What's Cooking

Eating and thinking are equally encouraged at Cooking Con Karimi (Con Castro)

by Ashlea Halpern

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Published: Jun 5, 2007

If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, Robert "Mero Cocinero" Karimi has the recipe for world peace. Starting Friday, theatergoers will get an early peek at Cooking Con Karimi (Con Castro), plus two other fist-pumping works bound for this month's National Asian American Theater Festival in New York.

In Cooking, food talk and recipes are used as rocket launchers for tackling weightier issues: war, gender, culture, politics, gender politics, culture wars and so forth. "I left my nonprofit job in San Francisco because I felt food was the medium to get different people to come together to discuss how we can create social change in our communities," says Karimi, who hopes attendees will "leap from their seats in joy, ready to start the revolution in their kitchens!"

The recipes are kept secret, he adds, "so the CIA � the Culinary Institute of America � does not get its hands on them." Eating and thinking are equally encouraged at Cooking, but it's not all textbook rabble-rousing. "Food is a powerful source of memory, both joyous and painful," says Karimi. "Cultural and biodiversity are key for the conscious cook. [I want the audience to realize] how easy it can be to laugh in the kitchen. No one likes a revolutionary that can't smile."

Saturday sees the return of Hanalei Ramos' Guns and Tampons: A History of Violence Against Women I Know. The one-woman multimedia show imbues survivor stories with a sense of triumphant sorrow. "[It's] a very beautiful reflection on the very ugly issues of domestic abuse and violence," says Asian Arts Initiative founder and executive director Gayle Isa. "Hanalei is a brave artist for sharing her own � and other women's � stories."

Written and directed by F. Omar Telan, Sunday's Edge of the World finds a cross-section of spoken-word artists, actors and performance artists speeding through mini-plays, each answering the question: What does Asian America want? Says Isa, "It was inspiring to see them come together for a weekend retreat and create such a powerful show in such a short time."

And, hey, speaking of powerful, the Convention Center is still making friends wherever it goes. These three shows mark AAI's final weekend in the Gilbert Building. Hooray for world peace!

Asian American Theater Festival Previews, runs June 8-10, $10-$25, Asian Arts Initiative, 1315 Cherry St., second floor, 215-557-0455, www.asianartsinitiative.org.

 

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