On the evening of 13 May 2023, the PHBS-UK Student Representatives – Dor Kushinsky and Andy Lin – organised an intercultural dinner night at PHBS-UK featuring food from the different countries represented by the international students at PHBS-UK as well as the different dishes from the various provinces in China represented by the PKU/PHBS short-term visiting programme students. The event was a celebration of the diverse cultural heritage of the world and aimed to promote intercultural understanding and appreciation.
The event was well attended, with students, faculty, and staff coming together to enjoy the various cuisines on offer. The food was prepared by the students themselves, with each country represented by a different dish. Our short-term programme students from China prepared some of the standout dishes from their provinces which included celery and pork dumplings, coke chicken wings, Sichuan shredded chicken, fried chicken with chilli, fried aubergine clips, hot and sour potato shreds, rice parcels; All these are representative of the different provinces China. The students were all on hand to explain the dishes to our international students – how they were made and why they are significant to their respective provinces.
From our international students, we have Masabha (a hummus cousin) and pita bread from Israel, curry from Malaysia, tuna and sweetcorn pasta from the UK, crêpe from France, bibimbap from Korea, and somsa from Uzbekistan. Our international students returned the gesture by explaining to our Chinese students the different types of dishes from their culture and why they are important to them.
Nothing binds people together than sugar. The dessert selection was equally eye-popping. There were tiramisù from Italy, double-skin milk ginger milk curd, and black sesame dessert soup from China, butter dunking cookies from Portugal, coffee cake from the UK, and Apfelstrudel from Germany. It was a veritable feast.
After the dinner, attendees gathered in the Lecture Hall to watch a screening of Eurovision, the annual international song competition featuring performers from mainly a mix of European countries and a new non-European nations, such as Australia and Israel. Our international students explained to the short-term visiting students the concept of Eurovision and why it is a huge part of the European and UK entertainment culture. Particularly how Eurovision served as a platform to launch the careers of several international superstars like ABBA, Céline Dion, and Måneskin. The atmosphere was electric, with the audience cheering and singing along to their favourite songs.
Overall, the intercultural dinner night was a huge success. It provided a platform for people from different cultures to come together and learn from one another and showcased the richness and diversity of the world's cultures. PHBS-UK really appreciate the time and effort that our student organisers had put into organising this event and we thank them for their hard work and dedication in bringing this event to fruition.
