New Delhi (India): January 14 was the Indian festival “Makar Sankranti”. Every ASEAN member countries may not realise its importance except Myanmar and Thailand, which signifies the end of winter and long days, and the beginning of a new season. It is even celebrated internationally as Maghe Sankranti in Nepal, Songkran in Thailand and Thingyan in Myanmar. On this occasion, Royal Thai Embassy was packed with people, but for different reason. It was a “GastroDiplomacy” effort in the form of an event ASEAN -India Bazaar to share a country’s cultural heritage through food and win hearts of people.
There was all around performances, quiz and colourful cuisine full of ingredients and specialties of South Asian countries at “ASEAN -India” Bazaar organised at Royal Thai Embassy in Delhi. With many regional delicacies and dishes ASEAN -India Bazaar revealed what the event was all about: Gastro Diplomacy through delicious cuisine – blended with Chinese, Indian, Thai, and Malay flavours, with a hint of western influence.
This was one of Delhi’s most loved food festivals that had all the ingredients for a good time. With a variety of stalls from ten South Asian countries – all offering a delectable blend of cuisines, which had something for every palate. Musical and dance performances while munching on some was amazing fare. This “ASEAN – India Bazaar” was carefully put together by ASEAN New Delhi Committee (ANDC) for Gastronomy to appeal and includes not only some of the most lip-smacking food, but also culinary workshops by master chefs and mixologists with many musical and cultural showings as a part of soft diplomacy to win friends and aware people about the culture.
This event was graced by many officials of diplomatic corps. along with ambassadors of ASEAN and other European countries. While talking about the ASEAN Bazaar, Thailand Ambassador to India, Pattarat Hongtong, said that “this event has been organised to make people connect and aware about the culture and it’s food to other Non- ASEAN countries people.”
“ASEAN Bazaar is also a practice of exporting culinary heritage as part of a public diplomacy effort,” to win hearts and minds through stomachs,” she added.
Ambassador of Myanmar, Moe Kyaw Aung was also happy to share the taste of cuisine of Myanmar. He said, “we are trying to aware Indian people about the food and culture of Myanmar. This will help neigbhouring countries to understand each other, make friends and strengthen the relationships.” Beside this, High Commissioner of Brunei and Deputy High Commissioner of Malaysia also stated the same. They said, “the borderless nature of ASEAN’s cuisine makes it an effective tool for bridging divides.”
However, this was neither the first time nor the last when any country hosted such events to win friends and influence people. Earlier, many countries have embraced similar strategies in the past. In 2009, South Korea’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery and the country’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism launched the Korean Cuisine to the World campaign. Food has historically played an important role in official encounters, negotiations, and cultural exchanges among nations. In the changing time, the emergence of such gastrodiplomacy initiatives is, in itself, a direct consequence of food globalization, which allows ingredients, products, ideas, and culinary professionals to effortlessly circulate around the world.
-Dr. M Shahid Siddiqui (PhD), Follow via Twitter @shahidsiddiqui
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