Saturday, 27 July 2024Learn more about our Chinese Culture – Cong Bao Yang Rou Cooking Demonstration
Prior to knocking on the door of the Technology and Living Room, although I knew that I would be a part of the process of concocting a dish of mutton with scallions, I had absolutely no idea how fun the experience would be. I enjoyed my one-afternoon apprenticeship with Mrs. Wong, a PTA member and volunteer cookery chef, and my fellow English Society members!
Mrs. Wong kindly and patiently went through all the steps needed to make a dish of mutton and scallions. As we tried our best to follow the steps taught, she was there ready to assist whenever we showed signs of inexperience. (A note – none of the participating students had ever cooked before!) One of the challenges was deducing the amount of seasoning needed “by experience”. Despite adding too many herbs in the dish, which made the dish a little bit punchy, the overall taste and fragrance was on par with our teacher’s dish and she and other visiting English teachers gave us a lot of thumbs up.
I felt the importance of teamwork once again. During the process, we never worked on our own and instead, we watched out for the smallest difficulties and gave help whenever it was needed. All in all, I am grateful to be a part of the cooking demonstration because I was rewarded with not only a mouth-watering dish, but also a valuable learning experience. Looking out already for the next similar activity. Learning English through Cooking! Way to go STC!
Learning more about Chinese Food Cuisine Through Cong Bao Yang Rou x Gua Bao
The day finally arrived. After the bell rang at 12:15 sharp, a cascade of students rushed down to the badminton court to get the fragrant, scrumptious mutton with scallions Cong Bao Yang Rou accompanied by a lovely gua bao, a type of lotus leaf bun. Served hot and packed right next to the stove, the buns immediately captured the hearts of students with its layers of flavors and exploding juiciness.
Besides indulging themselves with the tasty buns, students also found themselves attracted by two exhibition boards made by English Society members—one introducing the origin and the fame of this renowned dish, the other explaining the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria and the effort put by rescuers from China and Hong Kong to save the lives there. With the generous effort and support from students, parents, and staff, a total of HK $8,888 was raised for Save the Children Hong Kong to support their ongoing rescue work in Turkey.
It was a great experience to help with this meaningful activity. Not only could we deliver the importance of sharing Chinese cultural values, a part of National Security Education, by showcasing a well-known dish in China, we also successfully raised students’ awareness of the needy around the globe.
Activities like this one surely benefit all involved as we got to learn to cook and to eat delicious food and understand different aspects of Chinese culture!
4J Matthew Wong