Given that many Americans are becoming more aware of what we put into our bodies suspicions about the health and environmental effects of biotechnology are on the rise, fueling a movement to require food from genetically modified crops to be labeled or otherwise taken off the shelves. 

Alternet reports that, “In November, California voters will vote on a law (California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act) to require mandatory labeling of all GMO ingredients in processed foods and ban the industry practice of mislabeling foods containing GMO ingredients as natural.” 

The labeling effort, supported by consumer groups and the organic food industry is pitted against the agricultural biotechnology companies like Monsanto, and argue that we have the right to know when food has been modified with genes from another species. 

“Will democracy win out and will Americans have the right to know what’s in our food? Or we will continue to let our food policy be ruled by political decisions engineered last century in a Monsanto boardroom by corporate lobbyists?”

In case you’re also skeptical about GMOs, you may want to check out this iPhone app: ShopNoGMO

The Making of Busboys and Poets

A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets

We’re proud to announce A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets, the new memoir from our CEO and Founder, which reveals the vision, challenges, and triumphs behind opening Busboys and Poets. Packed with misadventures, unexpected triumphs, and insights on race, business and politics, Andy Shallal’s memoir takes us on a “How I Built … Continued

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For Langston Hughes on His 123 Birthday

Speech given on February 1, 2024 in Havana, Cuba In 1927 Langston Hughes walked into a Cuba amid an emerging community of artists, intellectuals, and radicals.  He saw a “sunrise in a new land [– a day – in his words]sic – full of brownskin surprises, and hitherto unknown contacts in a world of color.”  … Continued

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Palestine Week 2024

January 18, 2024 – January 25, 2024 In keeping with our ongoing mission of uplifting racial and cultural connections, Busboys and Poets is hosting Palestine Week (January 18 through January 25, 2024). This week-long series of events will offer a diverse range of programming featuring Palestinian food, music, dance, poetry, discussions, and other enriching events. … Continued

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The Nepal Chronicles #3

March 3, 2021 (in transit)… My layover in Doha was the shortest in history. 45 minutes to get from one end of the airport to the other. Luckily no customs or security checks. Just run! The onboard safety videos are interesting. In one there is a men’s soccer team acting like passengers and the coach … Continued

10. A visual and sensory feast.

Art percolates throughout Cuba. It shows up on the streets. In alleys. On the veranda at the Nacional. Where live music is on nightly display. Until the wee hours of the morning. It is present in the poorest parts of town. In restaurants. Where the sound of guitars and maracas fills the air. And in … Continued

Engage in open talks about race with A.C.T.O.R.

Engage in open talks about race with A.C.T.O.R.

As the upcoming presidential election nears, we are hearing the usual buzzwords: “economy,” “jobs,” “health care,” but now we are forced to deal with a matter that makes many Americans uncomfortable and fidgety.

AndyShallal PeaceandStruggle

Everest Base Camp #10

Gourmet ketchup anyone? The Sunrise Tea House serves the best French fries I’ve had. Real potatoes fried and sprinkled with Himalayan salt and gourmet ketchup. The thick dark kind made of real tomatoes with a hint of plums (I am making up the plums, but it sure tasted delicious). I ask for Wifi. The owner … Continued