The Department of Asian and International Studies (AIS) presented two events around different facets of food.

Practitioners of the agricultural and Food & Beverage sectors, as well as government agricultural officials, were brought together at the CityU Food Forum 2019 on 23 March 2019. Centered on the theme “Hong Kong’s New Food Economy and the Risks of Sustainability”, the forum discussed the challenges faced by various food sections in Hong Kong while building a new food economy, which stresses growing food in sustainable ways, innovative entrepreneurship, environmental friendly food consumption, cutting food miles, and ethical food habits.

Following the opening speech titled “Local Food Economy and Its Applicability to Sustainable Development” by Dr CHAN Yuk-wah, Associate Professor of AIS, Ms WONG Mun-wai, Agricultural Officer (Organic Farming) of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, commented on the development of organic farming in Hong Kong, while organic farmers Mr WONG Siu-wang and Ms FUNG Yu-chuk shared their own hands-on experience. Mr Angus LAM, Chair of the Sustainable Ecological Ethical Development Foundation and Ms Emma MAN, Executive Manager of the Federation of Vegetable Marketing Cooperative Societies, looked into the issue from perspectives in the local setting – urban agriculture and local farmers’ market. Toward the end of the forum, renowned restauranteur Mr C Lau discussed whether Hong Kong embraces the Farm-to-table concept, a trending movement in the culinary world.

Food is something that we eat to keep us alive. True, but food can also reflect the culture of the people who eat it. Co-organised by AIS and the Multiculturalism in Action project of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the “Intercultural Hong Kong on the Plate” activity held on 1 April 2019 provided a platform for CityU members to learn about Hong Kong ethnic minorities through tasting their traditional dishes, such as Nepali momo (Nepali dumpling), chamre (Nepali sticky rice), Aloo dum (Nepali potato dish), Indonesian nasi kuning with tempeh (Indonesian turmeric rice), nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), stylish Indian curry, and many more. Exhibition panels were also set up for the participants to get more understanding of the historic background and culture of different ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong.