Sometimes doing research and ethnography in a place also means getting involved in the local politics. Even when your research is about food. A group of people connected to the food and hospitality business have decided to get together and do something to show their discontent with recent events that threaten diversity of religion, sexual preference, and ethnicity, among other things.

Recent weeks have seen the recrudescence of intolerance in Poland. Marches to support right equality for LGBT and other minorities were met with strong opposition in many cities. Which would be not a problem, if the political debate stayed within the limits of freedom of speech. When intolerance and intimidation replace civic protest, that’s when everything change. Last week the newspaper Gazeta Polska distributed “LGBT-free zone” stickers. A march for equality in Białystock took place among flash bombs, rocks and glass bottles, thrown by counter-protesters yelling “God, honor and motherland” and “Bialystok free of perverts,”

There is so much more to Poland. That is not the country I have got to know and love. For this I have helped translating a declaration that professionals from the food and hospitality business have written, responding to a call from chef Maciej Nowicki. They got together in Warsaw and decided to to something to show their discontent with the recent events. Hundreds have signed the declaration so far and are planning different kinds of activities. They also want to remind everybody that unfortunately gastronomy is not an environment free from prejudice, aggression and discrimination of any minority, and so organized action is required to counteract the political climate.

Sometimes doing research and ethnography in a place also means getting involved in the local politics. Even when your research is about food. After all, the table can unite and divide. Sharing food with others does not necessarily means accepting them. Tolerance and equality need to be built and defended, painstakingly, because they can easily disappear, as the recent surge of sovranist – and often xenophobic – movements around the world seem to indicate. For this reason I signed and helped translating the declaration, which follows also in the original Polish version.

We are from gastronomy – an industry that is based on hospitality. We see what is happening in Poland, also in our environment.
We are opposed to exclusion, homophobia, racism, sexism, verbal arrogance, violence, mobbing. We say NO to it!
We believe that both in the kitchen and at the table there is room for everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, sex, religion, confession, belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.
We would like to share a meal with those who want to sit at our table.
We want to create places where everyone feels good. We will work for respect, to create models of good behavior, by introducing them into our companies and environments.
Let’s be together! Join the collective action!

Jesteśmy z gastronomii – branży, u której podstaw leży gościnność. Widzimy, co dzieje się w Polsce, również w naszym środowisku.
Sprzeciwiamy się wykluczeniom, homofobii, rasizmowi, seksizmowi, arogancji słownej, przemocy, mobbingowi. Mówimy temu NIE!
Uważamy, że zarówno w kuchni, jak i przy stole, jest miejsce dla każdej i każdego, niezależnie od tego, jakie jest jego i jej pochodzenie etniczne, narodowość, płeć, religia, wyznanie, światopogląd, poziom sprawności, wiek, stan zdrowia, kultura, status ekonomiczny lub orientacja seksualna.
Posiłkiem pragniemy dzielić się z tymi, którzy chcą zasiąść przy naszym stole.
Chcemy tworzyć miejsca, w których wszyscy czują się dobrze. Będziemy działać na rzecz szacunku, tworzyć wzory dobrych zachowań, wprowadzając je w naszych firmach i środowiskach.
Bądźmy razem! Przyłącz się do wspólnego działania!