Diligentia Potluck Party | Zongzi in the Dragon Boat Festival
After the final examination, when most people are busy confessing their love on 20th May (5.20 in Chinese is homophonic to “I love you”) the Diligentia students are busy making traditional food of Dragon Boat Festival. Yep! The 6th Diligentia College Potluck Party had came to a happy ending. There is a hot debate as to people prefer sweet or salty rice-dumplings, while teachers thoughtfully prepared various fillings to meet everyone’s appetite --- Salted egg yolk, fresh meat, red bean paste, red dates, raisin, etc.
Before we began, drain the water on bamboo leaves.First, add soda to glutinous rice and stir them, this will shorten time for steaming and rice will have better taste and lustre.
Then fold leaves in funnel shape to hold rice. 
Pick up your favorite filling then cover and wrap it into a pyramidal shape.
Tied Zongzi tightly with cotton and knot on top. 
Actually, making Zongzi is not as easy as you imagine, everyone was learning carefully.
After we finished all the preparation before steaming Zongzi, here came the surprise!
Diligentia College prepared a feast for students
Soy sauce chicken, braised beef with radish, roasted pork in Guangdong style and fresh fruit.
Zhengqu Liu, a senior student used the rest fresh meat made stewed pork with brown sauce, yuuuuummy!
Students shared their food with each other: snacks, beverage, fruits, cold noodles in Northeast style and fired spared rips in Wuxi style. What a wonderful day!
After the party, we sent steamed Zongzi to dormitory’s front desk,
and students could try the DIY Zongzi, finally. What filling have you put in?
Comments
Potluck party is a blessing in disguise --- I had arrived home a day later than planned that gave me the chance to join this party. It was a strong sense of fulfillment that a clumsy-hand like me could make a tetrahedral Zongzi finally. Efforts were rewarded. I almost misled instructor out of track about wrapping. It was the first time I have celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival with so many friends. Hope the potluck party will thrive and we could have more opportunities to communicate about food.
The DIY Zongzi, warped in faint scent leaves, filled with white glutinous rice and sweet or savory stuffing, are heart-warming as an expression of college teachers’ good will.
After final examination, it was time to relax, finally. Here came the 6th Diligentia College Potluck Party --- We used to eat Zongzi during Dragon Boat Festival, but it was the first time for me to make Zongzi. College kindly prepared all ingredients. Fillings are so attempting! We could chatting while learning these useful skills, and it doesn’t matter if you are not deft --- instructor would help. Selecting bamboo leaves, wrapping, folding, shaping, tying --- every step counted. Thanks to planning such wonderful party! See you next potluck!
It was the first time I have taken part in Diligentia Potluck Party, which is beyond my thought --- full of joy. Thanks to our College, patient and cute instructor. By the way, the DIY Zongzi are so sweeeet! I am all thumbs, literally.
It was the first time for me, being all fingers and thumbs, to learn making Zongzi. With teacher’s patient guidance and assistance, this task became much easier. When you smelled the unique fragment of DIY steamed Zongzi, it smelled like happiness. College will prepare each and every potluck party thoughtfully, like the feast this time. We could also took home the rest Zongzi for another meal, thanks to Diligentia!
Diligentia Potluck Party, see you next semester.
If you have any suggestions about the theme of Diligentia Potluck Party , please send e-mail to the offical e-mail address of Diligentia College (diligentia@cuhk.edu.cn).