OUTSIDE OFFICE WINDOWS ACROSS DC, the birds are chirping. The misery of the endless darkness is abating. The congenial urge to take a walk down K Street and break bread with coworkers—even the annoying ones—is resurfacing in the hearts of consultants, lobbyists, nonprofit heroes, staffers, and retail workers alike. It’s springtime in Washington and your coworkers are going to lunch.
Seeking a reprieve from the workday and going out to a mid-day meal—the simplest of earthly pleasures, no? The humble lunch should serve as solace from return-to-office orders and the grindstone of the day job. But in reality, it can be a pathway to interfering in international solidarity. Across the city, lunch locales are directly or indirectly tied to Israeli apartheid in historic Palestine. Fan favorite shops and restaurants may stock Israeli products and brands or even sell libations produced on settlements and annexed territories from bordering states (more on that one later). Some have clear and intuitive associations with Israel, most do not. An innocent to-go bowl can turn into a breach in solidarity; a “little treat” can amount to financial support for apartheid all faster than you can say “That’s with oat milk, right?”
What is to be done about the ubiquity of morally compromised fare options for DC’s working, lunching people? How are we to enjoy a sumptuous morsel downtown without compromising our support for a free Palestine and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement?
The first step is research. And luckily, our friends at DC for Palestine have slogged through the inventory of Empire for us. This February, DC for Palestine released an official boycott flyer, complete with a list of targets. It includes Israeli products and brands, restaurants that culturally appropriate Palestinian cuisine or sell settlement products, and larger US companies that are complicit in Israeli apartheid and genocide of Palestinians. This local flyer ties neatly into two national campaigns, the (DSA-endorsed) No Appetite for Apartheid campaign and the Apartheid-Free network, of which DC for Palestine is a member. Political gastronomers nationwide are organizing to scrape complicity from their plates.
The other component of realizing this utopian possibility is equally important, however. We need discipline to stand in economic solidarity with Palestine. This spring, as the breezy and delightful environment outside your workplace suggests—nay, demands—you go out and buy lunch instead of eating the sad leftovers you despondently shoved into the back of the office fridge, remember that nothing tastes as good as solidarity feels. Avoid the following restaurants, products, and companies as you do the DC lunch.
1. Taim and Little Sesame
Convenient, healthy enough, and attractive to vegans on the go, such as this writer? Yes. Free from the guilt of association with colonial violence? No! Avoid these spots for serving Palestinian cuisine under the impression of Israeli culture. Appropriation that erases Palestinian history and culture is unappetizing, no matter the dish.
2. Sababa and Shouk
Also in the world of fast-casual dining, Sababa and Shouk present their offerings as Israeli, despite serving Palestinian dishes. Sababa even implies its name is Hebrew despite coming from the Arabic language, while “shouk/souk” is Hebrew/Arabic for “market.” A worse indictment of complicity than the appropriation of language and food however, is both groups’ importation of Israeli products—wines and ingredients, respectively. Boycott these spots.
3. Zaytinya
Zaytinya is one of the several local fine dining venues owned by José Andrés, founder of the same World Central Kitchen that lost 10 of its employees to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza (seven in Deir al-Balah in April 2024, three in Khan Yunis in November 2024). And it is very much on the boycott list. Despite Andrés’ claim that Israel had been committing a “war against humanity itself,” the renowned celebrity chef felt comfortable stocking wines not just from settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories but from the illegally annexed Golan Heights in Syria. When lunch is on the company dollar, find a different bourgeois establishment to enjoy.
4. Tatte
Don’t let Tatte’s admittedly cute “like-a-latte” pronunciation-explainer fool you. This coffee shop is complicit in appropriation and Zionist sympathy by presenting its traditional Palestinian dishes as Israeli. Its founder also served in the Israeli Occupation Forces and cites that experience as a defining inspiration in her life. Overpriced avocado toast is a dime a dozen in the city—this one isn’t worth it.
5. Select products from Trader Joes, Target, and Whole Foods
Snack time can be just as healing as lunchtime, for many. When you’re looking for a quick grocery story fix, though, avoid the Bamba peanut snacks and Israeli Feta from Trader Joes, for obvious reasons. If you’re sneaking in a mid-day full shop, you’ll want to avoid Good & Gather’s frozen herbs and chopped onions from Target and 365’s Organic Tahini from Whole Foods. These store-branded products are sourced from Israel, and nothing is as unsavory as complicity in apartheid.
6. Coca-Cola
Who among us never craves a cold, carbonated beverage from our WeWork’s criminally overpriced vending machine? None, that’s who. Satisfy this profound, human urge with discipline by sticking with one of the seemingly fake knock-off sodas instead of a Coke. This mega-brand, likely found on countless other political cause’s boycott lists, owns an Israeli franchisee that operates in settlements. Skip this one for now (and to be safe, eternity).
7. Chevron
The boycott list encourages us to avoid consuming compromised sweets, treats, bevs, snacks, ingredients, and fare from complicit restaurants. However, as consumers concerned with supporting Palestinian liberation, sustenance isn’t the only potential culprit. Where you get your fuel is just as important of a choice in conscious consumption, so fill your tank with gas from a corporation that doesn’t own and operate the two largest natural gas fields in Israel. There aren’t Chevron stations in DC, but keep this in mind for travel. Moreover, share the Boycott Chevron pledge with family and friends around the country.
Fill your tank with gas from a corporation that doesn’t own and operate the two largest natural gas fields in Israel. There aren’t Chevron stations in DC, but keep this in mind for travel. Moreover, share the Boycott Chevron pledge with family and friends around the country.
This multinational behemoth, guilty of an endless list of crimes against indigenous populations, is the focus of DSA’s national Stop Fueling Genocide campaign. Here at Metro DC DSA, it’s also a central focus of our Palestine Solidarity Program. Get involved with our internationalism working group and help us end its capitulation to capitalist cravings.
