Burnaby Neighbourhood House was filled with the smells, sounds and sights of Colombia Wednesday night.
Some 80 people gathered at the south house, at 4460 Beresford St., for the organization’s monthly Sharing Cultures Dinner. The theme was Colombia night.
Before everyone arrived at 6 p.m., volunteers were busy in the kitchen preparing the feast, which included white rice, aji (spicy salsa), a kidney beans and plantain dish, a side of ground beef and a piece of arepa, a dough-like bread.
Between plating dishes, head cook Maria Sanchez told the NOW she’s enjoyed being in the kitchen all her life.
“I like to do it and show my culture,” she said.
Friend and assistant Guadalupe Wilkie agreed. She said given that there’s not a lot of places in the Lower Mainland that offer Colombian cuisine, she jumped at the opportunity to volunteer.
“It’s a good taste. We blend a lot of seasoning that identifies us as Colombian,” she said with a smile.
People trickled in one by one, including Lavonne Matte, who is a regular at the dinners.
“You learn so much about the neighbourhood, like what’s going on, which you wouldn’t know if you didn’t come here,” she said. “I like to learn all (about) the different countries. It’s a learning process, so I enjoy that.”
For Kevin Du, the monthly gathering is a place where he and his children can make connections. As a newcomer from China, with no family or friends in Burnaby, the two-hour event is a great environment to meet people.
And that’s the whole point, according to program director Kimberly Barwich.
“It’s really about providing opportunities for a cultural exchange,” she told the NOW. “It’s an opportunity for community building. We have an incredibly diverse community, and if we’re not providing (those) opportunities, then it doesn’t do us any good in terms of creating any unity.”
The evening also featured singing and dancing and a short speech by Colombian native Tatiana Celis. The former Bogotá resident showed her country’s diversity and beauty through a picture slideshow.
Though she doesn’t visit as much as she’d like to (she came to Canada in 2003), it will always be her home, she said.
“It’s so very many things. For me, Colombia is willingness, commitment, resilience.”
Asked what she missed most, Celis said it was the “flavours of the land.”
“The flavour of the potatoes, the flavours of the corn. You can have all these special dishes made here (in Canada), but they do not have that earthy connection.”
February’s Sharing Cultures Dinner at South House will be an Ethiopian theme, in conjunction with Black History month. There’s also a dinner at the North House (4908 Hastings St.) every second month. Meal tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for children aged 4 to 18; kids under three get in for free. Tickets must be purchased in advance at the neighbourhood house.
For more information, call 604-431-0400 or visit burnabynh.ca.
