Last Sunday, ESN hosted its first cooking event which is all around the idea that some students do not have all the necessary skills to cook an exciting meal. Therefore, students teach other students how to cook. The first edition kicked off with a lesson in Brazilian food and a festive meal afterwards.
Brazilian delicacy
“I really understand why they call Brazilians cooking slave work now”, says Wendelien Bakelaar (18) a Dutch first year International Bachelor of Econometrics and Operations Research, when trying to explain that cooking Brazilian was much more work then she expected. The students were taught by other students who are familiar with the Brazilian cuisine how to make caipirinhas, chicken croquettes, black beans with chicken sausages and a chocolate bonbon. “I will definitely make the cocktails and the desert sometime myself”, says Bakelaar enthusiastically.
Food is culture
The ESN cooking event allows students by cooking together to learning typical meals from other countries. In this way, the students learn a lot about other cultures. “Cooking is part of a culture”, Meng Xia (24) a Chinese Marketing Management master student explains, “but I think it would be even nicer to add some other cultural elements such as music or table manners during the event.”
Experienced and non-experienced
A variety of students with a diverse range of cooking skills attended the event. Xia explains “I like cooking but I do not have a lot of cooking skills. I think the ESN cooking event is a good opportunity to learn something from different cultures.” Bakelaar on the other hand, had quite some cooking skills already, but wanted to cook the same amazing and complicated dishes as one of her Brazilian friends. Bakelaar chuckles “the tasks were divided during the event though, so I’ll have to wait and see if I can manage all of this by myself.”
The menu
Overall, the first edition of ESN’s cooking event was perceived as fun and successful. However, Bakelaar highlights, “To be honest, it was a lot more work than I expected.” Xia agrees, “The duration of the cooking was a bit long, so the process needs more involvement.” Nonetheless, if the menu appeals to them or if the food is so exotic that they are challenged to try something new, both Bakelaar and Xia would definitely go to the other cooking events that ESN will host. But even though the cooking time was somewhat long, the massive festive meal with everybody attending the event at the end made up for all the hard work.
Next ESN cooking event
Date: Sunday November 18th.
Food: Italian.
Time: 15:50 PM.
Location: Sports Building at Campus Woudestein.
Price: €10,00.
Subscription: through the ESN office between 12:00 PM and 15:00 PM at N1-13.
NdB
