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1. A lot of Iranians in food are sharing a highly problematic article from @bonappetit about saffron which is a staple of Iranian food, possibly more than any other country, even in the region. We're, understandably, upset by this piece.
2. The article highlights two U.S. Military associated companies who are exporting saffron from Afghanistan. FORMER US MILITARY capitalizing on a sacred crop (one is Afghani and worked as a translator, which is complicated and I have so much empathy for that.)
3. But, the other is U.S. Vets who named their company after Iran's MOST FAMOUS and revered POET. Honestly, WTF @Rumi_Spice ? Rumi is one of our most important figures and we take tremendous pride in his works and philosophy.
4. All of these companies claim to help women. Feminism as marketing. Be wary when you see this. Women have picked saffron crops for as long as saffron has been a crop. I'm not sure what's new and "charitable" here.
5. The article mentions that much of the world's saffron comes from Iran, but that b/c of sanctions it's smuggled through other countries & mislabeled. But, it doesn't mention anything about how detrimental & cruel sanctions are to Iranians within and beyond the saffron industry.
6. Not a single Iranian is interviewed or quoted for this piece. And no Iranian saffron companies are reported on (though they exist).
7. Which leads me to believe that @bonappetit coopts Iranian food as click bait and to sell copies but doesn't care to understand or accurately report on Iran, our food and our people. This is another form of appropriation.
