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Long story, I suppose, but the short of it is that this guy was a prominent celebrity chef who, more than just eating with people, was a strong advocate of cross-cultural dialogue and the value of culture (including food, naturally) as a means of communication between peoples and a way of spreading understanding. Very outspoken politically, anti-xenophobic, anti-racist, anti-exploitation.

So combining cultural tolerance (something many of us would like to hope is American, if we can get the shovel out and dig deep down inside) and enjoying food (very American) hits close for many of us.