The Kitchen and the Vestibule
Our entering the EU has for many editors of socio-cultural magazines become a pretext to publish material concerning general problems of the European integration. This trend seems to have influenced the Łódź “Tygiel Kultury” magzine. Not surprisingly – “Tygiel” has always devoted considerable attention to what I call a mediation between cultures. In fact, one of the columns of the magazine is entitled Granice Europy (The Borders of Europe). This time – in issue 1-3/2004 – the editors of “Tygiel Kultury” decided to take a closer look at What’s cooking in Europe (Europa od kuchni).
The way this main area of the issue’s interest is formulated may sound a bit misleading, as in fact authors of the texts show Europe not only from the perspective of the kitchen, but also that of the porch. “Tygiel Kultury” offers nourishment for the soul as much as for the body: the former granted by articles by Stanisław Obirek SJ - Wyznania euroentuzjasty (Confessions of a Euroenthusiast) and abp Józef Życiński - Europa i świadkowie wartości – Europe and the Watchers of Values) while the latter by Andrzej Chętko’s interview with Piotr Bikont and Robert Makłowicz – What’s cooking in Europe.
Let me begin from the vestibule. Father Obirek and abp Życiński are among the broad-minded members of the Polish clergy who don’t give in to xenophobic fears and for whom the EU is not a monstrosity devised in order to rid us all of values such as Polishness or the Catholic faith. Obirek declares being a Euro-enthusiast. In the article he concentrates mainly on the foundations of European identity. The discussion around the preamble to the European Constitution revealed the delicate nature of this topic; sometimes it inspires unreasonably intense emotions. Topics which, as anyone can recall, have been most controversial were: the Invocatio Dei and an inscription concerning the Christian faith. Obirek proposes to set aside particularist religious and political pursuits and communicate on a level of basic, generally accepted values. These, in Father Obirek’s opinion, are “the sancticity of life and human dignity”. This sounds fair enough - one cannot disagree with the statement that human life is sacred and the dignity of a human being vital. But in the case of such general formulae the problems arise already at the level of particular terms. For the MPs of LPR “life” means something quite different than for those of the SLD. The Netherlands differ from Ireland in the general perception of the “protection of life”. Similar problems appear while discussing “human dignity”. Nevertheless, it seems that Obirek believes in the power of communication, which sooner or later must lead to a reconciliation. In the final paragraphs of the article he states: “Our conflict concerning the European identity is one of the steps of initiation in wisdom, and there’s no reason to take offense only because we seek it through different paths”. Well... After having heard several rants of our Euro-parliamentarians one thinks that the distance towards “initiation in wisdom” should be counted in kilometres instead of steps.
In Poland, discussions concerning the EU are often concluded with an equation of predicted losses and gains of “entering”. Archbishop Życiński cites the Pope John Paul II, reminding that the “European integration should lead to the »exchange of gifts« between the Western and Eastern traditions”. This idea surely allows one to avoid the typical categories of loss and profit. However, I have to admit that I don’t know what “gifts” we might offer, not to mention the fact that these should be what the Western culture is ready to accept. Życiński points to “our testimony”, which is especially valuable as we are placed “between aggressive pathos and the loyalty to the spirit of Nazareth; between the search for success and a deep readiness to embrace spiritual values”. Thus described, our “testimony” may prove quite similar - or so it seems to me, at any rate – to the dilemmas facing Western Christians. What, then, makes our specific gift? Only the strong faith, perhaps.
Fortunately, Europe is not made only out of values and identities, but things like the superb and diverse cuisine. Bikont and Makłowicz know close to everything about the culinary cultures and can talk about European cuisine with passion, so an interview in which the two participate proves to be a delicacy. Both connoisseurs concentrate mainly on enumerating similarities and differences between diverse European cuisines. Makłowicz offers also an interesting division of Europe into three main culinary areas: “that of vodka, beer and wine”. Bikont and Makłowicz are resolved Euro-enthusiasts. Both believe that the unification of Europe can only enhance European cuisine; on the one hand, it will faciliate the blending and mixing of various culinary schools and traditions. On the other – traditional cuisines will be strongly supported.
Apart from the “European” pieces I recommend the article by Joanna Jabłkowska Denacyfikacja (Denasification), in which the author describes the struggles of German literature with the embarrasing legacy of nazism. This text can be treated as a link between the 1-3/2004 issue of “Tygiel” and the next one, which is already available (4-6/2004), and which has been devoted in whole to Jewish history and problems such as – in this case - the Holocaust and the extermination of Jews in the Lidtzmanstadt Ghetto.
Robert Ostaszewski
Translated by Marta Malina Moraczewska
Discussed journals: Tygiel Kultury