The upcoming Culture Mix festival on 21 October is a celebration of diversity in the Illawarra curated by Wollongong City Council. Central to the festival will be the Global Kitchen cooking demonstrations and Food Fair stalls from a range of communities such as Chilean, Iranian, Serbian and Sri Lankan.
The local Nepalese community will be holding a stall featuring traditional Nepalese food. I spoke with Aashish Poudel, who is representing the local community through Wollongong Illawarra Nepali Community (WINC).
Aashish and his wife, Srijana, moved to Wollongong in 2017 from their home in Pokhara, the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit popular with trekkers. In Pokhara, Aashish worked in a corporate bank and Srijana as a registered nurse. Srijana was keen to pursue higher education in her field and encouraged Aashish to move to Australia to our university town.
Prior to coming to Wollongong, Aashish and Srijana had a single contact, Srijana’s cousin. Once settled in Wollongong, they began to meet other Nepalese people through the university and Aashish’s work at Curry Village in Wollongong and the Coffee Emporium in Shellharbour. Aashish also worked as a chef in Nepal.
Wollongong has a similar climate to Pokhara, Aashish says, and the Illawarra escarpment reminds the couple of their environment back home, although the “mountains” of the Illawarra don’t compare to the Himalayas.
Aashish now works as a mortgage broker and Srijana as a nurse at Wollongong Private Hospital. With their 10 month-old son, Vivikt, the family regularly meets with Nepalese friends, celebrating festivals and connecting over food.
Aashish took time out to speak to me as they were preparing to host friends for the Teej festival. This is an annual celebration where married women are invited by their father and brothers to return to the family home. As home cooks, Aishish and Srijana cook traditional Nepalese dishes most days including veggie and goat curries, dahl (lentil soup), dumplings and achar accompanied by rice.
The Illawarra is home to more than 400 Nepalese residents. WINC plays a significant role in bringing Nepalese people together to preserve and grow the culture. It began in 2016 and was made official two years ago. With more than 120 members, the group gathers on the last Saturday of every month at a local park and holds a tea ceremony. Dress is usually traditional, with women in saris and men in the daura-surwal.
Aashish says, “WINC is representing the Nepali community In Culture Mix to get more exposure and for the opportunity to grow as a community.”
On the menu is achaar with sel roti and momo dumplings.
On Saturday, October 21, Culture Mix will include a Global Kitchen at 90 Crown Street and Lower Mall (12-6pm) and a Food Fair on Lower Crown Street (12pm to 8pm). To find out more about food at the festival, visit council's webpage