Philadelphia Assembled Kitchen and the Resistance Meal

Resistance meal consisted of a fulfilling miniature Shepard (less) Pie by Pplfood's Sulaiha Olatunji, Mixed Greens by Sistah of the Yam's Taylor Johnson-Gordon, and Red Cabbage and Apple Salad by Kristin Schwab.

"Now this may only be important to me, but it is. It is very important. I need to know how we celebrate our victories, our very survival. What did we want for dinner?"- Ntozake Shange 

I finally got to try the Resistance Menu at Philadelphia Assembled Kitchen located inside the Perelman Building of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Hosted by the Culinary Artists of PHLA Kitchen, this incredible arts related project combines activism and food, allowing local artisan cooks share beautiful dishes in a communal setting with poignant messages pasted around the café. A lot of the dishes were plant based, colorful, and healthy. Some of the invited foodies are writers, poets, philosophers, gardeners, and womanist free spirits in addition to being creators of gourmet cuisine.

The next in the series is the Victory Menu. I believe some items are vegan such as the coconut rice and beans and maybe the tamales. I'm rather curious about the whole experience of being surrounded by other people and eating around them. It feels intimidating at first, the strangers looking at you, wondering why you're not having the chicken.

The free book, From Our Kitchens, features stories, poems, recipes, and photographs about food and the artists who are fighting against the way people think about food. Also, the project allows patrons to place their own narratives in the recipe box. I chose one of my favorite recipes-- Black Rice With Plantains and Mushrooms. I loved this giving to community and desire to hear some kind of response. A meal that centers on survival, resistance, and victory shouldn't end at the consuming of the art. This is the beginning of something profound and powerful. 

I loved the Shepard (less) Pie. The lentils and carrots underneath the creamy, well seasoned cloud of blissful mashed potatoes were downright appetizing. And the Mixed Greens (created by one of my favorite vegan IG gals, Sistah of the Yam) were terrific-- a yummy combination that too was seasoned perfectly. The aforementioned Red Cabbage and Apple Salad was a great, refreshing starter-- crispy and sweet.  

Participants.

survival. resistance. victory.

Outside the museum, I spied the Philadelphia Assembled van. 

The musicians strum gorgeous music called jíbaro. The hypnotic Latin sounds are a Puerto Rican traditional melody with historic ties to indigenous, Spanish, and African roots.

The girl colors the sign as I listen to the woman tell me about the history of their music.