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Cooking in a shared kitchen. Must order by 8pm the night before.  A lot of our chefs are refugees here in last 2 years or less.
Q Food as a way for preserve culture. Which comes first? (Andi asks in Arabic)
Andranig can't separate the two. We are a society that loves our stomach. All Armenians are foodies. I mentioned Van and other cities where Armenians have left but they are proud to retain the foods from their original cities and showcase the culture through food.
Liana: My mom does a fusion of Armenian and Iranian foods. Not uncommon but in my project I am reaching to Armenians with other traditions. Foodways can be contentious but I want to emphasize all ways are a heritage. Particularly due to displacement food is a way to touch the original culture. Can't touch house of grandmother but can taste her recipes. 
Q to Andranig Is food received the same way in Aleppo and Yerevan? A: The cooks were the same but in Yerevan they like less spice so we adjusted. Many customers found our food new but got to like it and kept coming.
Q Foodini makes home cooks into a business. A: In US some dishes don't translate to diff. palates. A syrian cilantro and okra dish overcame American reluctance to eat okra. We're here to change perspectives about what food is to different cultures. 
Q Andy: What about food and Political conflicts, war in Afghan introduced us to their food. How do you avoid devisiveness? Ariana - Everyone understands food. Come to table respectfully with an open mind the late great Anthony Bourdain did this best. Sat at table with equals. In armenia everything happens around the table, love fight cry. To solve conflicts you need to sit with people and toast and start there. 
Andy mentions conflict kitchen - as a project 2 guys started to bridge conflicts. Noobstaa Noobtsaa Foodini: The owner of Z & Z say you can't hate somebody who feeds you. You don't need a lang to share food. We were pop up marketing foodini. I saw a women in a Make America Great T-shirt buying our Syrian food. I don't know if she liked it, but food has a way of softening people. Andranig: I'm happy in Yerevan I tasted more cuisines Iran, Mexico, Food is a thing uniting humans. I don't see it as devisive. 
Andy: cooking is a kind of communication. Do your Foodini chefs want to break away and start their own business.
Noobtsa of Foodini - we give them a spot to evolve their ideas. We do pop ups at restaurants where they can fix a 5 course meal from their home country and see. Ariana says her goal is to document the cuisine and depict how the diaspora communities put their lives back together. How did they use food in the continuous cycle of migration. I hope to travel to communities and visit other communities and write a book to share with others. 
Q How hard to uproot? A Hardworking family reputation of his grandfather was known Aleppo Yerevan. It was hardest for his father to leave Aleppo than grandfather earlier. And one of his (Andranig's) brothers went to Sweden and learned Swedish cuisine and is a chef there.
Q. Will you go back to Aleppo or start a chain? Andranig: I'd rather start a chain 
Audience questions: 
Armenian planning to go to Armenia wants to have E. Armenia vs. W Armenian. Also how is Syrian food? Andy: Syrian might say "same as lebonese but better!" 
c W. Armenians food more than Eastern Armenians! As a kid he used to love Grandpa's food and Mom would complain don't be so picky. Also Aleppo is known throughout Syria as "the food place." 
Q. Andy What Armenian food would you recommend? 
A: Liana W. Armenian now referred to as Turkey. East Armenian and Iran... we at festival are combining both cooks from all regions bringing cheese and __ and Horovatz (shishkabob) pork and beef. Armenia called "meat on a stick"zone by A. Bourdain. 
Q. Andranig at home would serve salad and alcohol, then barbeque etc 

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Noobstaa Vang Q Foodhini.com

diningindiaspora (her blog) 
Liana Aghajanian


Adranig Kilislian 
Facebook page: Abu Hagop Restaurant (Yerevan)

Andy Shalal Mon Am
WPFW 89.3 Fm 9:OO AM Mon