- Home
- Networks
- Topics
- Blogs
- Co-op Blogs
- Arts and Social Sciences Co-op Blog
- Beedie School of Business Co-op Blog
- Biomedical Physiology & Kinesiology Co-op Blog
- Communication Co-op Blog
- Computing Science Co-op Blog
- Contemporary Arts Co-op Blog
- Engineering Co-op Blog
- Environment Co-op Blog
- Health Sciences Co-op Blog
- Interactive Arts & Technology Co-op Blog
- MSE Co-op Blog
- Science Co-op Blog
- Sustainable Energy Engineering Co-op Blog
- Communique
- ENGAGE
- Peer Education
- Co-op Blogs
- Galleries
- Learn
- Indigenous
- EAL/ESL
- iBelong
Community Cooking Workshops: Why We Love Them So Much

Community Cooking Workshops: Why We Love Them So Much
By: Javairia Raza
As a student, food is literally my life. I wish I was joking but food is how I bond with friends, how I cope with exams and what I use to wake myself up in the morning. I come from a place where the sharing of food is part of the celebration and is present in every get together. Refusing to eat food is considered disrespectful (not an exaggeration). This probably sounds familiar to you because despite the differences, the world loves food. For those privileged enough to have our basic needs covered, food is not just what we nourish our bodies with, but how we feed our souls.
This is why the idea of the Community Cooking Workshops is so appealing to many. They are by far the most popular outreach we as Health Peers host on campus, with up to 25 attendees per workshop. It seems like a small number until you realize people have been staying for our workshops on Friday evenings at SFU Burnaby when almost everyone else is desperate to start their weekend – so that is commitment!
As a Health Peer, I love helping facilitate these workshops. I get to meet lots of new people, many of whom are international students or exchange students and hearing their perspectives on what life is like in their homeland is so rewarding. I have met people from China, Japan, India, Germany and Netherlands, etc. from these workshops. It’s like a tour of the world in the middle of Madge House.
The cooking workshop vibe
Now you might be thinking what do we do? Well the Health Peers plan some healthy recipes with the help of a Registered Dietitian from SFU Health and Counselling. We also buy supplies and help cook food. It is an extremely interactive workshop in which the attendees will do most of the cutting, peeling, mixing and baking themselves!
Examples of menu items we have made so far: Thai lentil curry, gyros, lentil tacos, wraps, quinoa brownies, oatmeal cookies and much more. Each workshop features a main meal, dessert, and drinks that are all vegetarian, delicious, and good for you. Recipes are always provided so that students can recreate the recipes at home. Oh, and all OUR MEALS ARE FREE at the workshop. Most of the food is bought locally or provided by Nester’s market.
The best part for the Health Peers by far is at the end, where we get to eat food because it means the end of another successful workshop (after washing a lot of dishes). Time and time again people have come up to us and told us how much fun they’ve had. Knowing that someone traveled far from their homeland to experience life somewhere else and you helped them have a good experience to take back home with them – it’s extremely rewarding!
Beyond the Article
-
Stay tuned for upcoming workshops and watch for more events throughout the year with SFU Health & Counselling.
-
Want to host a cooking workshop of your own? Sign up for our webinar on July 19 with Healthy Minds | Healthy Campus and see how cooking workshops can help facilitate social connection and nutritional education in your community. Register, here
Posted on July 16, 2018
RELATED TOPICS
|
|
|
|
|
|
SEARCH THE OLC
Login
OUR TWEETS
Today's Top
![]() |
Mental Health and Addictions Mental Health Wellness Tips for Quarantine [22] |
![]() |
Top Tip Lists 8 Interview Tips For Impressing a Hiring Manager [18] |
![]() |
Workplace Success How To Resolve Conflict In 6 Steps [16] |
![]() |
Top Tip Lists Lost in Technical Translation: How to Succeed in an Unfamiliar Environment [15] |
![]() |
Volunteering My Experience Volunteering at the Nursing Home [13] |
Interviews 10 Tips on Answering Interview Questions Effectively [8] |
|
Professional Development Employer Information Sessions: Top 10 Tips [6] |
|
Indigenous Indigenous Bio: CST Beverly PITAWANAKWAT [6] |
|
Work Search Dealing with Interview Rejection [4] |
|
Professional Development Overcoming your Fear of Public Speaking [4] |
[Blog] Life Experience Just Like Bunko: It's Not About You [1] |
|
[Story] Interviews Preparation = Successful Interview! [1] |
|
[Story] Interviews Acing Phone Interviews [1] |
|
[Story] Career Exploration We Are All Canucks: Dreams Come True [1] |
|
[Story] Interviews The Dirty Dozen Interview Questions (Part I) [1] |
7 seconds
From Forbes Magazine.
You have 7 seconds to make a first impression:
...
You're Welcome!
Just wanted to say a big "you're welcome!"
I think though, that we also owe you a big thank-you for all of your fantastic...
There but for the grace of
There but for the grace of God go I, reoccurs for me in periodically and I smile warmly and am grateful.
Thank you for your...
Uhoh, now you've sent us down
Uhoh, now you've sent us down a black hole of Youtube Conan clips......
Our failures define us
Conan's quote is incredibly profound..but not quite as profound as his "String Dance."