Part of being in the Yew Chung International School of Beijing community is coexisting with people from all walks of life. From the US to Japan, Europe to Korea - exploring how other cultures in our community function is entrenched in the ethos of our school.

This also permeates into our Parent Organisation where some parents regularly are given the opportunity to showcase their home countries’ food, language and other customs. Our Korean parent, Senna Lee, is one of them. Every year, she continues to introduce aspects of the Korean culture to our fellow parents and it has become a tradition at YCIS Beijing.

We talked to her about the successful cooking class she recently held and why she continues organising activities focused on Korean culture.

Please introduce yourself.I am Senna. My son is in Year 6 and this is our fourth semester in YCIS Beijing. I am the representative of the Korean PO, and have been part of the PO for three semesters.Was it the first time you offered a Korean cooking class last week?The cooking class yes, because many parents have been asking me to do one, but I offered one other class the past two semesters. The focus was teaching some parents the Korean language and about Korean culture because they also enjoy learning about those. I even took three moms to Korea with me last semester.

What did you make? How did you choose to teach those dishes in particular?We made Korean style sushi (kimbap) and a Korean style seafood pancake (pajeon). These dishes are really simple, easily adaptable and moms are always looking for something to serve their children. Another reason is every time we sell the Korean sushi at either Global Day or the Christmas Bizarre, they are always sold out! So they are popular.

What was the parents’feedback about your class?They liked it and although they knew it was easy, they got to learn the technique of making the dishes from us. I heard that several parents went to the Korean market and they bought the ingredients to make both the kimbap and pajeon afterwards.

Do you plan to have more classes?After this last one parents want me to have more cooking classes, but I also hope that parents from other countries can also consider having classes to share their countries’ cuisine.

What do you enjoy about being a part of the PO?I can have a better understanding of the school’s activity and the school’s curriculum. I think it helps with my child’s learning. I got to make friends and meet with many good moms here because there are many opportunities for us to organise many activities together. We are all parents from different backgrounds, so we have many opportunities to understand each other’s cultures.

Can you introduce the Korean Section of the PO?Because of a significant number of Korean students in the school, some parents may find it challenging to communicate with teachers due to the language barrier and our role is to function as the bridge between the school and parents within the Korean community, in case there are parents who have questions or concerns they would like to raise.

What the Korean section also does is to collaborate with the main PO to organise events such as the Christmas Bizzare and Global Day.

If you would like to make an attempt at making the dishes PO members made, click the recipes here.