The World is Divided into Two: Detlef Palm

The world is becoming ever more divided. The East and the West, the North and the South, children and adults, the big and the small, Trump supporters and Trump opponents, capitalists and communists, socialists and environmentalists, women and men, attackers and the attacked, thinkers and doers, believers and non-believers, the rulers and the ruled.

Chasms everywhere.

So where, exactly, is the fault line between good and evil?

Watching people enthusiastically line up on one side of a fence only to discover themselves on the opposite side of the next one, I have come to a sobering conclusion. 

The most reliable boundary separating humanity does not run between nations, ideologies, or generations. It separates those who love cilantro from those who cannot stand its taste.

For many people, cilantro is fresh, lemony, and delightfully fragrant. For others, it tastes as if someone grated a bar of soap into their dinner. Members of the latter group often claim that cilantro smells like bedbugs. Which raises an entirely separate question about how they became so familiar with the smell of bedbugs in the first place, and whether their bedtime habits might offer some clues.

There is, of course, a small diplomatic zone between the two camps: Some people say they “don’t mind” cilantro but would “prefer not to have it". Such positions are not unusual, just as Easterners live in the West, environmentalists fly to conferences, socialists invest in stocks. Humanity has always been flexible in matters of principle.

But here is the point: when it comes to cilantro, you either welcome it onto your plate or start discreetly pushing it aside. 

Naturally, science has investigated the matter. Researchers have identified a genetic factor: a variation in the gene that codes for the olfactory receptor OR6A2. This receptor detects aldehydes, chemical compounds that are present in both cilantro and soap. For some people, the brain therefore interprets cilantro not as a culinary ingredient but as a faintly alarming hygiene product.

Genetics is the main factor, but experience matters too. If you encounter cilantro often enough, especially in complex dishes, your brain can gradually learn to reinterpret the aroma. With enough repetition, soap can begin to resemble food.

Today we will conduct a modest experiment. We will prepare a simple dish in which cilantro appears unapologetically and without distractions nor camouflage. Be warned: this dish is cilantro in neon lights.

A final detail before we start: in English, the word cilantro usually refers to the fresh leaves of the plant. The seeds are known as coriander. The plant doesn’t care.

Clean and chop a bunch of cilantro. Add sesame or olive oil, chopped chili peppers, and a small(!) chopped clove of garlic. Season with soy sauce and a little lemon juice. Blend until smooth.

Cook rice noodles for the participating XUNICEFers. Mix with the cilantro paste and crushed roasted peanuts.

Enjoy… or refer to the bin.

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