“I always choose my travels based on food and music. It is the best way to experience a culture.”
I was spending an evening at the home of celebrity chef Alexander Smalls deep in Harlem, feeling drunk off the eclectic vibe he had created with vibrant artwork, the soothing sounds of Curtis Mayfield, animal fur rugs from a jaunt to Africa, and a crystal glass of deep red wine.
Matthew Jordan Smith, the photographer I produced for in LA, was in town for Fashion Week and had invited me to dinner. We were joined by our dear friend Lisa Butler, the stunning model with smooth cocoa skin who has a presence that exudes a connection with the greater spiritual realm, along with her artist friend Ricky who told me that he has been so inspired lately he had taken to painting directly on doors.
“My specialty is layering flavors in food,” continued Alexander. “My family is from South Carolina, and Creole cuisine combines African, Caribbean and Asian flavors.” Alexander, a big-made, distinguished, yet homey and inviting gentleman, took a sip of his whiskey. When he spoke of food, his passion was electric.
“What part of the cuisine is Asian?” I inquired.
“The rice!” he exclaimed.
Ahhh. Rice. I had never thought about it that way. It is truly amazing how food and music carry and merge culture in a way that people have not yet learned to do. Sounds from Africa, Brazil, Latin America and India all resonate subtly through pop music, even when listeners are oblivious to the fusion. Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” is a pop song, but the drum beat is distinctly Reggaeton. Jay Z’s Big Pimpin has an Indian flute looped throughout. If only we as people could get along quite as melodically…
I looked around and felt a room filled with passion. Matthew, showing us images of the new alluring models from a recent shoot by the Pacific Ocean; Lisa explaining how she had been feeling a new burst of creativity that she was bubbling to explore; Ricky describing his transformation from a musician to a visual artist; all of us surrounded by the warm and luring scents wafting in from Alexander’s magical kitchen. Having rushed to the party straight from class at Columbia, I exhaled as I soaked in my new artist surroundings.
“The recession has made me more creative,” said Ricky. All the artists agreed that the greatest inspiration often comes from the most heart wrenching pain.
“That’s why we can be enslaved and singin’ in the bosom of Abraham!” remarked Alexander.
My mind wandered to the topic of the lecture we had in class that day, which broached the subject of arts in Humanitarian Relief. The class is taught by Professor Gerry Martone, who is sexy in an Indiana-Jones type way. Martone has traveled the world many times over as a peace corps volunteer, aid worker, and now as a director at the International Rescue Committee. In class, he shares his stories with us such as the time when he was kidnapped at gunpoint in Liberia and managed to befriend his captors and convince them to set him free.
The topic of the day’s lecture was how to heal the psychological state of a community that has experienced trauma-such as war, an earthquake, or a tsunami. Here in America, we head to our therapist when we feel stressed or depressed. But, Martone explained, when an entire community is experiencing these conditions, there are just not enough therapists to treat everyone. So what is the solution?
The first? Livelihood. Martone relayed that after the earthquake in Haiti, more than water, food or shelter, people expressed that they wanted a way to make a living, so they would be able to provide for themselves in the future. This is why NGOs are now focused on building up the economies of countries after a disaster.
According to Martone, there is never a lack of food during a food shortage. The markets are plentiful with fresh fruits, meats and bread. Money, however, is scarce. We have learned the hard way that it is a lot cheaper to give people dollars to buy food in Afghanistan than to ship them grain from Iowa. As a result, the local marketplaces flourish, and jobs increase. “For some reason, it is such a novel idea to give money to people without money!” says Martone.
The second solution is the one that surprised me. Arts. Yes, arts as a means to heal the psychological state of a community. Martone said that before all the relief workers arrived in Haiti, people had organized poetry slams, dance concerts, soccer tournaments, and religious services filled with music.
Clowns Without Borders will arrive in Haiti next month, to put on shows and train local clowns to carry on the work, improving communities through laughter and humor (http://cwbsa.org/). Film Aid, created by award winning producer Caroline Baron, sets up large mobile screens in refugee and IDP camps, using film to entertain and to educate people living in crisis (www.filmaid.org/). Martone said that organizations are increasingly allocating funding to these types of efforts, amazed at the way these artistic movements rejuvenate traumatized communities.
So whether at a gathering of creative friends in New York City, or through aid relief after a major world crisis, art is a communicator, a healer, and as Alexander expressed through his cuisine-a noble ambassador of culture. It is easy to pass judgment on aspiring artists or glorify accomplished ones, without ever examining what art does for each one of us every single day.
And the dinner, by the way, did not disappoint. Smothered chicken with a red wine and cinnamon infused sauce over creamy grits with a red pepper and corn coulis, accompanied by a zucchini and avocado salad. How I love being surrounded by people who are so invested in their art. And trust, I felt Alexander’s passion in every bite.
