politically uncompromising anarchism: do no harm, take no bullshit
די ראָזעווע פּאַווע (pink peacock) is a queer, yiddish, anarchist vegan community café opening in the southside of glasgow.
we will use a pay-what-you-can price structure down to £0.00 and will have a fridge full of free food.
the café will be a community space, a social and arts space, and somewhere to get delicious vegan jewish food. our hours will be lunchtime and late-nite, and it will be a dry all-ages space which doesn’t serve alcohol.
די ראָזעווע פאַווע (“di rozeve pave”) means “pink peacock” in yiddish. די גאָלדענע פּאַווע (“di goldene pave” or the golden peacock) is a symbol of yiddish literature; we’re invoking the richness of yiddish culture and making an explicitly queer space. the café is bilingual with everything in yiddish and english, prioritizing yiddish. it’s pronounced like “de ROSE-eh-vuh PAH-vuh”.
we are members of the national food service, and the SEIN (southeast integration network).
the politics we advocate include: antifascism; anticapitalism; transfeminism and full bodily autonomy; queer liberation; deassimilation, decolonialism, and anti-racism; the social model of disability; no borders, no nations, yes migrants’ rights; sex workers’ rights and full decrim ; the abolition of prison, police, detention, and mass surveillance; no rent, no landlords, no bailiffs; pro-BDS [text information on BDS]; full decriminalization of drugs; systemically addressing the climate crisis now; and no monarchy!
we are not interested in purity or disposability politics; our approach is one of solidarity and harm reduction. we’re happy to engage in good-faith political discussions.
our jewishness is founded on values of justice. we are proudly anti-zionist and stand with palestinians in the fight for self-determination against occupation. we are following a long, jewish anarchist tradition of opposing zionist ideology. we’re glad to have a jewish identity which is not about israel.
we are creating a space that is centered around queer people: all lesbian, gay, bisexual+, trans and non-binary, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and aromantic people, and anyone who’s not cisgender-and-heterosexual. this is a space for queers, by queers.
everyone is welcome (including cishet and goyishe allies) and we are family friendly.
the café will be dry, ideal for anyone who’s looking for a cosy late-nite space which isn’t centered around alcohol. glasgow especially needs dry queer social spaces.
we will be open for lunch, and late through the evening into the night, with dim lighting, café curtains, calm music, and bottomless filter coffee.
we are a space for yiddish learning, production, and preservation as much as a queer space.
all the menu items, signage, and communications will be written in yiddish and english. we’re going to host yiddish speakers, yiddish reading groups, and events in yiddish. yiddish is a living language!
the yiddish we use is a combination of khasidic yiddish and YIVO yiddish: we’re not native speakers and still have a lot to learn about the different dialects. talk to us about it!
we will serve handmade baygls with a variety of shmirs: tofu cream cheese, hummus, mustard, peanut butter, vegan butter, and jam. toppings will include avocados, vegan cheeses, capers, onions, tomatoes, and vegan “lox”.
we’ll also make potato knishes, soups, khale (challah), and other delicious jewish vegan food. we’ll have some staples, and the menu will change to serve what’s in season.
we want to disrupt the assumption that jewish = white and ashkenazi. part of this includes serving sephardi, mizrahi, and palestinian food, and promoting and hosting culturally varied jewish events. we also want to disentangle jewishness from zionism and the state of israel: we are proudly anti-zionist jews.
the food will be entirely vegan so it is parve, and will be made by jews in a kashered space. we plan on getting kosher and halal certifications before opening.
this will be a space for the community rather than for profit. we want to be transparent with everything we do. our budget and accounting spreadsheets are public and viewable here. the café doesn’t exist as a physical space yet, but we’re actively planning how to make it as accessible as possible. see our accessibility page for more details.
we are committed to using as few disposable materials as possible, without compromising on accessibility.
we will be extremely diligent with our procurement. we will ask all potential suppliers to evidence that they have robust equalities policies, especially around queer/LGBT+ issues, race/ethnicity, and faith/faith backgrounds. we will also ask for evidence that they are employing good labor practices throughout all stages of their supply chain. we will be especially diligent about ensuring we are BDS-compliant [information on BDS].
where possible, we will procure from queer and/or jewish suppliers. the art in the space will be commissioned from queer and jewish artists, and we will play music exclusively by queer and jewish musicians.