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Brya Ingram / Stuff
Mandy Li teaches Chinese and Mandarin Cuisine at REAP Marlborough.
Learning a new language or cuisine is a great way to experience new cultures while borders are closed, says a Marlborough Chinese language and cooking teacher.
Blenheim’s wife, Mandy Li, has been teaching Chinese and mandarin cooking for the past two years at the REAP house in Marlborough.
During the coronavirus pandemic, New Zealanders were unable to travel but could still experience other cultures at home, he said.
“When you can’t go and experience different cultures, you can stay at home and experience something different, and another part of the world,” Li said.
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“It definitely makes your life more interesting.”
Li was proud to maintain her language and culture, especially during Chinese Language Week, which ran from September 20 to 26.
Starting in 2014, New Zealand Chinese Language Week celebrated multilingualism and the benefits of learning Chinese in a globalized world.
The theme in 2020 was A Taste of New Zealand, celebrating the food and drink links between Chinese and New Zealand cultures.
Brya Ingram / Stuff
Mandy Li said that language and cooking sometimes overlap in her classes.
Li taught different kinds of Mandarin and Chinese cooking, but said that it was sometimes difficult to separate the two.
“In the last [language] in the session I cook a little and dance a little because you can’t really separate one thing from another, “he said.
Li said Mandarin could be a difficult language to learn because many words require an understanding of history and culture.
For example, the “pen” symbol included the bamboo symbol because pens were often made of bamboo.
Brya Ingram / Stuff
Mandy Li said that Mandarin was a challenging but rewarding language to learn.
“Many words involve a lot of background information, but it is an interesting language to learn.”
Li’s favorite Chinese dish to cook was dumplings as it was a great way to get the whole family involved.
“If we just talk about taste, there are a lot of things that are tasty,” Li said.
“But dumplings are an important dish in Chinese culture … at home, people usually prepare them together and the whole family gets together.
“Three generations, they do the dishes together, as a family activity. The grandmother makes the dough and the mother and the uncles and aunts make the preparation, and the grandchildren also help to make them.
Derek Flynn / Stuff
Mandy Li (left) and her mother Li Li prepare Chinese dumplings at the 2017 multicultural festival.
“This is how they connect and come together by making a single food. That’s why dumplings are very special. “
She loved making dumplings in a group class in New Zealand for the same reason.
Originally from Tianjin, China, Li had been in New Zealand for 20 years and loved sharing her language and cuisine with the Kiwis.
“I am very proud of it because I am New Zealander but also Chinese,” she said.
“So for me, living in New Zealand and knowing that they are doing a language week in New Zealand really makes me proud and very happy.”
