For members of the Chinese Food Club, it”s about more than eating meals together. With red decorations, struggles with chopsticks and a lively atmosphere, the club brings together members of the community with a passion for food and culture.
“There is a saying – if there is something good, we share it with each other,” said Hexian Xue, Confucius Institute co-director.
The Chinese Food Club began in 2014 after a seminar the Confucius Institute put on at the University of Idaho. Xue said the participants of the event showed not only a great interest in the theory behind Chinese culture, but also the practice.
The main goal of the club has been to become an intersection between language and culture.
“We want to disarm the fear in (the public”s) heads about Chinese being hard,” Xue said.
This month, the club was run in it”s typical fashion. It met Friday at the 1912 Center. Though inviting aromas wafted from the kitchen, participants were not yet allowed to eat.
Instead, the club commenced with a brief lesson in the Chinese language.
“Mostly it”s for fun, what we teach,” Xue said. “It”s usually just phrases related to what we”re supposed to eat.”
In unison, participants followed the pronunciation of the instructor. Unsure chants of phrases like “zhu rou” (beef) and “mian tiao” (noodles) echoed throughout the room.
Finally, it was time to eat. Members enjoyed a dish of noodles, beef or pork, and shredded potato.
UI freshman Carlos Simms is enrolled in Chinese 110 this semester. This month was his first time attending the club. He said the Chinese Food Club is the first time he”s really been able to get involved in the culture.
“My Chinese class talks about it a lot, but it”s not shown nearly as well as it”s shown here,” he said.
On the other hand, Sharon Kehoe and her husband Rob Snyder are Chinese Food Club veterans. Before moving to Idaho, Kehoe and Snyder lived in the California Bay Area and were Chinatown frequenters. Snyder is a Confucius Institute scholar.
Asking Snyder about his favorite part of the club elicited a hearty laugh.
“Besides the food?” he said. “In addition to the eating, I enjoy watching and learning how to make the dishes.”
He said it”s like being let in on a secret. This excitement keeps him coming back. Snyder said he”s always wondering what”s next, and each month it”s a different meal.
Kehoe”s favorite part is in the people.
“Often, my favorite part is the camaraderie,” she said. “To get to meet community members.”
Following the eating and the socializing, there is a demonstration aspect to the meetings. This month, Xue demonstrated how to make the shredded potatoes.
“Idaho people like the potato,” she said with a laugh. “But Chinese people love the potato, too.”
Jokes like this keep the atmosphere of the club lighthearted and fun.
These aspects have made the club wildly popular. One of the jobs of Dusty Fleener, Confucius Institute administrative coordinator, is to handle reservations for Chinese Food Night.
He said in the beginning, they always used to have a few open seats, and now the workshops fill up sometimes a month in advance.
No matter what, however, the 35 people attending the workshop always seem to have a fantastic time, he said. The club is open to anyone, and they always get about an even mix of students, staff, faculty and community members.
Carly Scott can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Idaho_Scotty