Ecological Civilization and Vegan Chili

Building Cross-Cultural Friendships by Sharing Food and Recipes
​

Images of Vegan Chili from Unsplash​

Yes, it it true that the building blocks of the universe are moments and relationships, not 'things.'  But it is also true that moments and relationship can be built by sharing food, music, and stories. Food, music, and storytelling bypass cultural and political divisions, at least momentarily. They are vivid instances of what scholars call informal track-two diplomacy. 
​

​"When most people think of diplomacy, they think of official contact between government representatives, also known as Track I diplomacy. Track II diplomacy, on the other hand, involves almost entirely unofficial contacts. These unofficial contacts can include dialogues and exchanges between influential non-governmental actors from different countries, designed to build trust and increase communication. In addition, Track II initiatives can be useful when there are blockages at the official level and when a secondary, unofficial venue is needed to explore new or challenging ideas."  (Search for Common Ground)

To this description let us add that such diplomacy need not be undertaken by "influential non-governmental actors" alone; it can also be undertaken by ordinary people who are not "influential" but who have a desire to build friendships with people across cultures. Call it informal track two diplomacy. Such diplomacy is a process practice. I offer an example below:

​Cross-Cultural Friendship
Through Vegan Chili
​

​One night, on Wednesday May 25, 2011, I undertook an experiment in culture creation along with some others in an experiment at Hendrix College, where I taught.

Some of us were Chinese, some were Americans of European descent, one was from Myanmar, and one was Korean American. This video -- created by Vivian Dong with photography by Rui Tao -- will give you a sense of its spirit. 

The party was a dinner party, and two of our most esteemed friends -- Calvin Pun from Myanmar and Amara Kearney from Missouri -- prepared the food. We asked them to create one dish for vegans among us, and one for meat-eaters. 

In sharing food with us, Calvin and Amara were sharing the stories of their lives. Process philosophers believe that at every moment of our lives we are bringing stories with us. Stories are not simply words; they are feelings and values, attitudes and practices, which have shaped our lives. We bring stories from our own personal pasts, but also the stories of other people we know, the stories of our bodies, the stories of the hills and rivers, trees and stars. We live in a storied universe.

Stories can be in food, too: in how we prepare it, in how we present it, in how we serve it. Every tomato brings with it a history of its growth, the soil which nourished it, the people who harvested it, the way it was transported to the market. William Blake says that we can see the universe in a grain of sand.  Process philosophers add that we can see the universe in a tomato. 

Of course, we are stories, too, and as we live our lives, we are always on the way, always in process, always becoming. Our stories are not yet finished; we are stories in the making, enlivened but not completely determined by the stories we inherit. 

A third culture is likewise a story in the making. It is a culture which consists of many stories, coming from different cultures, as expressed in collective attitudes of mutual respect and creative transformation.

​That night, for a brief moment, a third culture was created. It now lives as a collective memory in this people who came to the party. May this memory, encoded in a video, enliven your story in some small way. And may it inspire you to have your own cross-cultural party, too. If you want some chili, we offer a recipe below.

​Recipe for Vegan Chili
​

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onions, diced
1 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
4 large garlic clovies, minced
2 large jalapeno peppers, minced
1 large serrano pepper, minced
12 ounces textured vegetable protein (aka, original Smart Ground)
1 cups water
1 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes
1 cans (15 ounces each) red kidney beans, drained
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained
3 medium sized fresh tomatoes, chopped
1.5 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onions, and saute for five minutes or until the onions are translucent.

Add the textured vegetable protein and water, cook for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another five minutes. Reduce the heat to a medium to medium-low (depending on your burners), and let it “stew”, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes (or until the bell peppers are tender).
Remove from heat and serve with your favorite toppings!