Synopses & Reviews
Who doesnt like a dinner party?Bring the world to your table.
Chris Fair has dined with soldiers in the Khyber Pass and with prostitutes in Delhi, rummaged for fish in Jaffna city, the epicenter of Tamil Tiger violence in Sri Lanka; and sipped Taliban tea in Peshawar. Both gastronomically and geographically speaking, she has been there, done thatand, above all, eaten that.
Cuisines of the Axis of Evil is a lively, provocative, and highly entertaining cookbook with a twist: a whole host of delectable, easy-to-follow recipes straight out of the kitchens of Americas biggest foreign policy headaches, whether friends or foesfrom Iraq, Israel, and Pakistan to Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. Fair takes us country by country across the globe and then back to the heart of the Good Ol U.S. of A. Recipes include Iranian chicken in a walnut pomegranate stew, Iraqi kibbe, and North Korean spicy cucumber, as well as special teas, mango salads, beverage suggestions, and more.
Sardonic, satiric, grouchy, and just plain funny, with a heaping scoop of hyperbole, this mouthwatering masterpiece shows us that the only way to defeat (or befriend) your enemies is to know precisely what they eat. What could be a more unique gift for an intrepid host or hostess, or a better resource for unforgettable dinner parties? Cuisines of the Axis of Evil is food for thoughtand for the taste buds. . . . Ladies and gentlemen, sharpen your knives and start your blenders!
Review
"Self-described 'think-tanker chick' Chris Fair has whipped up a creative cookbook concept."--
USA Today "I first met Chris Fair years ago in what could have been a staid, dull academic conference on one of the many troubled areas in the world. Ten minutes in the room with her, and I knew academe would never be the same--she can swear like a master sergeant, lifts weights for fun, and keeps pit bulls, to name just a few of her more endearing habits. In
Cuisines of the Axis of Evil, Fair combines the culinary mastery of "Iron Chef" with the biting and acerbic wit of Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" in a snarky romp through some of the world's most picturesque and problematic hotspots. Imagine Julia Child, John Bolton, and Borat on a desert island, and you have the general tone of this creative, informative, and amusing look at the cuisines and policies of our enemies and our not-quite-friends. This could be the opening salvo by our next Secretary of State."--Timothy Hoyt, academic, musician, and occasional anarchist (US Naval War College) "Chris Fair's treatise on America's enemies--real and imagined--is just the remedy and recipe for a host of foreign policy failures. Especially tasty is her menu to celebrate the ignonimous end of our fifty year showdown with the demon island of Cuba with its dangerous culinary arsenal of sugar, rum, and coffee."--Ann Louise Bardach, author of
Cuba Confidential and
Without FidelReview
Cuisines of the Axis of Evil is laugh-out-loud-funny; a shrewd primer on some of the more unsavory regimes the world has to offer, and a savory rendering of their cookery. Chris Fair by turns channels Richard Holbrooke, Steven Colbert, and Elizabeth David as she whisks up up a truly original contribution in the field of international relations and cook books.”Peter Bergen, author of The Osama bin Laden I Know
Synopsis
Chris Fair has dined with soldiers in the Khyber Pass and with prostitutes in Delhi, rummaged for fish in Jaffna, and sipped Taliban tea in Peshawar. Cuisines of the Axis of Evil is a sophisticated, fun, and provocative cookbook with easy-to-follow recipes from both America's traditional enemies in foreign policy--including Iran, Iraq, and North Korea--and friends of the U.S. who are nonetheless irritating by any measure. In addition, each country section includes all the smart, acerbic geopolitical nuggetry you need to talk the talk with the best of them. Recipes include Iranian chicken in a walnut pomegranate stew, Iraqi kibbe, and North Korean spicy cucumber, as well as special teas, mango salads, beverage suggestions, and much more.
Synopsis
Chris Fairs treatise on Americas enemiesreal and imaginedis just
the remedy and recipe for a host of foreign policy failures.”
Ann Louise Bardach, author of Cuba Confidential and Without FidelFair combines the culinary mastery of Iron Chef with the biting and acerbic
wit of Jon Stewarts Daily Show in a snarky romp through some of the worlds
most picturesque and problematic hot spots.”
Timothy Hoyt, professor of strategy and policy, U.S. Naval War CollegeEverything you eat is packed with social, political, religious, and even militarized meaningsfascinating concepts that make for lively dinner conversation! Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States dishes out a saucy culinary feast of facts on ten controversial countries, their policiesand, of course, the food that unifies us all. With start-to-finish meals, and entertaining trivia to accompany dessert, itll be difficult getting your guests to leave!
About the Author
Chris Fair is a Washington, DC-based analyst of South Asian political and military affairs. She has lived, studied, traveled, worked, and otherwise eaten her way through the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia. She lives bunkered down in an undisclosed location with her beloved spouse who now feels he must wear high-velocity bullet-repellent evening wear.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: The Charter Members of the Axis of Evil
North Korea
Iran
Iraq
Part II: The NPT+3 States
Israel
India
Pakistan
Part III: The Dashers of Democracy
Cuba
Burma
China
Part IV: The Great Satan Barbeque
The United States of America
Appendix: Additional Resources
Index
About the Author