http://humus101.com/EN/2007/12/08/the-hummus-revolution/
For me, hummus is more
than a dish. It’s a passion, an ideology and a way of life. Also, I believe
hummus to be an Archimedic point, from which things may turn and change for
many people.
People had asked me, on
many occasions, why did I decide to write about hummus. As if there aren’t
other burning issues – especially in the middle-east, where I happen to live –
if you know what I mean.
True, there are things
that might seem more important. But for me, as I already stated once or twice
in the past, hummus is more than a dish. It’s a passion, an ideology and a way
of life. Also, I believe hummus to be an Archimedic point, from which things
may change for many people.
Yeah, I know, this sounds
pretentious. But let me argue my points and than decide.
The Glory of a Legume
Chickpeas and sesame are
certainly underestimated in our era, being a such nutritional pearls (you’d
find some relevant articles in the Health and Nutrition category). Hummus,
before anything else, combines the virtues of the too.
Today it’s already very
popular among vegetarians, and people who strive to improve their diet and
health, or even supplement an anti-anxiety/depression treatment (because hummus
is better than Prozac).
In other words: hummus
is quickly becoming a natural “functional food“, and part of a new lifestyle.
Making hummus at home is something many people do today, and many others
understand today the huge difference between the packaged substitute and the
real thing.
There are further
political and cultural implications to these trends. For example, when
realizing how inferior an industrialized food may be compared to the original
dish – not only nutritionally but also culinarily – you may come to a new
understanding of “the new vs. the old” thing.
The Politics of Hummus
In previous posts I
already discussed the darker side of the hummus politics. Like the stupid
quarrel about who “owns” it (to read more about it, refer to Who Stole my
Hummus and Hummus, Israeli or Arab).
Indeed, the habit of
eating Hummus may have a strong political saying attached to it. In a certain
context, to even say “I’m a hummus fan” or “I love hummus”, is to make a
political stand (Democrat in American terms, like I explained in the post
Voting for Hummus).
But what’s more
important, IMHO, is how the actual act (of eating hummus) is pure of all this –
excuse my French – bullshit. Lets put it this way: when eating hummus people
usually don’t explode at one another, and do not shoot each other. So maybe
instead of the never-ending diplomacy and negotiations, if people only ate more
hummus, things would have looked a lot better.
The Dialectics of Hummus
In the last few years
I’ve eaten in many strange or outlying places, sometimes with people whom
nothing but a good plate of the divine dish could bring together.
People with suits, side
by side with people wearing working clothes or uniform, fashionable wear or
traditional dressing. And those people never talk politics; if at all, they say
things like: “pass me the pitas, pleas”.
In this hummus
sub-culture, there is a hummus code of honor, and certainly a sense of
hummus-brotherhood.
From my experience, a
good hummus place does not have to use customer-preservation practices. People
who “found their hummus”, won’t abandon it. Good hummus places in Israel do
very little marketing, if any. They do not need branding and don’t make pricey
commercials in order to get attention. Also, when becoming extra-popular, they
do not forget they old clientele and almost never charge more.
This “industry” is
driven by different forces and different values, selling a different products.
And it’s highly contagious, and it’s heading west. A peaceful rise.
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