From manoush in Banksia during Ramadan nights to Uyghur in Burwood, Saleh says food is political but also a great connector across cultures.
In Sara Saleh’s Sydney, the equivalent of a late-night Maccas run is manoush – the Lebanese version of pizza.
In her younger days, Saleh was scornful of the idea of Sydney being a happy melting pot where everyone can bond over delicious food from around the world. She calls the concept, which erases racism and ethnic tensions, “foodwashing”.Saleh still thinks food is political – the debate over the origins of hummus is particularly pertinent to someone with a Palestinian background – but at 35, she has more time for the idea that food can be a gateway between cultures.
The migration route is the bones of Saleh’s own mother and father’s story, but Saleh says the rest is fiction. She explores difficult topics such as misogyny and violence within the Middle Eastern community, and the discrimination that Palestinians face in Lebanon. The mixed plate to share, with koshari, falafel, fried eggplant, salad with pickles, bread and tahini.Saleh chose it partly because she is friends with the owner and loves the food, and partly because Addi Road is special to her. The sprawling community hub is where she attended her first play as a first-year student at the University of Sydney, and where she later hosted her first community event, a Muslim film screening and Q&A.
She did not yet wear the hijab, but she did not drink alcohol, which made her an outsider in the college scene. Being the eldest child of immigrants with all the weight of expectations that entails, she was hyper-focused on proving herself through academic success, and wishes in hindsight that she had taken more time to relax and enjoy herself.
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