One kugel can change the world

Some might think they have the solution for how to improve the quality of life in the developing world.

Mohammad Yunis won the Nobel Peace Prize for microfinance.

Sustainable agriculture is all the rage these days.

Others believe that education is the key.

Every one of these might fill a piece of the puzzle, but I have found out what they are all missing.

Kugel.

Through this most traditional of Jewish foods, I believe that we can drastically improve living conditions in the developing world, tikun olam if you will.

Every Friday night, I cook shabbat dinner at my house. I invite some of my friends from the community over so that they can share in my favorite part of the week. It is quickly becoming their favorite part of the week.

Every week, we cook something different, but there are a few staples: challah and kugel. Even though I cook ample portions, there are rarely leftovers of either dish.

Last week, my friends told me that he thinks people in town would love the Pecan Noodle Kugel with banana and probably pay for it.

As a Peace Corps volunteer, I am not allowed to make money. But that comment got me thinking:

What group am I involved in that could use the kugel as a fundraiser?

And what is the group that I have been working the most lately?

The community newsletter.

Soon, I will teach the staff how to make the kugel so that we can increase the sustainability of the newspaper project. I still have to do a cost analysis of the whole endeavor and figure out all of the logistics, but the seed has been planted.

So what are the benefits to society of having more kugels? How exactly will this repair the world, in other words?

1. Quality of life - There have been scientific studies that prove people who eat kugel are happier.

2. Food security - Kugels are very easy to make and can occasionally be not unhealthy. It's at least more nutritious than rice.

3. Micro business - Someone could take this project and open up a kugel-only bakery/restaurant/cafe.

4. Cultural awareness - You expand people's understanding of other cultures.

5. Creativity - I like to think of kugel as the canvas, not the painting. There are infinite possibilities of the kugel. And in a culture that doesn't foster creativity very well, people cane express themselves through kugel.

Well, that is just five of the possible benefits to humanity of kugel promotion.

To make a long story short, within ten years I expect to win the Nobel Prize for kugel. I think they should make it a new category, alongside medicine, physics, peace, and economics.

You might be thinking "Ian, you are pretty much just promoting a bake sale. And why are you restricting it to kugel when there are so many other things that you could also include?"

Valid point, but if I made that clear earlier, the rest of the post wouldn't have been as outstanding.