A Friendlier Kind of Middle East Conflict

Neil Sinhababu offers us an example of “the kind of Middle Eastern conflict I can get behind,” the latest blow in the Israel-Lebanon hummus dispute:

Lebanese chefs prepared a massive plate of hummus weighing over two tons Saturday that broke a world record organizers said was previously held by Israel — a bid to reaffirm proprietorship over the popular Middle Eastern dip.

“Come and fight for your bite, you know you’re right!” was the slogan for the event — part of a simmering war over regional cuisine between Lebanon and Israel, which have had tense political relations for decades.

In the interests of bolstering my pro-Israel credentials in advance of the J Street conference, let me observe that Sabra hummus is my preferred brand. That said, from a diaspora perspective I continue to be distressed by the declining availability of traditional Ashkenazi cuisine—properly made bagels, proper kosher deli, etc. There’s more to Jewish cooking than fighting with Arabs over chickpeas.