FRINGE REVIEW: SECRET RECIPES

Savouring a 6-course traditional meal from a completely different country Ethiopia and learning its culture in an intimate setting with like-minded strangers, how cool is that! Xueqian Zhang from Packed Lunch reviews Secret Recipes.

When I first entered the venue, Welcoming Centre, I already felt very welcomed and relaxed: Welcoming quotes and pictures were everywhere, people were arranged in a seated setting, smiling and chatting with each other, plus the smell. A very fragrant and inviting smell, full of various spices, herbs and meats.

I like the event’s structure. While we were eating, chef Genet explained to us about her Ethiopian culture behind the dishes. When we finished the meal, we also could submit our questions for the Q&A session to get to know this culture more.

So what did I learn? Interestingly, in Ethiopia, they use a different calendar. Genet said when she came to Australia, it was 2015, but in her country, it was 2007. Besides, I was impressed to know those delicious dishes could date back to their ancient times. Injera, their traditional bread, was also interesting. It’s sour, because it was fermented for 2-3 days. And we had the chance to see how they roasted their coffee beans and taste the coffee, strong and earthy, but not too bitter.

There were a lot of differences to what I am used to, but there were also some similarities. For example, the chicken stew reminded me of a Chinese dish. We are all connected.

Apart from learning the culture, I also enjoyed chatting with the lovely attendees around me. We are all food and culture lovers, so sharing our favourite restaurants was great.

The concept behind this event is lovely too. I think learning a different culture in this intimate way is much better than attending a cultural festival, and we could support the catering restaurant too. African village centre, I am coming.

So if this sounds interesting to you, check out their next and also the last serial organised by Welcoming Centre in Bowden, which will be focusing on Persian food, at 1pm Saturday on 20^th March.

We are all connected, so let’s learn, celebrate and support one another.

Image provided by Xueqian Zhang

Produced by Xueqian Zhang