RSVP: Culinary Diplomacy

FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF THE BOOK:

In the Diplomatic or Slovenian Diplomatic Glossary, I explained, among other things, terms such as diplomat and ambassador. Although I did not include this explanation, the latter is supposed to be considered an honest person who was sent abroad to lie for the benefit of his country, to be for its welfare and to toast foreign dignitaries. Among the jokes about diplomats, I also did not include the one about the difference between camels and them. Camels can carry loads for days and days without drinking. A diplomat can drink for days and days without working. I also did not mention the comparison between a diplomat and a soldier. The first gives his heart for his homeland, the second his liver or kidneys. I myself was not an advocate of lying. It is known that lies have short legs. I was not one of those diplomats who would reach for something strong in the morning and spend their days in idleness.

I admit, however, that I was sometimes economical with the truth, that I did not tell everything, and that I was not exactly a teetotaler during my career. I was certainly economical with my drink. As for food, it remained on the plate because of the work. At first, because of the recording of conversations, and later because of participating in them or leading them. However, there is some truth in the aforementioned humorous phrases. Good food and alcoholic beverages (taking into account the circumstances, moderation and reason) can significantly contribute to the successful work of diplomats and statesmen and the promotion of national interests. Their joint consumption provides an opportunity to meet and get to know each other better, creating an atmosphere for overcoming differences and solving problems. Very few agreements were reached over sandwiches and glasses of water. Barbara Leaf, former US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, fondly recalls the experience in Paris. The Americans tried to mediate at a meeting there of representatives of several warring Arab countries.

The talks did not get off to a flying start until they organized a lunch at the best Middle Eastern restaurant in town. The food completely changed the atmosphere and the ice was broken. The British statesman Palmerston, known for his sayings, is said to have said, among other things, that dining together is the soul of diplomacy. Culinary diplomacy is certainly a serious matter. With it, that is, with a shared meal between members of different countries and cultures, barriers to mutual communication are removed and it contributes to dialogue and finding solutions to problems in international relations. Chapple - Sokol said in 2013 that it means the use of food and cuisine as a tool with which to create intercultural understanding in the hope of improving interactions and cooperation. I have briefly mentioned some of its parts in the glossaries already mentioned. In them, I also mentioned food for thought, a kind of spiritual food. This time, however, my main attention is specifically devoted to food and its role in diplomacy.

Some equate culinary diplomacy with gastronomic diplomacy, while others separate them. Gastronomic diplomacy or public culinary diplomacy is said to be part of cultural diplomacy, which in turn is part of broader public diplomacy. As is known, public diplomacy activities seek to gain the favor of a foreign public. Gastronomic diplomacy, a tool of cultural, public diplomacy or strategic communication, therefore seeks, among other things, to strengthen understanding and affection between nations through food. It could therefore also be described as an example of soft power at work.