Ambassador Iwan S. Amri of Indonesia hosted a large culinary and tourism workshop in Islamabad recently. It was organized in collaboration with the College of Tourism and Hotel Management, COTHM Islamabad, at the Islamabad Club.

Executive director of COTHM Asif Javed attended the workshop and was full of praise for the activity.

A participant said that food is important in promoting another country and creating goodwill.

“That is certainly easy to do when it comes to Indonesian food. I have been a chef for several years and I have been curious to learn how to make authentic Indonesian food”, he said. “Now I will not only enjoy Indonesian food in other restaurants, but also be able to make it in my own restaurant and at home.”

Another guest underlined the interest that Pakistanis have in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country. “Indonesians who come to Pakistan will indeed be well received. Don’t only look for Indonesian delicacies, but also enjoy the local Pakistani dishes”, she said.

The polite group of Indonesian cooking teachers was in agreement; they said that they had already developed a taste for Pakistani flavours, especially the desserts.

The Indonesian visitors were keen to stress that Indonesia has a broad cultural heritage and that there is great variety among the more than 6,000 inhabited islands.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2018