Torggata Blad has developed the Peas for Peace kit – a tool that facilitates conversations about the indisputable benefits of peace through gathering around a peaceful meal.
Text Torggata Blad
Content
42 g dried chickpeas
3 g za’atar spice mix
Humanity has a long tradition of boasting about itself as the pinnacle of creation, and that we have a supreme ability to think abstractly, solve problems, and imagine how others feel. One might ask how this species self-image matches with our equally long tradition of waging bloody and ruthless wars and prioritizing the use of time, mental capacity, and other resources for warfare and the development of military equipment.
While the power elites have incited war to urge people to kill their fellow men and women on the battlefield, there have always been individuals who, alone or with others, have protested against the barbarity and meaninglessness of war. At times, this has been a dangerous ideology to practice, and many have lost their lives because of their convictions, whether it be pacifism, non-violence, or anti-militarism.
The periods before the First and Second World Wars were times when international peace efforts reached historic heights, with large numbers of people engaged in the cause of peace, and with high activity in both the production and distribution of agitating and theoretical texts, as well as the organization of congresses and protests. In both cases, the world wars put a stop to the peace efforts, and many people’s engagement was replaced by fear and the feeling of need for defense.
In addition to several ongoing horrific wars, today’s world situation is characterized by a highly explosive crisis of trust simmering beneath the surface – effectively heated by global injustice and shameless greed practiced by the power elites. The feeling of an imminent catastrophe makes it easy to argue for rearmament and to ban expressions that call for peace and immediate cessation of the acts of war – all while it is clearer than ever that we should focus on other extremely grave problems. The fact that the military industry accounts for over 13% of climate emissions, and that warfare destroys unique and vulnerable nature areas, agricultural land, and drinking water sources for a long time to come, is as outrageously idiotic as the fact that mental capacity is not being used to solve precisely these and other global problems, but rather to make them worse.
The situation doesn’t look very bright, and it’s tempting to give up, but shouldn’t we first try to set aside our human arrogance and let ourselves be inspired by other animals? For many of them, it’s deeply rooted that conflict is resource-draining and something to be avoided at all costs. Ants continually build anthills in the same neighborhood without going to war with each other, and individuals from different species, such as sea bass and moray eels, cooperate to solve tasks they couldn’t manage alone. There are even animals that can share a meal without fighting(!), and who knows, maybe they at the same time are having a conversation about how much smarter it is to practice peace rather than wage war?
Torggata Blad has developed the Peas for Peace kit – a tool that facilitates conversations about the indisputable benefits of peace through gathering around a peaceful meal. Inspired by various right-wing politicians who believe that sports and politics should not intersect (Shut up and stick to football), we hereby launch the slogan Sit down and stick to peace, alternatively varied with Rise up and stick to peace. There are many possibilities to explore here while we wait for the intricate mystery of the species with superior intelligence to be solved.
Recipe for Za’atar Roasted Chickpeas
Soak the chickpeas for at least 8 hours.
Rinse off the soaking water and cook the chickpeas until tender.
Drain the cooking water and dry the chickpeas with some paper towels.
Toss the chickpeas in a bit of olive oil and spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with za’atar and roast the chickpeas at 180°C (350°F) for about 40 minutes, turning them every 10-20 minutes.
Add extra salt if necessary.
Enjoy the roasted chickpeas as they are, or as a side dish to salads and soups.
Other dishes that can be made with Peas for Peace include falafel, various stews, and, of course, hummus.
Peas for Peace is strongly inspired by Linn Stalsberg’s book «Krig er forakt for liv – et essay om fred» (War is Contempt for Life – An Essay on Peace).
