Mero Cocinero Karimi's life changing, delicious kitchen at Intermedia Arts

By Sheila Regan Wed., Oct. 26 2011 at 9:43 AM

Categories: Theater

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So, who exactly is Mero Cocinero Karimi, the Iranian/Guatemalan host of Viva Las Roots, a pop-up performance kitchen that's spicing things up at Intermedia Arts? Well, he looks and sounds remarkably like Robert Farid Karimi, the interdisciplinary playwright, multimedia humorist, activist, poet, and creator/lead writer/producer for the show.

"I don't say I play him," Karimi says of Mero Cocinero. "That would mean that it's a play. I look like him, and the character is made by me."

Photo courtesy Intermedia Arts

Mero Cocinero uses food as an equalizer and activator of all peoples, and has been doing shows since 1997 (since 2007 in the Twin Cities).

So, who is Mero Cocinero? His is a progressive activist. "He's become disillusioned with working at a nonprofit job. He is the idealist of all idealists. He's the champion of all champions. He wants to save the world through food," he says.

His particular focus of late is diabetes in democracy. "Basically, a few years ago my father got Type 2 Diabetes," Karimi says. "He was the first person on the Iranian side of the family to get it. I really wanted to do something with the cooking show that would do something with diabetes." But he didn't want to just do a play. He thought about how he could expand the concept, shift it, and mess with its face while having fun with the audience. "My work is really about interactivity," he says.

Karimi hopes to create an experience that isn't just about telling people what they should do, but is fun too. He seeks to create an environment that is theatrical, and at the same time activates the audience to change their lives. This weekend's show is the first installment of a larger project that, eventually, will be (at least) a month-long experience that will include performance and installation components. "I want to make theater for social change. That's an experience that's not just one day," he says, "but lasts for days and days."

Photo courtesy Intermedia Arts

In Viva Las Roots, audience members will be invited to cook, cut, serve, eat, and basically participate as much as they feel comfortable doing. There will be Iranian, Guatemalan, Filipino, and Mexican cuisine, mixed with whatever the "workers" (Karimi's ensemble of actors) bring to the table. In particular, there will be an emphasis on the Dia de los Muertos tradition, which Karimi says is all about humor, honoring your ancestors, and seeing the power in stories.

Karimi says he can't share too many specifics about the food that will be served, but he does say that it will "honor all palates" (worry not vegans) and he promises to redefine the pickle.

IF YOU GO:

Viva Las Roots
October 29-30 and November 2-5
Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis
7 p.m.
$15
612.871.4444