São Paulo – By introducing food as an intervention, Amjad Abdalkareem Ali Miehem is looking to start a conversation with the audience. “The cool thing about this kind of event is it’s not just about cuisine. People come to get information on what Palestine’s culture and cuisine are like, and occasionally you get asked political questions. They’ll ask how I got here, why I left my home,” the Palestinian actor says.
The performance Refúgio de Sabores – Palestina no Experimenta: Comer é Cultura will take place at São Paulo’s SESC Vila Mariana on October 25. Amjad cook a typical dish from back home: Palestinian kafta (pictured above). “I’ll season it and explain what this dish is about. You can cook it with tahini, potato or legumes. This changes from country to country. In Syria, for instance, they’ll add a few more spices. They have dishes that don’t exist elsewhere in the Arab country,” the Jenin, Palestine-born actor pointed out.
Amjad, 28, who’s been living in Brazil for four years now, started taking acting classes after moving in. “I was a bit lost early on, because I didn’t know anyone around here. But then I found out about SESC and I organized an event there; I began doing my networking. It’s a great place to learn about different cultures and getting knowledge. There’s a lot of education going on there,” he said of the organization where he’s about to perform his intervention for the first time.
And where did the performance come from? From his own experiences and needs. “It’s really tasty and easy to make. It’s a mainstay back home. I learned it from my mother. I didn’t know anything about food. I used to help her out in the kitchen, but I used to find Arab food too difficult to cook. I learned it here in Brazil. I called my mother several times because I thought I’d have to cook a few things. Arab food is really difficult, but through practice, by cooking a dish several times, you get good at it and it will taste good,” said Amjad.
In a combination of culture and cooking, playgoers get to sample the dish. Refúgio de Sabores is part of the Experimenta! – Comida, Saúde e Cultura (Try it! – Food, Health and Culture) project taking place in October at several SESC units. According to SESC, the cultural aspects of food are one of six themes dealt with in the Experimenta! project.
Quick facts
Refúgio de Sabores – Palestina no Experimenta: Comer é Cultura
Thursday, Oct. 25, 7pm to 9pm
SESC Vila Mariana
Rua Pelotas, 141 – São Paulo – SP
Prices: BRL 30 (full), BRL 15 (half), BRL 9 (members with full credentials)
Find out more and get your tickets here
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
