EU envoys celebrate World Food Day with Pakistani cuisine

Islamabad:In a delightful break from routine diplomatic meetings, European Union Ambassador Riina Kionka hosted a special lunch for European ambassadors here on Wednesday, blending culinary skills with sustainability to celebrate World Food Day.

Guests arrived expecting a straightforward meal, but were met with a pleasant surprise: a collaborative cooking session. Portuguese Ambassador Frederico Silva expressed excitement for the meal, only to get a playful response from Swedish Ambassador Alexandra Berg von Linde: “Maybe it's hiding.”

Despite initial confusion about the food, Ambassador of Ireland Mary O'Neill reassured the other visitors, “At least we have snacks,” referring to the Portuguese custard tarts, pastéis de nata, brought in by Frederico Silva. Ambassador Kionka then revealed the surprise: “We’re going to cook our lunch together.”

Danish Ambassador Jakob Linulf proposed preparing a sustainable dish, while Deputy Head of the German Embassy Arno Kirchhof suggested that they make the traditional Pakistani meal daal chawal, accompanied by pickles and roti.

After settling on the menu, the ambassadors donned aprons and gathered kitchen accessories, with O'Neill volunteering to make salads and Linde helping chop vegetables. Their conversation then shifted to food waste reduction, with the Danish ambassador pointing out his country's success in minimising food waste, while the Swedish envoy highlighted that her country was converting half of the waste into energy.

The lighthearted exchange between the two ambassadors regarding their countries' environmental practices continued, with Linulf asserting that Denmark has a smaller carbon footprint than Sweden's, to which Linde quipped that it is because of Denmark having fewer reindeer.

Linulf responded, "That's true, but our bicycles outnumber your meatballs." The Swedish ambassador defended her country's meatballs as a national treasure. The EU ambassador interjected with a smile, asking them to refocus while requesting coriander leaves.

The Danish and Swedish ambassadors quickly headed to the kitchen garden to gather the fresh herbs, while the others kneaded roti dough and prepared daal. As O'Neill emphasised the need for minimising waste, Kirchhof declared that rice was sorted.

In the midst of laughter and banter, they worked diligently before Kionka announced, “Done with the daal!” The meal was beautifully presented on a dining table set under a large patio umbrella in the garden. After savouring their dishes, Linde cheekily suggested, “Leftover for dinner!” to which Linulf responded, “We earned it with hard work!” Kionka was quick to add, “And teamwork!”

Just as the EU ambassadors wrapped up their meal, a doorbell chimed, prompting the host to cheerfully quip, “Looks like we have more family members joining in.” The envoys felt that the gathering fostered a spirit of collaboration and sustainability, emphasising the significance of teamwork both in the kitchen and beyond.