Dining with a Dozen Diplomats, A Culinary Holiday Special: Part Two
01/01/25 • 48 min
Welcome back to the second part of our culinary special podcast miniseries: “Dining with a Dozen Diplomats.” Discover how joining together over a simmering pot of gumbo or carving a roast lamb can bridge cultural divides and foster diplomacy. Above all, get ready for some practical tips on hosting with warmth and creativity, even when things don't go according to plan. In the first episode, in our playlist below, our host J. Alex Tarquinio elicited recipes and reminisces from foreign ministers and permanent representatives, so-called because they lead their country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. In this episode, we continue the conversation with ambassadors and with the president of the United Nations Delegations Spouse’s Club, as we delve deep into the secret sauce of gastrodiplomacy.
Contributors:
The Delegates Lounge
J. Alex Tarquinio (host). @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge
Australia
H.E. Rebecca Bryant, Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations. @BecsBry @AustraliaUN
Malta
H.E. Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations. @_VanessaFrazier @MaltaUNMission
United States
H.E. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations. @USUN
Zambia
Mrs. Cecilia Kanyangwa Milambo, President of the United Nations Delegations Spouse’s Club and of the United Nations African Ambassadors Spouses Group; spouse of H.E. Dr. Chola Milambo, Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations. https://www.facebook.com/UNDWCNewyork/
References
The host mentioned her essay about soft power in Foreign Policy:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/08/06/russia-ukraine-soft-power-culture-diplomacy-fellas-nafo/
U.S. President Richard Nixon ate with chopsticks at a banquet given in his honor by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972. It’s an example of gastrodiplomacy making an impact on world history.
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/nixon-chopsticks
Visit our website to discover some of the recipes suggested in episodes one and two of our culinary special, “Dining with a Dozen Diplomats.”
Welcome back to the second part of our culinary special podcast miniseries: “Dining with a Dozen Diplomats.” Discover how joining together over a simmering pot of gumbo or carving a roast lamb can bridge cultural divides and foster diplomacy. Above all, get ready for some practical tips on hosting with warmth and creativity, even when things don't go according to plan. In the first episode, in our playlist below, our host J. Alex Tarquinio elicited recipes and reminisces from foreign ministers and permanent representatives, so-called because they lead their country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. In this episode, we continue the conversation with ambassadors and with the president of the United Nations Delegations Spouse’s Club, as we delve deep into the secret sauce of gastrodiplomacy.
Contributors:
The Delegates Lounge
J. Alex Tarquinio (host). @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge
Australia
H.E. Rebecca Bryant, Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations. @BecsBry @AustraliaUN
Malta
H.E. Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations. @_VanessaFrazier @MaltaUNMission
United States
H.E. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations. @USUN
Zambia
Mrs. Cecilia Kanyangwa Milambo, President of the United Nations Delegations Spouse’s Club and of the United Nations African Ambassadors Spouses Group; spouse of H.E. Dr. Chola Milambo, Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations. https://www.facebook.com/UNDWCNewyork/
References
The host mentioned her essay about soft power in Foreign Policy:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/08/06/russia-ukraine-soft-power-culture-diplomacy-fellas-nafo/
U.S. President Richard Nixon ate with chopsticks at a banquet given in his honor by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972. It’s an example of gastrodiplomacy making an impact on world history.
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/nixon-chopsticks
Visit our website to discover some of the recipes suggested in episodes one and two of our culinary special, “Dining with a Dozen Diplomats.”
Previous Episode
Dining with a Dozen Diplomats, A Culinary Holiday Special: Part One
Embark on a culinary exploration with us as we uncover the cherished comfort foods and cultural tales shared by diplomats from an assortment of countries. These twelve diplomats offer insights into how food can serve as a bridge between peoples both past and present.
For the “Dining with a Dozen Diplomats” culinary special episode, our host J. Alex Tarquinio chatted with foreign ministers, with permanent representatives, so-called because they lead their country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, and with the president of the United Nations Delegations Spouse’s Club.
Contributors:
The Delegates Lounge
J. Alex Tarquinio (host). @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge
Australia
H.E. Rebecca Bryant, Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations. @BecsBry @AustraliaUN
Brazil
The Consulate General of Brazil in New York. @Itamaraty_EN
Cyprus
H.E. Maria Michail, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations. @MichailmariaCY @CyprusinUN
The Czech Republic (Czechia)
H.E. Martin Dvořák, Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic. @_MartinDvorak @CzechMFA
Estonia
H.E. Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia. @Tsahkna @MFAestonia
Finland
H.E. Elina Valtonen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland. @elinavaltonen @Ulkoministerio
Malta
H.E. Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations. @_VanessaFrazier @MaltaUNMission
Portugal
H.E. Rui Vinhas, Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations.
Slovenia
Mr. Klemen Ponikvar, Political Coordinator of the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations. @SLOtoUN
Switzerland
H.E. Pascale Baeriswyl, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations. @SwissAmbUN_NY @swiss_un
United States
H.E. Robert A. Wood, Alternate Representative of the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations. @USUN
Zambia
Mrs. Cecilia Kanyangwa Milambo, President of the United Nations Delegations Spouse’s Club and of the United Nations African Ambassadors Spouses Group; spouse of H.E. Dr. Chola Milambo, Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations. https://www.facebook.com/UNDWCNewyork/
References:
My Foreign Policy essay about Slovenia’s campaign for an elected seat on the United Nations Security Council.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/09/belarus-slovenia-russia-united-nations-security-council-rotating-seat/
Recipes referred to can be found on our website: https://thedelegateslounge.com/
Next Episode
Reflections on Diplomatic Frontlines: Ukraine's Ambassador to the UN Speaks Out
We’re beginning our second season in conversation with Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya. As listeners will recall, he challenged Russia’s representative to the United Nations during a late-night emergency session of the UN Security Council three years ago, when Russia launched a predawn invasion of his country during the meeting. We sat down with the Distinguished Representative of Ukraine earlier this month at his country’s mission to the United Nations for an exclusive exit interview, as his dramatic tenure at the United Nations is drawing to a close.
Speakers:
J. Alex Tarquinio (host). @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge on X.
H.E. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations (guest). @SergiyKyslytsya of @UKRinUN on X.
References:
The music from this social event that you hear briefly in the podcast was performed by the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York.
https://dumkachorus.org/about
The Ukrainian ambassador challenged the Russian representative when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began during an emergency session of the UN Security Council.
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1j/k1j8unn1me
During the U.S. Senate confirmation hearing of the UN ambassador designate of the United States, the nominee was asked about the following presidential executive order.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/reevaluating-and-realigning-united-states-foreign-aid/
The exchange can be heard here at the 2:10-minute mark. The hearing discussed humanitarian aid for Ukrainian war refugees at the 2:24-minute mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeL1yQpGidg
The United States is the largest contributor to the UN budget overall and to various UN programs and agencies, which is further explained in this Foreign Policy article by our podcast host.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/17/un-ambassador-elise-stefanik-hearing-confirmation-trump/
The ambassador gave a lecture at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics organized by the Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies.
https://www.kansan.com/news/ku-alum-and-ukraine-u-n-ambassador-returns-to-ku/article_69e0ae9a-a29c-11ef-a028-bbad4cd36edd.html
Some related links to the farewell party for Ukraine’s UN ambassador at the Ukrainian Institute of America.
http://bit.ly/4gcUp3F
https://ukrainianinstitute.org/
https://veselka.com/pages/veselka-the-movie
The Delegates Lounge - Dining with a Dozen Diplomats, A Culinary Holiday Special: Part Two
Transcript
Welcome to the Delegates Lounge . Pull up a chair . I'm Alex Tarquinio , a journalist based at the United Nations here in New York City and your emcee for this podcast featuring some of the most influential minds in the world today . Settle in for some riveting tete-a-tete , available wherever you listen to podcasts ,
J. Alex Tarquinioalmost
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