human spirit, and an affront to all I stand for, the
pure enjoyment of food."
dbird at 9:13PM on 03/26/08
There are jokes and there are snarky comments thrown out without thinking about them and then called "jokes" when their inappropriateness is called out. Bourdain seems to have carved a living out of the latter. But @ccbweb was right -- at this point in history, making a "joke" about any Middle Eastern group is ill-advised. It demonstrates a shocking lack of understanding or appreciation of of a very, very serious issue. And it makes for very bad eats!
kjgibson at 10:03PM on 03/26/08
Speaking of vegans and politics, there's an interesting story in the Times today titled The Carrot some Vegans Deplore which tells of another example where food utilized as the spike for humor (sic) as in the example posted above or as philosophic lure within commerce (as in this Times story) has seriously turned the stomachs (emotionally) of some people.
Karen Resta at 8:32AM on 03/27/08
LOVE IT!
djacobs at 9:00PM on 03/27/08
Now you can vote: Anthony Bourdain or Hezbollah Tofu
http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2008/04/08/who-cooked-it-better-tony-bourdain-vs-hezbollah-tofu/
spiegelb at 12:50PM on 04/08/08
If I ever form a band, I'm going to call it Hezbollah Tofu. :)
CookiePie at 1:01PM on 04/08/08