Israeli-owned Hummus Joint Serves Holland Chickpeas With a Side of Palestine Advocacy

'Let’s be honest with ourselves: Hummus is Palestinian,' say Jewish and Arab owners of The Hague eatery Love & Peas.

Like many Israelis in Europe, Yuval Gal and Muawi Shehadeh decided to market their hummus restaurant specifically to health-minded vegetarians.

A Jew from Tel Aviv and an Arab-Israeli from Nazareth, the duo this year began peddling their native country’s signature chickpea paste at an eatery in The Hague called Love & Peas, which Gal, 36, says specializes in “green, healthy foods.”

In this respect, Love & Peas is little different from dozens of Israeli-owned hummus joints that have sought in recent years to capitalize on Europe’s growing demand for exotic health foods. Many of these businesses feature Hebrew names, like Miznon in Paris and Pilpel in London.

But Love & Peas is no typical Israeli hummus bar. For one thing, its Israeli owners decline to identify their food as Israeli, describing it instead as “Palestinian green cuisine.” For another, their open endorsement of the Palestinian narrative has helped generate phenomenal media exposure in Holland and back home in Israel.

Since opening this summer, Love & Peas — which has eight tables, a 1970s retro design and a play corner for children — has been celebrated as a victory for coexistence by the Dutch media, with pieces about the eatery running on three television stations and in six major newspapers.

Love & Peas offers much material for journalists seeking the political angle.

On its wall hangs a large map of Israeli territory labeled “Palestine.” (There used to be a doctored poster of Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin stroking a curvy young woman, but it was taken down after patrons complained it was offensive.) Its falafel balls are made in the “Qudsi” style, a reference to Jerusalem’s Arabic name. And on a counter, a stack of fliers advertises the local branch of the Plant an Olive Tree initiative, a project of the Palestinian YMCA, which supports boycotting Israel.

“Hummus is Palestinian,” Gal said. “Let’s be honest with ourselves.”

Gal, a father of two who left Israel five years ago, says his restaurant has no anti-Israeli agenda and is open to anyone. He notes that Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Haim Divon, dined at Love & Peas with his wife, Linda, shortly after its opening and praised it in an interview with the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonoth.

But Gal concedes that he feels uneasy with being labeled an Israeli and was none too happy about the ambassador’s appearance. After the visit, in a bid to make their political views better known, Gal and Shehadeh hosted a benefit concert for the olive tree initiative, which plants trees in the West Bank and Gaza to support farmers who “suffer from the various Israeli policies that put their land and property under the threat of confiscation,” according to its website.

“This restaurant is an attempt to deal with this label, a therapeutic way of dealing with your identity,” Gal said, adding: “What’s important for me is not to whitewash the occupation.”

Love & Peas sells no foods originating from Israel – a policy Gal declined to confirm was an ideological one. He also said Israel was not a real democracy and that leaving felt as though he was being exiled for his views.

Shehadeh, whose father is Muslim and mother is Dutch, says the restaurant is interested in “solving, not complicating, the conflict.” The media interest in the restaurant’s political dimension was “totally unexpected,” according to Gal, and not part of any strategy.

Nevertheless, six months after its launch, Love & Peas is the best-known hummus restaurant in the Netherlands and a huge financial success.

“We surpassed all the projections of our business plan,” Gal said.

Gal and Shehadeh met several years ago at a bar. Shehadeh does the accounting while Gal is in charge of the cooking, in what the duo concedes is a reversal of stereotypical roles.

“Now I’m the Jew with the money and he’s the Palestinian doing the cooking,” Shehadeh told the Omroep West broadcaster last month.

“It’s only true in the jokes,” Gal added about the stereotypes. “I can’t count, can’t bill clients.”

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/food/1.693187

Love hummus, but I make mine with Palestinian oil from Nablus, it's more peppery.

What a lovely story. It's also a really good name for the eatery! Love it.

Love hummus. I don't make it, I know it's easy but I just haven't ever made it.

Tis easy, but you have to have tahini, should be able to get it round your way, then you can add what you like.

sassy wrote:Tis easy, but you have to have tahini, should be able to get it round your way, then you can add what you like.

I know, it's just pure laziness

eddie wrote:

sassy wrote:Tis easy, but you have to have tahini, should be able to get it round your way, then you can add what you like.

I know, it's just pure laziness

It really is, cos you can use tinned chickpeas lol

sassy wrote:

eddie wrote:

sassy wrote:Tis easy, but you have to have tahini, should be able to get it round your way, then you can add what you like.

I know, it's just pure laziness

It really is, cos you can use tinned chickpeas lol

I shore don't know whah folks make such a big deal out of Palesteen. I done drove down there one day after I had to go see my sister-niece over in Tyler, and they ain't nothin' down there.

Ben Mothafuckin' Reilly wrote:I shore don't know whah folks make such a big deal out of Palesteen. I done drove down there one day after I had to go see my sister-niece over in Tyler, and they ain't nothin' down there.

You shore are as dumb as a chick pea, uncle daddy! ‘Member when you done took me down there in them piney wooooods?  And you said, Baby, I know.

Ah, so we are talking about Shechem then?

This is a tad embarressing then, because Neblus comes from after the Romans,under Vespian crushed the Jewish revolt and was honoured in his name.

Even though the area was not referred to Palestine untile Hadrian and the second Jewish revolt.

I do love history, even Israel has some leftist idiots, its why this media source is so low, but not surpressed as Palestinian media sources are. Most israeli's are amased that its has more non-Israeli membership.

Lets face the real history of the area and how the reality is Arabs can coexist with Jews within Israel.

In the west bank and Gaza under the Palestinian authority, its Judenrein

The Palestinian arabs, managed to achieve what Hitler was never able to.

A Jew free Zone and the world panders to such antisemitism.

Where as seen, some idiots buy into such revisionist bullshit

Most Palestinian Arabs are known to descend from Eygpt, Jordan, Syria and originally Arabia ect under the Ottomans.

In other words, they were the descendents of Colonialists

All you need to ask yourself is the following

In israel, Jews and Arabs coexist as Israeli citizens.

In the West Bank, which a part that is known as originally Judea. The actualy area of the genesis of the Jewish people. Is in Palestinian controled areas, Jew free

That shows you how one side (Israel) certainly looks to peace and the other (the recently invented people, the Palestinian Arabs) denies the right of a Jew to live in the name place of their very genesis. Just imagine that. It would be like English Americans denying native Inidans the right to their own land in the US

Oh, that has already also happened.

Didge wrote:Ah, so we are talking about Shechem then?

This is a tad embarressing then, because Neblus comes from after the Romans,under Vespian crushed the Jewish revolt and was honoured in his name.

Even though the area was not referred to Palestine untile Hadrian and the second Jewish revolt.

I do love history, even Israel has some leftist idiots, its why this media source is so low, but not surpressed as Palestinian media sources are. Most israeli's are amased that its has more non-Israeli membership.

Lets face the real history of the area and how the reality is Arabs can coexist with Jews within Israel.

In the west bank and Gaza under the Palestinian authority, its Judenrein

The Palestinian arabs, managed to achieve what Hitler was never able to.

A Jew free Zone and the world panders to such antisemitism.

Where as seen, some idiots buy into such revisionist bullshit

Most Palestinian Arabs are known to descend from Eygpt, Jordan, Syria and originally Arabia ect under the Ottomans.

In other words, they were the descendents of Colonialists

All you need to ask yourself is the following

In israel, Jews and Arabs coexist as Israeli citizens.

In the West Bank, which a part that is known as originally Judea. The actualy area of the genesis of the Jewish people. Is in Palestinian controled areas, Jew free

That shows you how one side (Israel) certainly looks to peace and the other (the recently invented people, the Palestinian Arabs) denies the right of a Jew to live in the name place of their very genesis. Just imagine that. It would be like English Americans denying native Inidans the right to their own land in the US

Oh, that has already also happened.

I grilled out tonight and it was quite nice, although the wind was a bit gusty.

Ben Mothafuckin' Reilly wrote:

Didge wrote:Ah, so we are talking about Shechem then?

This is a tad embarressing then, because Neblus comes from after the Romans,under Vespian crushed the Jewish revolt and was honoured in his name.

Even though the area was not referred to Palestine untile Hadrian and the second Jewish revolt.

I do love history, even Israel has some leftist idiots, its why this media source is so low, but not surpressed as Palestinian media sources are. Most israeli's are amased that its has more non-Israeli membership.

Lets face the real history of the area and how the reality is Arabs can coexist with Jews within Israel.

In the west bank and Gaza under the Palestinian authority, its Judenrein

The Palestinian arabs, managed to achieve what Hitler was never able to.

A Jew free Zone and the world panders to such antisemitism.

Where as seen, some idiots buy into such revisionist bullshit

Most Palestinian Arabs are known to descend from Eygpt, Jordan, Syria and originally Arabia ect under the Ottomans.

In other words, they were the descendents of Colonialists

All you need to ask yourself is the following

In israel, Jews and Arabs coexist as Israeli citizens.

In the West Bank, which a part that is known as originally Judea. The actualy area of the genesis of the Jewish people. Is in Palestinian controled areas, Jew free

That shows you how one side (Israel) certainly looks to peace and the other (the recently invented people, the Palestinian Arabs) denies the right of a Jew to live in the name place of their very genesis. Just imagine that. It would be like English Americans denying native Inidans the right to their own land in the US

Oh, that has already also happened.

I grilled out tonight and it was quite nice, although the wind was a bit gusty.

What did you have Ben?

A double leftism with cheese?