The Arab-Israeli Cookbook is a drama created from the everyday realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The writer Robin Soans and directors Rima Brihi and Tim Roseman visited Israel, Gaza and the West Bank in 2003. They sampled a variety of dishes in homes, restaurants, shops and cafes and met dozens of people with different cultures, backgrounds and beliefs. Each person had a story to tell and a recipe to cook. Soans has constructed a verbatim play from these conversations. Arab and Israeli voices come together to bring insight and understanding to the melting pot of Middle Eastern affairs.

Review: This is a mouth wateringly funny, moving and deeply political play about how ordinary people, caught up in the Arab-Israeli conflict, manage to go about their everyday lives.

Soans ate meals with an amazing range of different people from all sorts of backgrounds. The play gives a voice to those whose opinion would not normally be heard. As the different characters prepare food they talk about their lives. Fadi, a Greek Orthodox Arab student takes a picnic out of his rucksack, fattoush and pitta bread, one of the most traditional dishes in the Arabic culture, one that people turn to when times are hard. He says, ‘a lot of Arabs are back to eating fattoush.’ Nadia, a Christian born in Bethlehem, is preparing to cook an essentially Arabic meal of stuffed zucchini, fresh vine leaves and chicken for her large family. Rena, an American Israeli feels that Israeli food is totally cosmopolitan but adds ‘these are the most fabulous olives. I get them from my gardener. He is an Arab … very articulate, very charming … if only his people would realise their lives would be infinitely better if they had peace with us.’ Rena offers an Israeli point of view throughout the play. She narrowly escaped death in a supermarket bombing. Hossin, the hummus maker, describes his increasing problems as his shop becomes cut-off from the surrounding villages by the wall, roadblocks and ever present Israeli soldiers.

 Individual monologues overlap with groups talking at home or in shops. In Jerusalem, someone leaves a bag inside the door of Mordechai’s falafel shop: conversation comes to an abrupt end. Glorious accounts of food being prepared, served and eaten are matter-of-factly punctuated by horrifying accounts of terrorist attacks that each of the characters has been involved in: out shopping, driving a bus or simply trying to return to their villages. There is a spirit of resignation, courage and good humour in their accounts. The play ends as Nadia's meal is completed; she prays for her family and for peace.

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2008-08-05