UKM Food Fest Served Dishes From 18 Countries
By Shahfizal Musa
Pix by Mohd Hairul Azmi
BANGI, 18 Oct 2011 – Over 60 dishes from 18 countries were served here today prepared by UKM’s international students participating in the UKM International Food Festival.
Organised by the Centre of General Studies (PPU), the event galvanised the university’s international students to share their traditional food with the UKM community.
PPU’s Director, Profesor Dr Khairul Anwar Mastor said the food festival is part of UKM’s effort to bring its various foreign students closer as one community in UKM.
The students were from Saudi Arab, Iraq, Libya, Holland, Sri Langka, Bangladesh, Yemen, Uganda, Nigeria, Indonesia, Brunei, Palestine, Jordan, Iran, China, India, Sudan as well as Malaysia.
Ahmed Ajab, a Phd student from Madinah, Saudi Arabia with his team, prepared 12 Saudi traditional dishes for visitors who were also given dried mint leaves specially imported from Madinah for the occasion to make Arabic tea.
“After being in Malaysia for a number of years this kind of occasion makes me feel at home. What you see here is almost all the local dishes in Saudi Arabia prepared by our team.”
Another participant, G.T Madhubhashim, a Phd student from Sri Langka do not have any team members. Proudly pointing to an empty container, that served food she had prepared said: “I am the only one from Sri Langka so I do not have any one to help me. Thus I managed to make only 2 dishes, milk rice and pickles.”
Cooking demonstrations were carried out and a cultural show performed by the students for visitors attending the fest. 
