Mohamad M. Al-Ississ '99, president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Society of Arab Students, says he thinks last month's "Saharan Nights" meal - featuring imported sand, palm trees, "oasis" tapas bars and fake snakes- was a little over the top.
"The food was good. But I think the name is a bit too much. We shouldn't push the already existing stereotypes," he says. "With swords all over the place, they're creating the imaginary fantasy of 1,001Nights. How much of that is true?"
Fantasy, he warns, can sometimes obscure the subtle contested social dimensions to food.
"Food can be very politicized in the Middle East...especially when you have various foods being called 'Israeli,'" Al-Ississ says.
"It's nice to have the fantasy, but they should be careful about what they present," he says.
Oatmeal and Bread
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