{"id":46706,"date":"2018-12-04T14:21:28","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T14:21:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=46706"},"modified":"2018-12-04T14:21:28","modified_gmt":"2018-12-04T14:21:28","slug":"charity-connecting-people-through-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2018\/12\/04\/charity-connecting-people-through-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Charity connecting people through food"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oasis Cardiff is teaching people about different cultures through food by holding monthly supper club events<\/b><\/h2>\n
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A Splott-based charity which aims to integrate refugees and asylum seekers with the rest of Cardiff is bringing people together through the power of food.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>Oasis Cardiff holds a supper club each month focusing on a different type of cuisine in order to introduce and share diverse cultures to the local community. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>This is one of many events<\/a> that the charity runs alongside English classes, sports and art sessions, and a mobile refugee kitchen.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>The charity\u2019s funding has been cut in recent years. However, when catering manager Matt Davenport joined Oasis, he decided it was time to \u201ctap back into it\u201d and engage with the local community in new ways.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cWith a lot of the different cultures in this centre, language can be a bit of a barrier. But in the kitchen, they can prepare a dish and see that people have enjoyed it. There\u2019s a real sense of satisfaction and a link to home,\u201d Matt explains.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cThey show me how to cook it and I\u2019m kind of like the conduit,\u201d he says. \u201cI set up an environment where people can come and sit together in a relaxed atmosphere.\u201d<\/span>
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\n<\/span>Usually the month\u2019s chosen cuisine is based on where a member of the kitchen team is from and takes place in the charity\u2019s caf\u00e9, making the event feel unique and intimate.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In October, the Supper Club hosted a traditional Eritrean coffee ceremony, complete with fresh roasted coffee beans. Their most recent supper club in November was themed on volunteer Muhammad\u2019s native food of Iran.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s their opportunity to showcase the food of their native country,\u201d says Matt. \u201cI\u2019m really keen to showcase the food Muhammad grew up on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There have been several reported cases of cultural appropriation through food in recent years, with Jamie Oliver\u2019s polarising ‘jerk rice’<\/a> being a prime example. However, the supper club is a way in which the charity can bring people together and teach others about their own cultures.<\/span><\/p>\n

This can be to learn more about the culture of refugees and asylum seekers within the city, as well as to make new friends. This is especially important given that by June this year, 14,308 grants of asylum<\/a> had been issued in the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sinai Noor, a photographer and video maker, is a regular volunteer at the charity. He has been overwhelmed with the results of the supper club so far. \u201cEveryone\u2019s happy and they\u2019re tasting a new thing, something for pleasure, which is nice,\u201d he explains.<\/span><\/p>\n