Bankstown Pressure Cooks- A cultural harmony project with a difference!!

We all know Food is such an important part of each culture. The ingredients, style of cooking, presentation all reflect not only the geography of the region but the social norms that show how families get together for meals and discuss the most important things in their lives.

I consider myself very fortunate for being involved in an innovative Multicultural Cooking competition that aimed to promote cross cultural interaction through sharing of recipes. This competition has been organized by The Benevolent Society one of the oldest charities in Australia. It is a chance for local community members to learn about different cultures. It was held in one of the suburbs of New South Wales in partnership with the Local City Council and other community organisations. What gave this cooking competition an edge was the use of 'Cultural Advisers' who provided recipes from their cultures. Contestants were challenged by cooking a recipe that was not from their culture and they were all 'Every Day Cooks' who just came together because of their love for food and the need to mingle with others, share and learn!

As a member of the working committee, I was involved from the planning stage, doing my bit to promote the event and helping out in communication activities. It was really marvellous to later on see this wonderful project actually take shape as the competitions began with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. With a little encouragement from one of the office bearers, I found myself becoming a Cultural Adviser for Pakistani Food. This was my chance to show everyone what rich cuisine we had and learn about other cultures. The other advisers represented Food culture of Greece, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and the contestants were teams of diverse age groups from Chinese, Maltese, Malaysian, Lebanese, Nepalese, Australian backgrounds. So you can just imagine the wonderful mix of exotic tastes, texture and colours.

I was also given the opportunity to act as a co-judge for the first two rounds. This was my first experience as a judge for any cooking competition, let alone such a multicultural one. But this is what the entire project was about. It gave community members the opportunity to come out of their shell and encouraged them to talk and share ideas in a fun and productive manner. It was such a treat watching a team of Chinese ladies making the traditional Pakistani snack ' Dahi Vadas', the young Nepalese cooks struggling with the 'Vietamese pancake' and finally getting it right, the Maltese team stuffing minced meat in squids for another Vietnamese delicacy and a Lebanese team carefully arranging ' Thai Chicken boats' . Wowww..very memorable moments indeed.

This has by far been my most positive experience in Aussie Land so far. I arrived here just over a year ago and am simply amazed at the genuine warmth of the people I have met. My association with all members who have worked on this project has given a boost to my dwindling morale in an economy hit by recession.

The buzz, excitement and the feelings of warmth and social inclusion that generated from this marvellous project are a great success for the organisers. I hope you have enjoyed reading about this event as much as I have enjoyed being being part of if. You can log onto www.PressureCooks.Com.au  to learn more about this wonderful project.

Share your comments and any other ideas on social inclusion/ cultural harmony projects you may have been part of.

Take care. Eat Well. Rest Well & Enjoy Life!