To be fair, I first had to search for a while until I finally encountered the booths of the food fair. As I have been on the first food fair in September at the beginning of the winter semester, I expected it again to be massive and crowded. Back then the huge hall of Domain was filled with dozens of stands of different restaurants and cafes giving away flyers with special offers for students and free take-away food of their menu.
Apparently, the food fair at the beginning of the summer semester is much smaller. When I eventually found the location I counted three booths – this time, however, there were no posters of local restaurants to be seen. It turned out that three country societies had taken the opportunity to introduce themselves on this food fair by offering some free samples of their traditional dishes instead. As I did not want to appear as a pure moocher (which I actually was after all) I also talked to the representatives of each society to learn a bit about what they are doing within the society.
The first booth represented Malaysia. A very kind Malaysian girl told me they had formed to meet up with other internationals and of course students from Malaysia to have occasional get-togethers and to overcome homesickness if it occurs. I feel this is a very good thing especially for students who do actually stem from countries which are far away from the UK. It is nice to speak to people who might feel the same way and it often helps to share a bit of your own culture. And the food of course was incredible, too! I tried some very delicious chicken curry stuffed pastries, but there were also some green coconut bake rolls and sesame peanut balls.
The second society was actually quite a young one; it was formed only three months ago and connects people from Libya. The idea is quite the same as of the Malaysian society; Libyan students and people from Libya who just live in Newcastle meet up to do some cooking together and have nice conversations. At this booth I enjoyed some excellent deep fried potatoes filled with mince meet, but they also offered sweets such as Baclava and Libyan Cake.
The final booth turned out to be a Chinese society, where I could not resist grabbing a traditional Chinese fortune cookie. The friendly hostess told me that the China Society is frequently cooperating with the Malaysian Society and the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) in Manchester. Altogether they organise a variety of events and provide their members with useful information about studying and living in Newcastle. One up-coming event for example is the fiver Universities 3v3 basketball competition. If you buy a ticket, you get 20% at the Inoodle restaurant in Chinatown.
Another exciting event is the Chinese Cultural Festival which is meant to present the Chinese culture and spirit to people who are interested. It will be hosted on 11th of February at Northumbria’s Student’s Union; 3 days after the Chinese New Year which commences on 8th of February. Apart from a traditional Chinese costumes show you’ll get the chance to try delicious Chinese food and beverages. If you are interested in CSSA or the Chinese society feel free to email Dee for more information.
