Ali Hassan wants to know: Does This Taste Funny?

Where: Anvil Theatre, 777 Columbia St., New Westminster

Tickets and info: ticketsnow.ca

“That show came about when I was answering questions from my kids about identity, relating stories of my Muslim Sunday school experiences, diving into my love of pork, which was 20 minutes right there,” he said. “I was a chef, a caterer and a cooking instructor and have all this history and the stories that come out of it and thought, ‘Why not do something with it too?’ As an example, I discuss my mortal enemy as a child, the turnip, which would sometimes find its way into the very popular Pakistani curry called aloo gosht, which is literally translated as meat and potatoes. Not when this interloper appears.”

Hassan says his turnip instantly becomes someone else’s Brussels sprout or mushroom. Add in the fact that more and more Canadians grow-up familiar with dishes from across cultures, and he finds food can also be a unifying force. Staying away from the lazy trope of asking “don’t you hate x, y, z?” and just telling the tale is key to the new work.