[The International Food Festival was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, India. Korean cuisine was praised by local media and attendees of the event. The photo shows Korean students from JNU./ Photographed by Jeong In-seo]
By Jeong In-seo, New Delhi correspondent, AsiaToday - International students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) organized an international food festival on Thursday.
I headed to JNU after hearing the news that Korean students were attending the event. The venue was set up in a park in front of Ganga hostel, a crowded place with many students coming and going. As continuous heavy rain made outdoor events virtually impossible, the start of the festival was changed from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm and the venue was moved indoors.
I asked people to find a way to the changed venue, but most people were not aware of the fact that the venue had been changed. Luckily, I was able to join people on the way to the event.
As I got closer to the venue, I was able to smell the aromas of food. At the event, many people were enjoying international food.
[A student in traditional Tibetan costume is serving momo, which is similar to Korean dumpling, on a plate. The Tibetan stall was one of the most popular booths along with the South Korean's./ Photographed by Jeong In-seo]
The first thing that caught my eyes was the Tibetan booth. The colorful Tibetan costume reminded me of Korean traditional costume, hanbok. The people dressed in traditional costumes were selling momo and thantuk, which resemble mandoo (Korean dumpling) and sujebi (hand-pulled dough soup).
Then I headed to a crowded booth. It was a South Korean booth ran by Korean students. 25 students were bustling to treat the guests flocking to the stall. Gimbap (dried seaweed rolls), dakkochi (chicken skewers), bibimbap (rice and vegetables dish), kimchijeon (kimchi pancake), and dalgona (sugar candy) were the menu items. While I was waiting for an interview with Korean students, people were kept coming.
Deepika, 20, raised her thumb and said, "Gimbap and dakkochi are really delicious." She said, "It's fantastic. I've also tried other food dishes, but Korean food is the most delicious. Most of all, dakkochi is more delicious than tandoori chicken."
Her friend Anshal, 20, said it was the first time she tried Korean food. He said, "I came here because my friend told me that a food festival was being held. I think Nepalese and Korean dishes are delicious. My favorite is dalgona. I'm sure Indian people will like it."
[Attendees of the event are trying kimchijeon and bibimbap./ Photographed by Jeong In-seo]
Most of Korean dishes including gimbap were sold out. Koh Kwan-woo, the head of the Korean Student Association at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, credited his team members for successfully concluding the event. Koh said, "From the preparation of ingredients to the sale, all the students came together to get ready for the event. The event was successful thanks to my team members." He added, "I did a lot of research to introduce Korean cuisine to my friends in India. I visited all the dormitories in the school and made some adjustments to localize Korean dishes. I'm so glad to be able to promote Korea to India."
[Korean students are hosting flooding guests./ Photographed by Jeong In-seo]
Choi Ha-young, 28, a student in the School of Japanese Language, said, "We had a hard time in finding this place. But I felt good because all the dishes were sold out."
Kim Ye-won, 19, a student at the Chinese Language School, said, "I thought they were going to cancel the festival because of the heavy rain. But I'm so happy because so many people came to enjoy the event. There are many foreign students at school but it's hard to have international exchange. It's a great opportunity to exchange culture with each other though this kind of event."
[Korean students are introducing bibimbap to guests./ Photographed by Jeong In-seo]
The International Food Festival was hosted by students from 22 different countries, including South Korea, Japan, Russia, Tibet, Nepal, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Bangladesh. An official of the festival said, "All the preparations and sale of food in the festival are done by international students."
The Times of India (TOI) and other local media outlets selected South Korean booth as the top booth of the day.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.