Last Sunday was the most delicious weekend of the month as two events of Tohoku University student organizations coincided on May 27, 2012.
First, Tohoku University Turkish Students Association (TUTSA) opened their doors for the Traditional Breakfast Party serving around 20 different dishes starting from exotic salads, different types of Turkish cheese and pastry to sweets and Turkish ice-cream for the dessert! The participants could enjoy delicious and authentic dishes prepared by the university's Turkish students. The party was accompanied by a slide-show presentation about Turkey and video materials about TUTSA activities. I doubt you could find such a luxurious breakfast buffet even at five-star hotels of Turkey. Top that up with a great company and friends, and you could totally say, “TUTSA, you made my day!!!”
After the breakfast I rushed to the next fest of food and cultural exchange- the Palestinian Cooking class that was organized by the Tohoku University Muslim Students Association (TUMCA). By the time I arrived the crowd was already busy cooking the traditional Palestinian flat bread, frying Tamiyah (deep fried balls of chickpea and herbs), mashing hummus (chickpea paste) and mutabbal (eggplant paste). 
The aroma of food was all over the place and participants were enjoying the process of cooking while making friends and learning about other countries. Cooking class is one of the regular TUMCA activities, where every month students from different countries present their cuisine and share culture with Japanese and foreign participants. Most of the time the teachers are Muslim students of Tohoku University, who conduct the classes in an interactive manner while telling about their country, traditions and life-style. It is a great chance for Japanese and foreign students and members to make friends with each other and ask questions about Islamic culture. This time the cooking class brought together young people from Japan, Palestine, England, Indonesia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam. 
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Text and Photos
by Aysenem