“Stories from the Kitchen” is a collaboration with Matmon, Asif, and The Migdal Shalom Library, examining Israeli history, society, and politics through classic cookbooks that helped shape generations.
In 1981, chef Yisrael Aharoni opened Yin-Yang, a restaurant that sparked a small revolution. East Asian flavors adapted to local tastes drew scores of diners eager to try something new. Hundreds of Chinese restaurants opened across Israel in the 1990s (most have since closed), and laid the groundwork for a wave of sushi restaurants as well as places dedicated to the cuisines of Vietnam and Thailand.
In 1979, Ruth Sirkis published “The Chinese Kitchen,” and in 1986 “Aharoni’s Chinese Cooking” hit the shelves, and their successes opened a door for others. .
But in the coming decades, Asian cooking in Israel evolved into what anthropologist Rafi Grosglik calls the “McDonaldization” of the cuisine. Today, however, diners can find omakase offerings in Tel Aviv and fine dining Asian-meets-Meditteranean cooking at places like Taizu
What path leads from “The Chinese Kitchen” to Neve Sha’anan — a neighborhood at the heart of the Asian food scene in Israel today? Could a non-kosher Asian cookbook be published here today? Time: February 25, 8:30 p.m. Place: Matmon, 9 Derech Yafo, Tel Aviv
Participants
Yisrael Aharoni
Dr. Rafi Grosglik
Yuval Weinreb
Moderator: Noa Berger