I particularly like the idea of “using food as a foundation for public diplomacy programs to learn about different cultures and discuss important related issues such as nutrition, sustainability and food security.”

Well, we've always had soft power, which seems to have been despite the government, not because of it. We have the soft power of Bollywood, Indian cuisine, fashion, yoga and the Indian brain that has done so well with science, computers and so on

The Sydney International Food Festival (SIFF) is a huge month-long celebration in October showcasing hundreds of top chefs and their work. Back in 2009 branding and media agency TBWA boiled down the whole idea of the festival and created ‘flags’ of the participating nations out of the food that is distinctive to each.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton never seems to have cooking far from her mind. She's turned the State Department kitchen into a tool of international diplomacy. Clinton put her Chief of Protocol, Capricia Penavic Marshall, in charge of what's come to be known as "food diplomacy."

Ms Sonenshine has been using her new office of Public Diplomacy to engage groups of Pakistani and American media people in a series of joint outreach seminars with Ambassador Rehman over the last few weeks in Washington.

A Bite of China, a hit documentary focused on Chinese cuisine, is reaching out across the ocean and attracting fans in Japan.

Rubin and Weleski are used to head-scratching reactions since they opened the Conflict Kitchen, a Pittsburgh cafe that serves cuisine only from countries in conflict with the United States, with a menu that rotates to reflect the war or diplomatic row of the moment.

Despite the quality of the exhibition and the presence of the sculptor and painter himself, in reality this is not a common event. Not only is a Latin American art exhibition in China a rare occurrence but, sadly, this cultural exchange mirrors how little importance nations in the region give to a country that has already become their first or second trade partner.