Asparagus as a Unifying Force?

John Boonstra - February 27, 2009 - 4:25 pm

Well, at least Greek and Turkish Cypriots can agree about something:

U.N. peacekeepers have upset traditional wild asparagus harvesters on the ethnically divided island of Cyprus by preventing them from entering a buffer zone to gather the tasty shoots.

U.N. soldiers, restricting access to the buffer zone which splits the island from east to west after Cyprus was divided in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a Greek-inspired coup, say they are only doing their job, but residents are livid.

The peacekeepers are clearly "only doing their job" here, as maintaining the buffer zone is, after all, what they are stationed in Cyprus to do. On the other hand, maybe a little harmonious bout of asparagus-gathering would make it clear to the country's multiple governments that reaching a solution to their 35-year impasse would eliminate the need for a buffer zone, and enable Cypriots from both sides to harvest as many "tasty shoots" as they'd like.

(image from flickr user Clearly Ambiguous under a Creative Commons license)

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