Pyongyang's first authentic pizzeria opens its doors. Timing's a little awkward. UK Telegraph:
The launch of Pyongyang's first Italian restaurant meanwhile brings to fruition a ten-year effort by Kim Jong-il - a renowned gourmand and lover of western food - to create the perfect pizza and pasta in his homeland.
Last year a delegation of local chefs was sent by Kim to Naples and Rome to learn the proper Italian techniques after their homegrown efforts to mimic Italian cuisine were found by Kim to contain "errors".
That could be bad. No word on what happened to those pizza chefs. Also, nothing what the errors were. Kimchee and pepperoni pizza? Buffalo squid Chicago-style deep-dish? Mushroom and eel calzone?
In the late 1990s Kim brought a team of Italian pizza chefs to North Korea to instruct his army officers how to make pizza, a luxury which is now being offered to a tiny elite able to afford such luxuries in a country that cannot feed many of its 24 million inhabitants.
Despite the food shortages high-quality Italian wheat, flour, butter and cheese are being imported to ensure the perfect pizza is created every time.
"Our people should be also allowed to enjoy the world-famous food," the manager of the Pyongyang eatery quoted Kim as saying.
Dude's cold! That guy could do some wicked pizza phone pranks. Telegraph fails to mention what this joint is called. Papa Juche? Pyongyang Uno -- no, there's only one Uno in Pyongyang. Pizza To Die For. Not bad, but I like Kim Hut. No, too grubby, insufficently deferential. Better play it safe. Dear Leader's Joyous Pizza Palace For The Workers. Here's a slogan, "Pizza -- That's A Good Juche Idea!"
About the awkward timing issue, US State Department, via VOA:
In the latest of a series of moves toward apparent self-isolation, North Korea has informed the United States that it no longer wants American food assistance. U.S. officials are expressing disappointment over the move because of continuing food shortages in that country. . . .