Food and Friends

Food and friends

A knowledge of international dishes is a great way to make new friends from different countries. It breaks barriers, and it can help to relate to different nationalities. I would like to share some of my experiences.

1.   I met a girl in a park and I thought she was Chinese. We smiled and she said she is from Korea. Immediately, I shared a food dish with her. I like Kimchi, I told her. That excited her so much and we had a great conversation. She started visiting us with her Australian husband and we are still friends.

2.   In a restaurant, we were waiting for a table. Also waiting was a couple. The girl was Oriental and the boy was Anglo-Saxon. She told me that she was from Iran, but had immigrated to Denmark (with her parents) when she was 16. I told her I like Chelo kebab, Tah-Chin and rice with Zeresh (a berry which looks like small cranberries). She was living in Norway, and I could make conversation with her. Food removed all barriers.

3.   I met a Turkish couple. We started talking about Imam Bayaldi. Rumor has it that the holy Imam fainted when he saw the amount of olive oil in the egg-plant dish. Though I am not a fan of this dish, it did help me to break the ice.

The list goes on. The moral of the story: learn about international cuisine and you may make new friends.