Page 49 - QARANC Vol 20 No 4 2023

The Gazette QARANC Association 49
International Day: ‘Would guests prefer Jamaican rice or Belizean beans?’
Joint Hospital Group (JHG) South held mouth-watering International Day on 10 May aboard HMS Excellent.
Cpl Lee and Pte Otieno representing India and Kenya
Cpl P Rai, Cpl C Gurung, Cpl H Rai, Cpl A Gurung, Cpl K Gurung
Group Photo International Day Team
– we ate. We sampled a global plethora of culinary delights, ranging from the ‘jollof rice’ of Ghana to Canadian ‘mac and cheese.’ Each nation produced a dish, cooked by our personnel - from their hearts and for their colleagues.
Did you know Nepalese dumplings are called ‘Momo’? Or that their delicious Gurkha curry goes down a treat with Gurkha pickle? Apparently, the best way to eat a South African Durban ‘Bunny Chow’ is in a bread bowl with chilli and a dollop of chutney.
There was mouth-watering jerk chicken, delicious saltfish cakes, succulent Bombay potatoes, and sweet Mauritian Takkar tamarind. Then there was Jamaican ‘Ackee,’ and Canadian butter tarts, tiffin and Irn Bru from Scotland, plus Irish stew, and English cream tea. Any room for finger licking Welsh cakes? – of course!
It wouldn’t be JHG(S) International Day without inter-nation rivalry; would guests prefer Jamaican rice and peas, or Belizean rice and beans? We think it was a draw.
At a time when the world can seem more divided than ever, diversity in JHG(S) is in abundance – after all, the Three Musketeers once said, “all for one and one for all.”
SSgt Regis Nhara
Enticing scents of culinary delicacies from across the globe filled a packed room as we readied ourselves for a celebration of our cultural heritage.
In attendance were VIPs from across the Defence Medical Services, guests from NHS Trust, keynote speakers from the Army Multi-Cultural Network and Coronation Street’s Antony Cotton, plus more than 120 personnel.
Organisers of the fourth Annual International Day had transformed the Mess into a cultural melting pot to celebrate the immense diversity of our unit. On this occasion 16 nations represented: Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Malawi, Zambia, Belize, Canada, India, Nepal, Mauritius, as well as the UK.
As the representatives from each country stood up on stage, they took the opportunity to promote their nations, their heritage, and their individual diversities. Guests were taken on a journey across the world, learning about cultural dances, local music, folklore, tourist hot spots, and in some cases, extravagant national dress.
We heard mother tongues of Afrikaans, Welsh, Zulu, French, and Cornish...
Antony Cotton, the guest speaker, is a passionate ambassador for Soldiers,’ Sailors’ & Airmen’s Families Association (SSAFA). He promoted the message of “diversity that unites us rather than divides us” and the need for Service Personnel to look after themselves mentally as well as physically.
Then came the food. Armed with plastic cutlery and moved by the rhythm from the live steel drum band
Did you know Nepalese dumplings are called ‘Momo’? Or that their delicious Gurkha
curry goes down a treat with Gurkha pickle?