"artists" news and stories

Call it fast food with a conscience or even just food for thought. A trio of Pittsburgh-based artists, the Associated Press reports, have opened a take-out restaurant in the city's East Liberty neighborhood. The catch? Well, as you might have guessed, with artists running the place there's more than one.

First, the sign advertising the place is in Farsi, so unless you're fluent, you can be forgiven for missing it. Second, there's only one item on the menu. For now, it's a $5 kubideh, a traditional sandwich from Iran made from grilled ground beef spiced with turmeric, cumin and cinnamon, topped with fresh basil and mint and wrapped up in a piece of homemade barbari bread. And instead of asking whether you'd like fries with that (not an option anyway), don't be surprised if the guy behind the counter starts chatting you up about your views on American foreign policy.

Welcome to the Conflict Kitchen, which according to its website, "only serves cuisine from countries that the United States is in conflict with." So if Middle Eastern fare isn't your thing, you can wait a few weeks, when the restaurant will switch its featured offering to a dish from yet another of America's favorite foes, such as North Korea or Venezuela.

Obviously, this isn't your ordinary ethnic take-out joint.

There's a new magazine out of France, and it's kinda cool in that weird, hipster-y PoMo sort of way. It's called Yummy, and its calling itself a "JunkFoodDesignMagazine" (because spaces between words are so passé).

The magazine - and web site - are mostly en Français, but obviously, art transcends language, and all that jazz, so your lack of French-speaking skills will not hinder your appreciation - or revulsion - from the site.

The featured art runs the gambit from Whodonut?, Virginia Barre's slightly disturbing illustrations of people living in a fast food nation, to Show Her, which seems to be a big excuse for the artist to show photos of a half-naked woman in a rainstorm, occasionally holding a soda bottle (hence, the food connection, I suppose).

Go check it out - you might just be inspired to make some food art of your own. Or just be really grossed out.