Today is the final open kitchen for 2011

Yep, i am serving beverages and we’re having an open kitchen from 4-6 today at intermedia. Join us!

Can someone explain this?

Sometimes people write things on my wall in my residency space that makes no sense. Like this. Anyone want to give it a shot as to explaining it.

On my wall today

Will be shooting various photos of pics from my wall here in mu AIR space. Here’s on that hit me today!

Research necessary

After going to India, I am now in Phoenix, AZ again talking to various groups. It’s interesting how much leg work is needed to do art work that connects with a community that is sustaining. Not sustainable. Sustaining. Many times when I do a show, it’s one shot, then done. I really want to reconceptualize how an artist does a residency, so I can have 2-3 year relationship with a community. Working with Phoenix is part of that. Also, I have been looking for good basic cookbooks for Mero Cocinero to share with people while we are here. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Northern India and Farmer Suicides

In 2007 when I was writing The Cooking Show: Quest for the Secret Ingredient, I had read about farmers in India committing suicide. I tried to put it in the show, especially because at the time a lot of people didn’t know that it was going on. Maybe it was too fresh, but we didn’t find a way to put it in.

While I was in Derradun, I came across an article in the India Today that caught my attention.

Check out the article, and let me know what you think?

Viva Las Roots closes, I am off to India

It is Wednesday, and I am writing this entry from a train in India on my way to Dehra Dun. I have been travelling non stop for almost 2 days.

Incredible that we just closed Viva Las Roots 5 days ago. The transofrmation back to its original state was a reminder of all the great work our environmental designers did.

I am India for a wedding, but also to research how food is used as medicine here in India. This may be the first of many trips I hope to make. We’ll see.

Why a PopUp Kitchen?

A lot of people have asked me why did you turn the Cooking Show con Karimi & Comrades into a PopUpKitchen?

We are looking for new ways to engage folks to talk about food, cooking, and culture. And many times the model of a Cooking Show doesn’t activate people to cook. I am looking for different ways to get audience to interact with each other and the Cooking Crew (The Kitchen Staff) and become performers, too.

That is something I strive for, to make audience active participants in my work, to make them more than just part of the show, but to have a role that they can easily own. I do this, so they can have ownership in the performance and if they want to, delve deeper in the experience.

The PopUp Kitchen was created so people could be a part of the meal, not just watch it be made for them. It will be interesting to see, as it has been the last two nights, how everyone chooses to engage!

Working crazy hard on Viva Las Roots

It has been super difficult to keep up with this blog especially with the Baltimore residency and coming back to Minneapolis to work with Intermedia. There are times when you are doing so much, you don’t have time to report, and the only way people can get to know what you ‘re doing is to come to the show. I hate when it gets to that moment, but right now we have 11 people working on this project and even more if I stop to count. I hope you can come and see this. It’s going to be delicious fun.

For more info, go to: http://thepeoplescook.wordpress.com/viva-la-roots-popup-kitchen-in-minneapolis/

Baltimore Day 5: Video Post!

Day 3 – The Poster is Done! Updates for Baltimore events

I forgot to show you. The Poster for the Baltimore residency is done. Created by Josh at The Contemporary. It’s very cool. Every week the text will change with updates for events where you can find me with Mero Cocinero Karimi & ThePeoplesCook.org crew! I’ll be the one driving the car. Mero will be the one feeding the People.