The Confucius Institute at the University of Banja Luka celebrated the first year of operating in the Republika Srpska on 15 December 2018 by organizing a Chinese evening with Chinese cuisine in the Zen restaurant. Friends, business associates and a large number of citizens had the opportunity to enjoy Chinese specialties and Chinese music and learn something new about Chinese food and food culture in China.
Representatives of the Confucius Institute helped the guests in that by showing them how to use Chinese chopsticks, talking about the cuisine customs in China and explaining how Chinese people toast each other in the Chinese society. They taught them to say 干杯 Gānbēi (Cheers!).
The guests also had the opportunity to see what a traditional Chinese tea ceremony looks like, which was performed by the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute, and they tasted the tea that was served in traditional Chinese cups.
In Chinese dining culture, people usually eat together, enjoying in each others’ company, whether dining at home or eating out. On that occasion, different dishes are placed in the middle of the table for people to share. While sharing the food, culture and atmosphere are shared and the Chinese connect to each other and establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. That is exactly how food was served during our evening of Chinese cuisine and culture in the Zen restaurant, and the whole atmosphere resembled the one that can often be seen in restaurants in China.
Food is a very important component of Chinese society and because of its many symbolic meanings certain food are eaten at large festivals and events of special importance in China. For example, in the Spring Festival in China, also known as the Chinese New Year, people eat dumplings (饺子jiǎozi), which mean fortune and best wishes. Apart from several traditional Chinese specialties served that evening, the guests could taste the famous jiǎozi. They could read more about the symbolic significance of food and the culture of sharing food in China in the brochures specially prepared for this occasion.
The Chinese dining event in the Zen restaurant is one of many events organized this year by the Confucius Institute at the University of Banja Luka with the aim to introduce to the citizens the customs, tradition and culture of PR China, аnd similar events will be organized also in the forthcoming period.
Comments