Food brings newcomers together

On today's lunch menu: steaming kongnamulguk and brightly coloured bibimbap.

In a flurry of preparations, a group of apron-clad women crowds around a small stove. One drops a strip of kelp into a pot of boiling water while another adds a sprinkle of salt.

Sliced onions sizzle, stirred by chopsticks over high heat. A bowl of julienned carrots is next.

Culinary creations are nothing new at Hampton Park Elementary, where a group of mothers meets every second Tuesday for a multicultural meal.

Jennifer Lee, right, Gloria Lee, middle, and Cindy Kim make kongnamulguk, or soybean sprout soup, and bibimbap, or mixed rice with vegetables.View Larger Image View Larger Image
Jennifer Lee, right, Gloria Lee, middle, and Cindy Kim make kongnamulguk, or soybean sprout soup, and bibimbap, or mixed rice with vegetables.

Roughly a third of the school's 220 students are recent immigrants. For the past three years, the Cultural Cuisine group has provided the students' parents a place to practise English while sharing morsels of their own heritage.

Today's theme is Korean cooking, but the Canadian newcomers have also dined on dishes from Mexico, Iran, China, Italy and Greece.

The feast begins, and 14 moms sit back to sample the soybean sprout soup called kongnamulguk.

As the chef du jour, Jennifer Lee passes out recipes and explains how she prepared the dish.

"It's very traditional," said Lee, who moved to Canada from Korea with her family three years ago. "This is an everyday soup for Koreans. We eat a lot of bean sprouts because it contains a lot of protein."

Next, each diner stirs a selection of vegetables, beef, eggs and kimchi into a mound of cooked rice for a dish called bibimbap, topped with a spicy sauce. To complete the meal, the moms sip cups of root-based tea and nibble lemon bars baked by ESL teacher Elsa Fogale.

Lee, a mother of two, said she enjoys the cooking club because it gives her a sense of community and a comfortable place to hone her second-language skills.

"When I came to Canada, it was very hard to speak in English," she said. "Now it's getting easier because of this club. It's very helpful for me. I made lots of friends in school with the moms. It's very connected."

Nearly three years ago, Sandra Lopez started the cuisine club as a way to get to know other parents and learn about different cultures. She said the cooking group provides first-hand knowledge about ethnic foods, from preparation to dining etiquette.

The moms venture out on shopping trips to buy groceries together, learning about best brands and where to find specialty products. They also dine out at multicultural restaurants and recently launched a book club.

"It's a good thing to learn, but it's an excuse to gather. You feel very good because you join and you are part of something. You get to know some people. You feel welcome," said Lopez, who moved from Mexico six years ago.

"After cooking and learning, we chat a lot. That's a way to help you get involved in the school and come here and see places that you know. This way, we get to know the families and support each other. I think it's a very nice thing."

Hampton Park principal Tamara Banks said the cuisine group also allows parents to feel more comfortable engaging in school activities.

"Feeling connected to the school is always a goal. We like to have our parents feel that it's OK that they come in. This is their school too. Their kids go here, but it's their place too," Banks said.

http://www2.canada.com/coquitlamnow/news/community/story.html?id=aa201ca...