It fascinates me how food is just like people. So different, yet so similar. Here are a few reasons why it is so. Well, just any certain dish can easily pique our interest with a quick nonchalant glance at its appearance or a whiff of its scent. If you think about it, we invest a lot of time on food whether we cook for ourselves or not. First of all, we need to have an idea of what we want to have. Then we go out and search for the things that seem to fit our imagination. Ultimately, there must be a great amount of waiting before we can pick up the utensils and dig in. And now comes the universal fact, the very first bite may give us a pleasant surprise or an utmost disappointment. This is because the quality of the texture rarely matches that of the exterior. Nonetheless, though there is that high chance of getting our expectations crushed, we just keep on looking for more.

Quite ironically, while food is often placed in containers, it also contains many things: stories, (maybe) fond memories, (most likely a hearty amount of) hope, and so forth. It goes without saying that all those things are not intrinsic to food itself. For me, I tend to attach fond memories to certain dishes, which then leads to them becoming my favorite things to eat. Just recently, I have developed a liking for spring rolls because of the exact same reason. And since I am a student, of course, it all started with a party.

My friends and I proudly call it THE international food party because the idea was that each of us would bring one dish from our country to the party for everyone to try. Indeed, we got “representatives” from three different continents! Athena presented us with a large batch of Athena’s mixed pasta, which enchanted us all with its aromatic smell and flavorful taste thanks to the authentic Greek spices she brought to Finland from home. Athena generously shared her special recipe with all of us. First, boil the pasta. While waiting for it to cook, just prepare a mixture of lentils, carrots, corn, onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and most importantly the Greek spices (oregano, dill, bay leaf, and so on). Then, put that mixture into the oven for it to roast. After that, add the boiled pasta, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, and stir everything well.

Isabel, who was also our lovely Chilean hostess, cooked completos italianos - a very colorful and equally tasty dish that is easy to make. All the necessary ingredients are bread, sausages, tomatoes (sliced into small dices), mashed avocados, and mayonnaise (maybe some ketchup if you want extra flavors). For this dish, it is important that you put the ingredients and sauces in the correct order to have the colorful effect which explains why it is called completos italianos. The order goes like this: avocado -> sausage -> tomatoes -> mayonnaise.

As for me, I had previously prepared some Vietnamese spring rolls, so deep-frying rolls were all that was left to add. As Athena is vegetarian, I decided to fry some taro and tofu for the fillings. I also added cooked mushrooms to enhance the texture of the rolls. If you are not vegetarian, you can choose to use pork or shrimps (or both!) instead. It is very easy to be creative with this dish. However, making spring rolls may be time-consuming because you need to roll everything by hand. Also, be careful when you fry the rolls; use low heat or else the rolls will get burned in a blink of an eye! A good spring roll must be crunchy and must have no cracks or deformations on the outside, which is why spring rolls must be served hot. Finally, the best way to eat spring rolls is to dip them in sweet chili sauce!

Great food must be accompanied by great wines. Luckily for us, Danielle got that perfectly taken care of as she brought a brand new bottle of special Portuguese “green wine” called “Casal Garcia.” The party started to look like an event of international food and drinks as I made everyone a cup of Vietnamese filter coffee. And we all had some Finnish Fazer chocolates for dessert.

As I look back on that day, I cannot help but smile at the images of us sitting around Isabel’s dining table, enjoying the food, sipping the wine, listening to Danielle’s Spotify playlist, and sharing stories of our own. How fascinating it is to see five different cultures laid out on one tiny dining table! I guess I can list one more reason why food is just like people: it has many varieties and it is diverse in a myriad ways. And always, the more, the merrier.

All Photos by Vesper