7th of july 2024
Reporter: Angelina Wang
Ever wondered how a simple rice cake can bring people together?
Our mochi-making event showed us the magic of tradition and community. On this day we gathered families and friends from 12 different cultural upbringings and together with almost a hundred participants.
The hometowns of the participants are: Mainland China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Iran, Turkey and other Asian regions. They were divided in 12 big tables, which mixed at least 3 cultural backgrounds.
Participants are aged from 7 to 80 years old, gathered together with food as a bond, broke the language barrier, made mochi together, met new friends, and showed love to the elderly in AMSTELVEEN.
We had the best day filled with smiles and of course mochi.
Our foundation is really grateful for the sponsorship of Amstelveen connect@. We expressed our gratitude at the beginning of the event.
What is mochi? Mochi is a rice cake treat that stems from Japan and it is prepared by pounding glutinous rice to form a dough which is then filled with a filling to your liking.
And why did we choose mochi? Mochi is familiar to all Asian countries, due to the use of glutinous rice, which bonds all our countries together.
We prepared the fillings and dough beforehand for 12 big tables, and made a video of tutorial on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/S4O_mnICrPY?si=IvYRnG_8P1C98FGn. The mochi tutorial is easy to review for participants after the event.
We started off the day by setting up everything with our team and decorating the place. Then the first people started coming and they had some coffee and snacks that were provided.
We opened with a small presentation and introduced chef Victor who came up with the idea for this event. He assisted people through the day who had any trouble. Participants can DIY their mochi’s by choosing different fillings and powder, such as sweet lotus seed, red bean, green tea and pineapple.
In order to increase the fun and interactivity of the workshop, the chef also designed a Mochi competition. Participants formed teams based on 12 tables, and the team members cooperated with each other. The designers were responsible for the team name and drawing the team flag, the production team was responsible for making the most beautiful mochi, and the display staff was responsible for placing the exhibited mochi on the display table.
The children gave full play to their imagination and creativity, and thus, there were - smiling face mochi, heart mochi, football mochi, bouquet mochi, green leaf mochi, carrot mochi, lantern mochi...
Some participants visited the works of other teams, willing to exchange ideas and learn more wonderful designs and unique inspirations. Everyone was impressed and amazed by each other's designs from time to time.
The winning team was decided by votes from the other 11 teams and the Chef.
Finally, 4 teams had won a prize from the foundation IPCF. It was a very fun competition and as the writer also had fun getting to know children from other countries and I had a very nice time learning how to make mochi.
After packing our mochi in gift boxes, around 30 people headed to the elderly house - Kastanjehof wooncomplex. The social manager, Anja Ulkeman, dressed in her Chinese traditional Jacket welcomed us warmly at the entrance.
We split up into three groups. One group was in charge of delivering to the elderly’s home door to door. And two groups got tours in the elderly apartments. After this tour we all sat down for some coffee/tea and talked with the elders.
The elderly appreciated our visit and enjoyed trying self-made Asian snacks.
This is one of our special events and there are still many to come. Maybe next time you can also come! Bring a friend or family member and have the time of your life!