BIPA BINUS: Authentic Indonesian Rujak with Xiangsi-Hu University
October 2019 is started with something special and different for BIPA students from Xiangsi-Hu University, China. As a part of Selected Reading of Indonesian Newspaper I and Indonesian Reading courses, Language Center BINUS invites students to practice making rujak bebeg (an Indonesian authentic fruit dish). Joining the 200-minute session, students are fully encouraged to identify and analyze a common procedure in Indonesian kitchen. Then, we bring students to generate their understanding of rujak bebeg receipes. With a set of Indonesian kitchen equipment (e.g., lesung, tumbukan lesung, local fruits, banana leaves), students practice their comprehension directly on the object. Chatter, laughter and pounding sounds merge in the session and contribute to not only practical, but also diverse learning environment. As students are divided into 6 groups, eventually, six varieties of rujak bebeg made by BIPA students are served. Each of the dishes represents characteristics of the groups; some are spicy, while some are sweet and sour. All in all, this session teaches us that there is no exact parameter to state the decency of a single culture, value. It is the combination of all things in the world that makes us beautiful – that makes us human.