Stirring the Melting Pot

by Mithila Phadke

An Indian chef deftly kneaded a giant bowl of dough in front of a crowd of curious onlookers. Occasionally he dabbed oil onto the palm of his hand， smacking at the dough to whip it into a perfectly smooth ball and then rolling it out again into a circle at least a foot and a half across. Then came the piece de resistance—deftly， he tossed the entire roti into the air， letting it bounce and twirl mid-flight， on the tips of his fingers. Around him， at least a dozen Chinese people watched avidly， capturing the performance on their phone cameras. The chef was making something they knew as yindu feibing （Indian flying pancake）. Stuffed with fillings ranging from egg to pineapple and banana， this dish was a glorious hybrid from at least three countries—India， Singapore， and Malaysia. The roti or naan came from India， while the concept belonged to the other two—nowhere in India would you be able to find the “Indian” flying pancake. But this India-influenced flatbread dish was popular in several countries across Southeast Asia. And it was being rustled up by an Indian chef， for a group of Chinese customers.

A few yards away from yindu feibing， fiery Korean tteokbokki and barbecue sizzled at another stall. People dug into gimbap with gusto—bite-sized pieces of fish and rice wrapped in dried sheets of nori seaweed—that had much in common with sushi at the Japanese stall. There was an array of Malaysian food， an assortment of Thai delicacies， and rows of Chinese stalls selling everything from dumplings to luzhu huoshao， a rich simmering stew of pork liver， pork lung， and tofu—one of old Beijings most well-known traditional street snacks.

This gathering of Asias best and tastiest culinary offerings was courtesy of the Asia Cuisine Festival， organized as part of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations （CDAC）， which Beijing hosted in May. And more so than any panel discussion or speech could have perhaps， it was this sight， highlighting the many common links and overlaps between the countries food that perfectly captured the spirit of the event—celebrating the melting pot of Asias rich cultures and communities.

“Every civilization is the crystallization of beauty and every civilization is the beauty of creation，” said Chinese President Xi Jinping in his keynote speech during the opening ceremony of CDAC. “We should not only make our own civilization full of vigor and vitality but also create conditions for the development of other civilizations so that all the worlds civilizations will flourish.”

Attended by representatives of 47 countries， CDAC brought together foreign leaders and experts in fields ranging from international affairs to visual arts. Delegates from the field of entertainment from countries like Cambodia and India visited， including the Bollywood star Aamir Khan， called “Mishu，” or “Uncle Aamir，” by his Chinese fans. It was a first-ofits-kind platform that prioritized Asian issues and areas of interest， not only through panel discussions on cultural preservation， governance， tourism， and society but also through a cultural carnival that featured performances by visiting groups of artistes， the culinary festival， and an exhibition featuring over 400 cultural relics that opened at the National Museum of China， ahead of CDAC. It aimed at fostering exchange among local communities， especially the youth， and building a network of cooperation among think tanks， cultural outfits， and organizations working for regional development.

“I feel that an event like this is a kind of answer to what is going on in the world right now，” said Poonam Surie， an Indian author and expert on China studies. “Europe is going through a kind of flux， and the United States is going through its own troubles. Asia， on the other hand， is emerging as the future. The power has shifted from the West to the East.”

But for the “Asian Century” （as analysts have dubbed it） to unfold， Asian countries would need to prioritize strengthening their bonds through cultural exchange， giving it the importance accorded to political and economic relationships， noted Surie， whose book China： A Search for its Soul focused on the ancient links between China and India， and the evolution of Chinese society over the years. “A cultural connection is what helps people from different countries understand each other better and to a deeper degree. It brings them closer.”

The overarching theme of CDAC was that of celebrating diversity across Asian countries， as well as common ties that linked them.

“Asian civilizations have shown that they belong to the most enduring， stable and resilient civilizations. They host the oldest， most continuous， culturally refined languages with the largest groups of native speakers，” said David Bartosch， a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University， in a column for a news outlet ahead of the event. “As Asian communities devote a great deal of attention to the basic human existence， like family and the cultivation of interpersonal relationships， they are best equipped with global equilibrium.”

This view was echoed by Srikanth Kondapalli， chairman of the Centre for East Asian Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Kondapalli， who gave a speech on Asian governance at a panel discussion during the conference， emphasized the role of China and India—among the worlds oldest and richest civilizations—in building a strong relationship. “No culture should feel superior， as we are all in the globalization process. Theres the scope of learning from each other，”said Kondapalli， adding that the relationship between India and China set an example of how different civilizations should coexist and communicate in friendship and peace.

Nakajima Atsushi， chairman of Japans Research Institute of Economy， Trade and Industry， believed that the solutions to benefit the people were rooted in Asian peoples values and they need to incorporate the efforts from family， company and government as well.

“East Asian society highly values family as a fundamental social unit. Furthermore， research shows the positive effects of social relationships of family on economic development. This Asian social attitude of coexistence and cooperation between families and the government can facilitate the economy to grow and society to become sustainable and wealthy，” said Atsushi.

Lye Liang Fook， a senior fellow with Singapores Institute of Southeast Asian Studies， was part of a session with the theme of “Asian Solutions to Benefit the People.”Fook emphasized an open and inclusive approach， with the solutions to challenges and issues also potentially originating from countries outside of Asia. “If we are focused on the outcomes， i.e. how we can best address the needs of our respective populations， which are becoming increasingly more difficult in the age of rapid technological advances and rising anti-globalization sentiments， we can be open to solutions or ways wherever they may come from，” said Fook.

“How can we organize our commonality to optimize the value created by diversity？ First， we must respect each other， and then we can get to know each other，” said Ole D？ring， a professor of Sinology at Freie Universit？t Berlin. “If we get to know each other， we will start to understand what everyone needs and how we can collaborate. And then everything else will fall into place. CDAC has provided a chance to start with the basics： conversation. We should embrace this spirit and work with China and other civilizations as well as countries and cultures across Eurasia. This is precisely what we need.”

Also on the CDAC agenda was the role of tourism， cinema， and cultural exchange programs for students in building lasting bonds between countries. “Cultural exchange doesnt mean that once a year you organize some festivals in the other country， and leave it at that，” said Sreemati Chakrabarti， vice chairperson of the Institute of Chinese Studies in New Delhi. “The process of forging strong cultural bonds goes further and deeper than that.” She emphasized on the need to ensure there were active and continuous efforts for cultural and civilizational exchange， through exchange programs， book translations， research visits， and events that celebrated the countries artistic heritage.

A photo exhibition organized on the sidelines of CDAC highlighted the diversity of Asian civilizations through the eyes of youths. Through snapshots of their countries， participants like Kazakh student Sabur Sanzhar and Bhutanese student Sangay Tenzin also communicated stories of their homes.

There is a lot that we still have to discover and learn about the richness and depth of Asian civilizations around us， said Surie， adding that no matter whether it was big or small， every nation in Asia had something it could teach the others. “We have similar concerns， issues that we want to work on， but we are also alike in our strengths. And now the time has come for the rest of the world to see it.”