With fascinating music filling the air and detonations popping out of the stoves, the World Cuisine Corridor, held on the afternoon of 26th October 2017 on the North Campus of GDUFS, was on fire. Being a significant part of the Ninth World Culture Festival, the World Cuisine Corridor brought 36 sorts of different cultures together by crazily increasing the food stalls from 32 to 49 compared to 2015.
The opening ceremony
“Everything is going wild!” said one of the excited students. Walking was obviously not available for the burning situation anymore: everyone was pushing their way, squeezing their bodies with food in hands. Nevertheless, despite the crowd and sweaty shirts, everyone at the World Cuisine Corridor was enjoying themselves, moving as the music played and cheering for those magnificent dancers. And those colorful national flags hanging in front of the stalls greatly improved the multi-cultural atmosphere, stimulating our vision at the same time.
Two Chinese students went past with fragrant and icy drinks in their hands. When asked about their attractive drinks, they chuckled and turned extremely excited: “These brilliant beverages settled our stomachs completely. We got them from the Spain stall, where excellent beverages are served almost every year. It is our last year at GDUFS, and there is no way we can tear ourselves away from all these delicate cuisines!” Swirling the remaining liquid in their glasses, they headed for the next stand, seeking more surprises.
The corridor was full of dances and happiness
In front of the 2nd Teaching Building we met two Ukrainian girls with delicate make up wearing ivory white dresses. The autumn breeze lifted the edge of their dresses which fit their slender figures perfectly. When they glanced back and flashed a smile, spring returned all of a sudden. One of them was trying the fried rice from the Kazakhstan stall and she spoke highly of this dish: “there are a lot of pork and vegetables together with the rice. The pork’s skin is crisp and its meat is very tender, and it is totally fabulous and content to have a full spoon of this delicacy.” She also mentioned that the rice reminded her of her hometown and her mom’s spicy fried rice: “I am amazed by the activity, where I am able to meet different cultures and feel more at home.”
The Peru stall was just opposite to the Ukraine food stall, with several passionate dancers liberating their energy in the middle. A cute Russian girl helping out her friends at the food stall of Belarus showed the delicious homemade desserts, and subsequently shared her first impression on the festival in rather fluent Chinese. “The atmosphere is awesome! The Chinese volunteers are rather nice and helpful, and I’m really looking forward to the gala tonight!” she said as the corners of her mouth curved up.
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A couple of sisters from the Philippines shared their preparation process done on their own, expressing their desire that more Philippines compatriots could join GDUFS so that the fascinating culture of the Philippines can be more recognizable and well-known among various cultures. And speaking of all those tempting Philippines snacks, the sisters explained that they insisted on making the food on the very day in order to keep them fresh, holding the rich flavor for curious foodies.
Delicious food
At the end of the corridor, we encountered the stall of Ethiopia. A tall and handsome student from The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia introduced the preparation for the activity: “Every student from our country played an active and indispensable part in this activity. We started to make such objects as the well-decorated pens and little boxes one month ago, not long after the new term had started.” Indeed, the long queue in front of the stand fully proved the great popularity of their handwork.
Not only did the foreign students spare no effort to consummate the activity, but a bunch of Chinese volunteers went all-out.
Some of them assisted foreign students to prepare dishes, which enabled the delicacies to be served to the customers waiting eagerly in line. Except these “wire-pullers”, there were also volunteers helping at the front, explaining the distinctive delicacies and promoting them. A volunteer at the Kenya stall introduced the unique patterns on the hand-made key chains with great fluency and accuracy, telling the histories of various patterns in great detail. She said: “Before the World Cuisine Corridor, I have looked through different materials and had a deep conversation with my Kenyan friends.” Moreover, to our great delight, many foreign students commended the volunteers for their enthusiasm and contribution.
The World Cuisine Corridor provided us with extraordinary memories, adding a special piece of unforgettable good time to the pleasantly cool autumn days.
