As an old Chinese saying goes, desire for food is human nature and people regard food as their primary need. The appreciation and love of delicious food is common for human beings. There are also some poets who say that delicious food is a kind of art when different colors are displayed on plates. As an ancient civilization, China’s food culture has a long history.
The Sino-Danish Center (SDC) is a joint project between Denmark and China. Eight Danish universities have formed a consortium and established a formal collaboration with UCAS. Since its establishment, the SDC has adopted English instruction in small classes for both Danish and Chinese studentsand also played a role of cultivating an international vision and high-level talents. To enrich the campus life and also foster a cultural exchange between Chinese and Danish students, a traditional Chinese food festival was held in the canteen at the Zhongguancun campus on May 11.
By 4:30 in the afternoon, preparations had begun. The canteen was decorated with colors, and full of a pleasurable atmosphere. Students were arranging the ingredients, kitchenware, and banners. To help Danish students learn more about Chinese food, organizers prepared beautiful pamphlets. Then, the party started.
The exotic ingredients sparked the curiosity of Danish students. With assistance from native Chinese friends, they gradually mastered the process of making dumplings and Chinese Zongzi, traditional foods which are eaten during Spring Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. Ha ha, you may not believe the varieties of bizarre dumplings created by our smart Danish friends. Nice but …, who could have imagined these results--- dumplings made with boiled gruel.
After enjoying Tangyuan, dumplings and Zongzi, our Danish friends’ interest in the rolling pin” was piqued, and with the help of Chinese students, they used the remaining flour to learn another Chinese traditional cuisine “handmade noodles”. After rinsing with cold water, mixing with mushroom sauce, the noodles were delicious. Even "Mother Xu ", who is in charge of student work, was full of praise!
Everyone had a good time.
The Food Festival was designed to promote a little fun and relaxation as well as providing learning and communication opportunities for students. Not only did the Festival strengthen student collaboration, it gave Danish students a taste of the charm of traditional Chinese food culture. Yes, we are a family. So, cherish the friendship, and hope for deeper cultural and emotional exchanges between all of us for the next year. Finally, thanks a lot to the staff of Zhongguancun canteen.
By Wang Xiaodan, Zhang Hao
