The Outstater

January 23, 2026

Haitian Stew Anyone?

I AM ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT for illustrations of exactly how out of touch is the staff of the Indianapolis Star. I can tell you that the pickings are rich. Here is the latest headline that caught my eye:

“Comforting Haitian Stew Is Next Dish You Should Try in Indy”

The Star’s food editor has discovered the slow-cooked “brothy comestibles” of that culinary Mecca, Haiti. “I’ve got a good feeling about 2026. Not with regards to like, the world at large or anything; I’m just talking about the massive potential for me, personally, to eat some really good stew,” he writes this morning.

Well, why not in Haiti, or at least in an Indianapolis restaurant specializing in Haitian cuisine? I can think of a reason — the utter hypocrisy of it. I don’t doubt that there are savory Haitian recipes. The trick for Haitians, though, as opposed to oblivious, tone-deaf editors, is securing the ingredients. 

The per-capita calorie intake for a Haitian is half that of an American. Indeed, Haitians are near or slightly below the minimum energy requirements for basic sustenance.

Sitting in a comfortable Indianapolis restaurant, then, enjoying a delicious dinner, seems to overlook a signal point: Haitians starve because people likethe Star’s food editor (and Haiti “philanthropists” Bill and Hillary Clinton) ignore or even romanticize their 7th century economic system. Toxic empathy, it is called.

I have another example. The high Haitian death toll from hurricanes is not merely a matter of bad luck or climate change. Haitian buildings collapse under Hurricane winds while buildings in Florida, say, remain upright under the same force. The reason is that private property — an economic “recipe” one might say — is not protected in Haiti. There is no incentive to invest in it. Many Haitian homes are slapped together ad hoc over time without professional engineering, making them vulnerable to lateral wind loads and storm surge. 

Finally, there is the famous picture of the border between Haiti, desolate and treeless, and that of the comparatively lush Dominican Republic. Again, the property-less Haitian side has been stripped bare in a visual testament to the Tragedy of the Commons.

All topics, one would think, for dinner table discussion over a brothy Haitian comestible. Bon appétit. — tcl

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