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And in the starring role ... a sesame dip By Anat Or Tags: culinary colonialism, Israel  "Open Sesame," a politically subversive film by director and artist Shelly Federman and actress and gastronome Michal Ansky, premiered earlier this month at the International Slow Food on Film Festival in Bologna, Italy. The film aroused a great deal of interest, partly because of its main protagonist: the Jamal brand of tahini (sesame paste), which is produced in Nablus. Ansky, who portrays a "glamorous anarchist," disrupts law and order in various humorous ways: She places a box of the Palestinian tahini on a supermarket's shelf of tahini products; she takes the tahini out of her handbag while in McDonald's, puts it on the table and begins dipping her hamburger and fries into it; she uses the tahini to paint graffiti declaring "The Wall Will Fall"; she even uses it as a face mask in the bathtub. The idea for the film, said the 26-year-old Ansky, was born during a filmed meeting with food writer Rafram Chaddad, in which he related how the owner of a delicatessen in London had asked him to bring her some Jamal tahini, which is considered the best in the world, "and it doesn't matter how." The film pokes fun at the ban on exporting the brand beyond the borders of the Middle East, and in this way turns the dip into a symbol of separation and occupation. Advertisement Ansky said that she took the liberty of portraying an openly aggressive activist in the film after becoming fed up with the "throat clearing in the Gilman building" (which houses Tel Aviv University's faculty of the humanities) and the "backside waggling in the Kantina restaurant and the gossip columns." As a student of gastronomy in Italy, she said, she is constantly forced to deal with culinary colonialism when she is asked what "Israeli food" is, and does not want to "disguise the sources of falafel, hummus, shishlik and kebab." Ansky is the daughter of actor and radio broadcaster Alex Ansky and food expert Sherry Ansky, while Federman is the daughter of David Federman, co-owner of the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Nuclear allegation Jimmy Carter says Israel has arsenal of 150 nuclear weapons. On penalty of death Rightist MK Eldad says those who give away Israeli land should get death penalty.   1.   What is the relevance of the genetic chain? 06:23  |  Pervert 26/05/08   2.   And is there any basis to this claim? 08:31  |  Ilan 26/05/08   3.   New Movie about life in the Galut 09:35  |  Ari ben Yisrael 26/05/08   4.   Carawan 09:48  |  tsedek 26/05/08   5.   Culinary Colonialism 10:20  |  JonathanInTelAviv 26/05/08

Read & React Carter says Israel has 150 nuclear weapons Responses: 441 Sources: Israel, Hezbollah strike prisoner swap deal Responses: 60 U.S. professor gives Israeli prize money to Palestinian university Responses: 163 Palestinians reject Israeli offer to hand over 91.5% of W. Bank Responses: 182 Analysis / Price of quiet in Lebanon is Hezbollah in power Responses: 52 More Headlines 00:27 Sources: Israel, Hezbollah strike prisoner swap deal 02:29 Nasrallah's speech / Preparing Kuntar's 'homecoming' 20:04 MK Eldad: Anyone ceding Israeli territory should be sentenced to death 18:31 MI: Syria continuing to arm Hezbollah despite peace moves with Israel 22:20 Defense officials: Anti-rocket system to be ready to test this year 00:46 Monument to gay victims of the Nazis to be unveiled in Berlin 17:06 21-year-old confesses to murdering his father in Jerusalem home 01:51 Abducted soldiers' families skeptical about Lebanese reports of swap deal 01:49 Arab children nearly 3 times more likely to die in accident 21:23 Carter says Israel has arsenal of 150 nuclear weapons 16:36 Hamas: Israel must open Rafah crossing for truce talks to succeed 19:44 Murdered teen Tair Rada's parents to sue state for NIS 2.5 million for negligence Previous Editions Select Day 26 may 25 may 23 may 22 may 21 may 20 may 19 may 18 may 16 may 15 may 14 may 13 may

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