A World Tour Through Cuisines

On the afternoon of October 29th, GDUFS held the World Cuisine Corridor on the campus boulevard.

At first, Dr. Tipchan Wongchata, Assistant of the President of Bangkok University of Thailand,dotted the line eyes with LIANG Xuehong, Dean of the Institute for International Education, who then declared the opening of the World Cuisine Corridor of the 8thWorld Cultural Festival, commemorating the 30thanniversary of our university education for international students.

Not long after the opening ceremony, the street wascrowded with students and visitors from both on and off campus, anticipating the activity. And our foreign friends didn’t let them down.

Stalls of various hand-make delicacies were set along the sides of the road. A beautiful Thai girl held a board with SAWADDEEKA on it. An American girl sold cupcakes in a red cheongsam. Guys from Germany poured beer and toasted sausages in soccer jerseys. Lines formed before the barbecue frame of Korea’s stall, and their Kimchi Pancakes were also a hit. Groups of people surrounded Japan’s stall for okonomiyaki, mitarashi, dango as well as other traditional foods. Indonesian food was warmly welcomed for their fried rice, yellow rice, traditional fried tofu and shrimp crackers. French crepes with different tastes attracted people’s eyes. Afro-Beat were played; Uzbekistan boys danced in a circle. Spain, Mexico, Ukraine, Burma...Over 40 stalls from more than 30 countries presented a grand banquet for students and visitors.

Walking in high spirits, some people held more than one kind of foodin their hands. When asked about their feelings of the cuisine corridor, they said they enjoyed the cuisine and the foreign friends were really enthusiastic. They expressed that cuisine is a very important part of a country’s culture, and this activity gave them a chance to have direct contact with people from different countries and cultures. The electric atmosphere really impressed them, and the globalization of GDUFS was really equal to its reputation.

After the event, we interviewed some international students. “Before I came to China, I thought it was like Europe. However, both the climate and living pace are totally different, but people here are really friendly.” A Spanish student who has only been in China for three months then extended his surprise for the crowd, “I didn’t expect that so many people would come today. Our food sold out very quickly, so maybe we should have prepared more.” Talking of their favorite Chinese foods, a Cameroonian dressed in ethnic African style costume mentioned “dumplingsand Canton soup” immediately, while braised potato and chicken with rice are the most tasteful cuisines as far as a Ukrainian girl was concerned.

There’s an old Chinese saying: “Humanity’s most fundamental relationship is food.” Just like singing and dancing, food serves as a universal language across the globe, a bond that furthersthe communication between different cultures. Through the window of World Cuisine Corridor, both Chinese and international students were able to witness cultural views that are different from what they are used to seeing.