Encounters

Haus der Begegnung, or in English house of encounters, is the name my international student house carries. As for encounters, it means to come across something you have not come across with before. This name does not only refer to just the encounters with the students and researchers residing in the dormitory, it also implies that the dormitory actually stimulates those kind of encounters. To give this words a concrete meaning, my dormitory has certain institutions to ensure that those encounters take place. One of those is, that our dormitory has so called house parents, a professor and family living in our dormitory, as well as a team made up by the people living in the rooms. I’ve been asked to become the secretary of the team during this spring semester, so this makes me even more active in the activities the dormitory is employing. Because the new school year has started almost the half of the 33 residents of our dormitory is new. And the task of the team is to coordinate that all the chores that have to been done are organized as well as carried out. One of the recurring events of encounter, is a thing called common meal (which is actually not correct English, but it does convey the meaning of eating a meal all together) which takes place every other Friday. And all of the residents have the task to cook one time and to help one time during the semester. But there’s more to be organised such as a seminar, a sports day and a weekend trip.
But the 2 events that have occurred up till now, the first common meal as well as a welcome party were placed into the hands of the new team members. Now was it not organizing those events, but preparing the actual dinner for those. And those having any experience with my methods of cooking (also included those, not having any experience because of fear of my cooking methods) knows that I am the type who looks in the fridge to find out, what is in there and is still eatable, and tries to make something eatable out of it. And here in Japan, the need that I actual cook declined even more, because of wonderful inventions such as onigiri (riceballs), sushi, as well as instant noodles which you can get your hands on 24 hours a day, as well as the numerous small restaurants that offer you a good deal for your money.. Because it was required that I actual would cook I decided to look for recipes on the ever so wonderful internet. Recipes always have a tendency to either include at least one ingredient of which I have never heard of, let alone have any idea where to find it. So I decided to stick to those dishes which fall under the category very easy to make student food i.e. pasta and crepes. With the ingredients were readily available, I knew what to do, the only thing I forgot that preparing dinner for approximately 20 persons takes some more time than for 4 persons.
So there I was, together with 2 friends, at 3 o’clock still baking crepes. But all hardships were forgotten the next day when we sat around the tables, having nice conversations, and I saw all the food that we had prepared disappear into hungry mouths.
Pleased with the success of my pasta during the common meal, I decided to stick to that, as my dishes for the welcome party. Perhaps because of the common meal experiences it was decided that we would cook even more, because more people were expected. The only thing I had forgotten was that more pasta, also meant that I would encounter even more onions and garlic that needed to be peeled and to be sliced into little pieces according to the recipe. And so I spend 5 hours on Saturday cutting onions, garlic, spinach, ham and cooking 4,5 kilo’s of pasta. And finally at the party my encounter with all kinds of foods that I was neither hungry nor wanted to encounter many other people. As always after the party was over a number of people stayed behind drinking and chatting, and with a group we decided we were going to continue the party in a karaoke box. And there I sang all my tiredness of me and luckily I did not encounter somebody who felt that he should expose any critic on my singing abilities (which I admit are fairly limited). Tired but satisfied I went back to my dormitory, and made use of another function, which is not in the name but I always feel is part of all the places I consider my home, namely retreat. Back in my room, made cozy by books, cd’s and some works of art, I felt happily asleep. And for all of you, especially those who I promised I would cook once, I hereby invite you to come over when I’m back and encounter one of my pasta’s.