Food can create and define culture and embody our shared humanity. It can also be shaped by violence and used as a weapon of war. Human rights investigator Michael Shaikh uncovers the hidden phenomenon of how violence changes cuisine in The Last Sweet Bite: Stories and Recipes of Culinary Heritage Lost and Found. In some war zones, Michael saw how the destruction was disappearing local ingredients, compelling communities to create new dishes out of necessity. In others, he witnessed governments forcibly assimilating minorities, disappearing their culture and centuries-old dishes altogether. The most startling thing he saw, however, were the heroic lengths people went to save them. Join Michael and New York Times staff writer and essayist Eric Kim as they discuss food culture as a form of resistance, resilience, and identity in communities confronting erasure across the globe.
Ticket includes access to Flavor: The World to Your Brain from 6 to 7 PM, bites provided by Eat Offbeat, and drinks.
Courtesy of our partner bookseller Kitchen Arts & Letters, copies of The Last Sweet Bite can be pre-purchased in a ticket bundle and during the program. Copies of Eric Kim's Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home will also be available for purchase at the event.
MICHAEL SHAIKH is a writer and human rights investigator who has worked for twenty years in areas marred by political crisis and armed conflict. He has worked at Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group, the Center for Civilians in Conflict, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. Michael is on the board of Adi Magazine. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he lives in New York City.
ERIC KIM is a New York Times staff writer and essayist born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. His debut cookbook, Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home (Clarkson Potter, 2022), was an instant New York Times Best Seller. A former digital manager for the Food Network and contributing editor for Saveur magazine, he now hosts regular videos on NYT Cooking’s YouTube channel and writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine. His collection of essays, Spaghetti Junction, is due out in 2026 by Crown Publishing. He lives in New York City with his rescue dog, Q.
EAT OFFBEAT celebrates the culinary talents of NYC’s top refugee & immigrant chefs, with an unparalleled passion for the craft of cooking. Located in Chelsea Market, Eat Ofbeat enjoy the best global home cooking from around the world.