A Nepali feeling in Copenhagen
Thursday 18th of February – it was finally time for our Nepal Eve in Copenhagen. It was also the first time after our trip to Nepal that the five of us who went there had the opportunity to meet live again – and what could then be better than cooking Nepali food, listening to Nepali music and trying to give the eager audience a proper insight in the chaotic but wonderful country?
Karin, Christina and I met after noon to large-scale shop in the local Netto (which is the retail chain for the poor, the stingy – and the students). Of course we couldn’t find as fancy stuff as lentils, so we had to send Christina on a wee trip to the posh Irma shop to ensure the mandatory Daal Bhat.
Casper and Christine arrived by train later in the afternoon and we tried to keep them out of the kitchen as long as possible – or to give them the simple and boring tasks, so they wouldn’t spoil the food with their gastronomic talents 
At 7 pm most of 26 young people from Copenhagen were ready to consume their first Nepali meal, consisting of Daal Bhat (Daal = lentil soup, Bhat = rice), mango chutney, Trakari (mixed vegetable curry), Roti (fried bread) and pieces of carrots and cucumber. As being a part of the brilliant chef team my opinion could be considered as a bit subjective, but I sincerely feel it was a great success 
When we fail at everything else at least we know we might be able to get a 50 cent/day job in a kitchen in Kathmandu, while Christine and Casper do the dishes.
After dinner we did a presentation on Nepal. I started by giving a little introduction to the project and talked about the history of Nepal and the current political situation. Karin followed by giving an insight in the culture, religion and different ethnicities, and Christine and Casper explained the purpose of our seminar and told some great stories of our experiences during the time spent there. Christina ended the session by talking about the seminar participants’ post debates and the future of Nepal – putting it all into perspective.
During the presentations there were loads of questions from the very eager audience, so we really had some interesting and rewarding discussions on Nepal and its development – and some heartening remarks afterwards when people stayed to chat and have a few beers.
With this event a few more Danes gained an insight into the youngest republic in the world – this small, complicated Himalayan country with its turbulent political situation and very rich culture. We hope to organise another similar event in Århus, the 2nd biggest city in Denmark.
/Mette
