Connecting cultures — Ukrainian refugee Natalliya inspires Japanese children with tastes from her kitchen
Natalliya gave a thumbs up, and gently praised the children as they filled dumpling skins in the kitchen. She was teaching 10 Japanese children to make pierogi (called varenyky, вареники in Ukrainian), a boiled dumpling from her home country, Ukraine. It was the first time these children had cooked Ukrainian food, and the first time Natalliya had taught children in Japan. She spoke to the children in Ukrainian, even though they could not understand her. But this wasn’t an issue, as they were able to communicate with each other using their hands. Natalliya showed the children how to shape the pierogi with her hands, and the children imitated her movements. Even though their hands were smaller than Natalliya’s, they were big enough to make pierogi into a size that suited them.
The kitchen has become a meaningful place for Natalliya, since the conflict in her home country forced her to flee to Japan for safety. Pierogi is a traditional dish that Ukrainian people cook with their families, but the conflict has deprived Natalliya and many other Ukrainian people of the opportunity to cook it. After fleeing to Japan, she experienced a lot of unusual things because of the cultural differences between Ukraine and Japan, but these children wanted to learn about Ukrainian culture, which is why they welcomed Natalliya into the kitchen. She showed the children how to cook pierogi with her clever hands, which sparked the children’s curiosity and encouraged them to have a go themselves.
Cookpad is a global recipe sharing site and app with a mission to “make everyday cooking fun.” Cookpad invited Natalliya to lead this cooking class as part of its continued efforts to support Ukrainian refugees in Japan through the power of cooking. Earlier this year, Cookpad also organized a Japanese cooking class for Ukrainian refugees like Natalliya and asked Japanese Cookpad users to create and share recipes to help Ukrainian people cook during the conflict.
Reflecting on the class Natalliya said, “I felt warm and smiled when I looked at the children’s smiles, forgetting my stress and anxiety,” One of the children who participated also said, “I felt I could become friends with Natalliya.” In the kitchen, Natalliya’s anxiety of living as a refugee in Japan turned into joy by sharing her culture with the children. Cooking pierogi together allowed everyone to feel connected and Natalliya and the children felt the power of cooking — the power of sharing ideas and connecting with one another. Cooking has a powerful effect on us, no matter what our generation, origin, or circumstances and Natalliya and the children proved this during the cooking class.
