Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Syria, Cuba - these are the countries that in recent history the US government has considered to be "rogue states"; outposts of tyranny and all-round enemies of democracy and wholesomeness. But what does their food taste like? What does your average despot have for his tea? And what do their oppressed citizens enjoy for breakfast? These are, after all, places where citizens are denied the basic human right to buy a Chicken McNugget; where burgers are outlawed on pain of death. How can humans survive such deprivation? What downright un-American things are they forced to eat? The new Axis of Evil Cookbook has some of the answers . . .Sample recipes follow. The whole idea, I suppose, is some sort of lame illustration that Iranians are people-just-like-us, as if someone out there thinks that Iran (or any of these countries) doesn't have a worthwhile national cuisine. Judging from the article, the author, Gil Partington, did not have the guts to really follow through on the implied reason we would discuss North Korea and Cuba in the same cookbook. What do enemies of the state sentenced to 20 years of hard labor eat? What are some famine favorites? If a Revolutionary Guidance Committee has beaten you up and your teeth are now wired together, what would be some tasty liquid items? Somehow I don't think the book offers those answers.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad
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