Miyuki・Khichuri・Bangladesh

Name：Miyuki Zaman

Faculty/Year : 2nd year, FILA

Hometown： Bangladesh

Hobbies and Interests : Love to bake and cook

Q: How would you describe Bangladesh as a country?

A: Bangladesh is the fourth-largest Muslim-populated country where the foods are halal.

Most of the people do not know the exact location of Bangladesh (laugh), it is in Southeast Asia surrounded by India due to the separation of the nation in later history which makes it the country with the fifth-longest land border in the world. Bangladeshi people are very warm and welcoming! We always welcome our guests to have dinner or meals together during home visiting.

Q: How was the weather in Bangladesh? Are there any seasons?

A: The weather is rather hot and we have 6 seasons.

There are Summer, rainy seasons, Autumn, late Autumn (rice growing seasons), and Winter (never snows, so I was so happy to see snow in Japan last spring. It might be foggy when it is very cold), and spring. However, frankly speaking, you can't really feel the weather changing as it does not have a drastic change.

Q: What were the biggest differences between Bangladesh and Japan?

A: Japanese people are really nice and polite.

The main difference I could feel is that the Japanese tend to be a little quiet while in general Bangladeshi people are rather loud and lively when having a discussion or having fun and sometimes it seems like fighting (laugh).

Q: What's your favourite national holiday or festival in Bangladesh?

A: My favourite national holiday would be the annual New Year festival on the 14th of April which we call “Pohela Boishakh”.

Pohela means first while Boishakh is the name of the first month in the Bengali calendar, so like first of January…(laugh)? During the festival, we would buy new clothes, eat lots of rich amazing food with family and it is very colourful in a sense that we would wear red and white dresses to the fair where there's performance, delicious street food, performance everywhere.

The Rice Festival is also a special one. It was special for me because I remember teachers and students would bring homemade traditional sweets which are a kind of traditional sweets made from rice and sell them in school fairs. It has a broad name of Pitha with lots of varieties.

Q: How would you describe Khichuri, this cuisine?

A: Khichuri is a comforting meal which originated from India's southern Asia continents.

Khichuri is a meal good for all times and very healthy as it contains high levels of nutrients. The main ingredients would be white rice and lentils beans which are the same beans for dals. It is easily chewable and digestible and usually eaten during rainy seasons due to its warmth. Serve and eat it hot would have the best satisfaction!

When it comes to fancy dinner with guests, Khichuri could also be served with an omelette, salad, long green peas, fried eggplant(seasons with salts and turmeric), curry boiled egg, curry chicken or beef, and special red chili hot sauces(mustard oil with onions and chili).

Q: What does Khichuri means to you？

A: Khichuri reminds me about my home where my grandmother often cooks for me as she knows it’s my favourite! I often cook it in the dormitories. (she even cooks it once for one of the staff of the Store Managing Department too!)

Q: Where are your favourite places in Bangladesh or recommended places we should go if we visited your country?

A: There are many natural sightseeing places, museums, and historical places of the ancient empire.

Sundarbans is one of the world heritage sites of mangrove forests where it would be a perfect location to take a cruise to have a glimpse of the endangered Bengal tiger, monkeys, and crocodiles.

Besides, I would also recommend Cox's Bazaar where it is a beach town and a famous tourist centre with its long natural sandy beach. The Sylhet Grand Sultan Resort is one of the most prestigious five-star hotels and vacation spots for most people in Bangladesh. The place was unique for me where I had unforgettable golden memories with my friends during her high school graduation trip.

Lastly, the Sylhet Tea Gardens in the eastern part of Bangladesh where there are amazing scenarios and great quality of air! Tea and coffee would be great for souvenirs too!