Wednesday Walk That Makes Me Smile - Celebrating Diversity At Work

Last week, as we began our new topic of 'World History & Culture,' parents and their family were asked to join us in school to celebrate.

Because our year group includes four classes, tables were put up in the sports hall. It also provides extra space for our students, teachers and parents to move about in.

Parents and their families arrived, some dressed in traditional clothes and bringing traditional dishes from their home countries.

So we began by registering for our separate classes. After a few reminders and the usual do's and don'ts, each student was given a plastic bowl, plate, bread knife, spoon, and forks before heading down to the sports hall.

Each family's food presentation was stunning, from appetisers to savoury to dessert. It appeared like a massive breakfast buffet! LOL

So I started wandering around, plate in hand - super eager!

_{Nasi Kuning}

Brunei, being in Asia, of course loves rice. This Nasi Kuning (Turmeric Rice) from Indonesia was impressive and tasty!

By the way, nasi means rice and kuning means yellow.

The addition of Tempeh (soybeans) makes it more intriguing. It seemed strange to me at first, but when I tried it, it added a savoury flavour to it.

_{Nasi Goreng Ayam}

Nasi Goreng Ayam is more common, as I see it all the time. Correct me if I'm wrong though, but yeah I get to see this dish more frequently compared to Nasi Kuning. Goreng is a word that means to fry.

_{Dahi Chana Saat and Chicken Biryani}

And, of course, my favourite rice dish, the Chicken Biryani, which came with Dahi Chana Chaat, a traditional mouthwatering and exquisite Pakistani fast food snack. You may actually zoom in and read more about this dish, including its ingredients and preparation method.

Appreciate that the parents printed the recipe so that others might want try cooking it. Especially those who loves cooking. I might as well or NOT. haha!

_{Kuchary/Koshari}

As I continued walking, I came upon an unusual Egyptian dish called Kuchary/Koshari. It's remarkable as it mixes lentils, pasta, and rice. Pasta and rice together. Hmmmm. This meal is a popular street food in Egypt, filling and reasonably affordable, according to the parent I spoke with. "It's covered with a spicy tomato sauce made with a special Middle Eastern spice combination, garbanzo beans, and fried onions," she explained. I gave it a go and it was delish indeed.

_{Braised Chicken Wings and Eggs}

_{Chicken Siew Mai}

I adore Chinese cuisine, and this Siew Mai with Braised Chicken Wings and Eggs was one of those that I occasionally craved. I actually asked the parent on that station since it said Chicken Siew Mai, but it caused me to wonder if it was just pure chicken because I'd never had one without the prawns. I figured it was always pork or chicken prawn. Then he smiled and replied, yes, Siew Mai always has prawns in it to make it more savoury. The ingredients list includes prawns. So I chuckled; shame on me for not reading it first. LOL

_Japchae

"Ooooooooh, Japchae!". This was my exact words while my eyes went wide with adoration when I walked up to this table. Hahahaha!
The parents immediately asked if I recognised the food, to which I enthusiastically replied, "Definitely, I always see this dish on KDramas!"

The dad then asked what kdrama I'm on and I said "Alchemy of Souls" which he replied Oh, that is a good one! then he explained about Japchae being a royal food a long time ago but now became a common food in Korea.

I have had tried few of this dish at Korean restaurants but I did not like as most of them were sweet. I had a spoonful taste of it and and it was just right, not too sweet and so damn tasty that I returned for a full bowl. 😅

_{Victoria sponge Cake}

The Victoria sponge cake is a sponge cake named after the British queen,
Queen Victoria, who enjoyed a slice with her afternoon tea. It comes with raspberry jam and either whipped double cream or vanilla cream. The jam and cream are sandwiched between two sponge cakes and topped with icing sugar.
Looks grand, isn't it?

_Scones

Being on the scones table, I have learnt something new! I love scones and I was not aware that there was some kind of debate going on concerning its toppings.
Should the cream or the jam be spread first? That is the dilemma apparently.

The parent said some argues that it taste better if cream goes on first as the jam masks the cream flavour. Some argues the other way around. They suggest the jam must go on first, to shield the cream from the warm scone, which might otherwise melt the cream. It was an interesting debate indeed, but honestly for me it tasted the same. No argument or whatsoever. Which ever way, its a delish! I happily blurted to the parent which made her laugh!

_{Kuih Penyaram}

_{Kuih Seri Muka}

_{Bingka Labu}

_{Nian Gao}

_Kompia

_{Chinese Traditional Steam Egg Cakes}

Cakes from different nations were such a delight to look at too. I'm not a big cake person, but I've tried a lot of them, and some of their classic cakes (Kueh) are exquisite. Those Chinese buns and cakes I bet will be everywhere soon as Chinese New Year is fast approaching. Looking forward to open houses and it will be another content that I can share here too. Yay!

There, there. That's me with one of my favourite dishes, Japchae.
Wednesday's Walk Celebrating Diversity indeed Made Me Smile. It was a fantastic opportunity for everyone to experience a wide variety of foods and clothing from around the world while embracing similarities and differences. It was fascinating listening to parents and the students sharing stories and details about their culture and traditions! But wait ! , now that I think of it, I forgot to snapshot traditional clothes! I guess I got distracted by the delectable foods on sight. LOL

I hope I made you smile too, and not leaving you starving.
😅✌️

P.S.

Since I came upon the lovely community of #wednesdaywalk hosted by
@tattoo-djay in collaboration with #makemesmile by @elizachengso,
I thought I'd share this post there as well, for the very first time.
Thank you for the opportunity you two and of course to @justinparke of the amazing Asean Hive community too!

♥️
chichi18