Can food bring people together in peace?
It’s a theory Coast resident Adam Greenberg is putting to the test this June, with a potluck event in Gibsons to which all are welcome.
“I think we all just want to belong. And don't you just love different food, like going to an Indian restaurant, going to getting a shawarma from a Lebanese place or having some Italian food. Don't we all just love that?” asked Greenberg. “I though so, why don't we get together and just eat, and now we've got Ukrainians and Russians and Chinese folks and Jewish people, and we've got Lebanese people. There are people from Syria.”
Greenberg first started thinking about the growing divisiveness he was seeing on the Coast, while enjoying a cup of coffee at Davis Bay recently. While there, he looked across the street as members of the Sunshine Coast Peace Group gathered for a peaceful protest, something that’s become a regular event.
Being Jewish, Greenberg was initially upset at what he was seeing, but when he overheard the vitriol being spewed at the protesters from passing cars, his thought process began to change.
“At first I can't believe there are these people in support of this, but I was just keeping that opinion to myself and thinking, 'but they have every right to be there,'” said Greenberg. “But then witnessing people driving by and swearing at them and even throwing things at them and the way they responded to that and just seeing the temperature rise, then reading about it on Facebook.”
He then started noticing more and more hate for the Jewish community on Facebook and thought, the pro Palestinian group is being hated for their views and the Jewish community and others are being hated on just because of their identities.
He said watching that hateful rhetoric move from online to real life was particularly disturbing. He points to recent incidents, including one where a swastika was burned into the gate in Gibsons, and the formation of a group attempting to create a boycott of Zionist businesses.
“There's been incidents in the community of harassment, vandalism, of threats and intimidation. And I'm just thinking we're losing our way here. And I felt compelled to act,” said Greenberg.
He wants to remind Coasters that they’re all here together, they’re all Canadian or living in Canada.
“We’re All Coasters. Our kids go to the same schools, we shop in the same stores, kids play on the same sports teams and yet we're attacking each other and our kids are watching,” said Greenberg. “And so, I thought maybe someone, and why shouldn't that someone be me, maybe we can all come together and just try to tone it down a little bit and try to create that sense of belonging and trust in our neighbours that we've always had, but just seems to be missing something here.”
Greenberg started thinking about ways to bring people together and finally considered, “What about food?” He then thought, why doesn’t everyone get together and eat and not talk politics or world events they can’t control.
“None of us have any influence or say in what's happening in the world, like really, we don't. We can have some pressure and some influence. But like kicking each other out of restaurants and painting swastikas on walls is not going to stop anything,” said Greenberg. “It's not going to get Hamas to release hostages and it's not going to get Israel to stop.
"Why don't we show some leadership and let's show that we can all live together in harmony.”
That’s when Greenberg wrote a post on a local Facebook group explaining his thoughts and asking if there would be an interest in a potluck dinner. He was “blown away” by the response. His post received more than 500 responses and comments and 200-plus people contacted him directly asking how they can help with offers to cook, drive others and assist in any way they could.
“I've got 200 emails and people are like, I'm Ukrainian, I'm Bavarian, I'm Russian, I'm from Taiwan, I'm from Israel, I'm from Lebanon, I'm from Bosnia. And they all want to cook,” said Greenberg. “I don't want to sound overly ambitious, but I would love to see a movement take hold. I would love for this to reach communities all over the country and have us get back together and celebrate each other.”
He added the details are being finalized, but the potluck Feast for Peace will take place June 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Gibsons Public Market. The event is free, but you must reserve a ticket at eventbrite.com. For more information search for "Adam Greenberg potluck," on Facebook.
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