Chinese Banquet:
As part of the Senior School Humanities class this year we are learning about the Silk Road and how it opened China up to the West. The Barna Marlak seniors had to choose between two different silk trails that lead to two different rooms. Once inside we were then told if we were the “Scholars” or the “Peasants”. “The Scholars” got to learn about a famous Chinese poet and then got to write their own poems. The “Peasants” got to cook all sorts of different Chinese food and prepare the table for the feast. After the food was made, we joined classes and had a Chinese banquet where “Scholars” read out their poems and were served the food by the “Peasants”. We all got to try different foods, most of which no one had tried before. The spring rolls, dumplings and langan fruit were favourites but not many people were brave enough to try the salted turnip which smelt like old socks. We learned the history of the foods and were told a story about how for centuries banquets were a place where nobles and warlords settled feuds and conducted diplomacy over lavish dinners featuring sword dances which sometimes turned into assassination attempts. After everyone had finished eating, we were all shown a presentation about the tradition of feet binding. It was cruel and should never be repeated but it was practiced in China for over 1000 years.
By Zoe Dean and Karda Advisory
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