Hiroshima University hosts many events such as cultural interchange or experiential nature programs in order to encourage exchange between international and Japanese students. Starting last academic year, we have been conducting “Regional World Cooking”; International students from various countries become “one-day cooking teachers” and participants - international and Japanese students, cook and eat traditional local specialties of the teacher’s home country together.



The sixth session was held on August 3rd, (Sat) in the free space area of the first floor of Student Plaza. The students made a Finnish dish called “Kaalilaatikko” (a dish with vegetable and meat, cooked in the oven) and “Ohukaiset” (a dessert similar to crepe). This time’s cooking teacher was Mr. Zudin Rodion (HUSA exchange student), an international student from Finland. There were 2 international students and 13 Japanese students, so altogether there were 15 participants enjoying the cooking. After having introduced themselves, they listened to the teacher’s instructions about the dishes and their preparation. Then they separated into several groups where they helped each other cook the dishes.



During cooking, the participants had enough time to listen to Mr. Rodion’s explanations about Finland. He had displayed photos and talked in an easy-to-understand way about the characteristics of Finland, and everybody listened intently. One of the participants said: “I was told to mix meat with syrup or berry jam, etc. and I felt anxious to prepare that, but when I tried it, I realized that it was a good combination,” or “I did not only learn how to cook, but also learned a lot about Finland. It was fun,” Or “It was nice to have an opportunity to do exchange with various people regardless of nationality, grade or faculty.” The students could not only deepen cross-cultural understanding, but also enjoyed international exchange by cooking together.



Knowing each other’s daily life food culture helps one understand other cultures, and we hope that international exchange on campus will continue to become more and more active.

Listening to the cooking instructions	During cooking
Kaalilaatikko	With the finished dish
Ohukaiset

【Inquiries】

International Exchange Group,

Education and International Office,

Hiroshima University

TEL：082-424-4541

E-mail：kokusai-ryugaku(AT)office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp

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