Dumplings Workshop
by Anas Chao
How do you make a Den Haag dumpling?
Dutch Dumplings Workshop Series is a chain of events held at several Dutch cities, aimed at using dumplings as a tool to open up conversations, and identifying how local residents see their relationship with the Netherlands as a place to call home. The feeling of home constantly shifts as we go through different time and space, and this is most noticeable in the everyday act of eating. Anas Chao founded the Ministry of Dumpling Affairs as he see the change in his feeling of home best reflected in dumplings — a dish that serves as his earliest understanding of home.
Through this workshop series, Anas shares his personal dumpling stories in exchange for others’ stories of finding and maintaining the feeling of home. This allows him to have a deeper understanding of th Netherlands, a place that he currently sees as his home. He also hopes that participants may look at
their cities from an alternative perspective, as the workshop may showcase unexpected relationships between residents and the city.
The workshop is not simply asking for recipes to answer the question asked in the title, “How do you make a Den Haag dumpling?” It is an invitation to the people that have shaped Den Haag into the way it is today, to contribute their thoughts on what defines the city and its landscape. Ultimately leading us to
have a more comprehensive and realistic knowledge of what forms the identity and a sense of belonging in the Netherlands.
by Anas Chao
5th July 2024
How do you make a Den Haag dumpling?
Dutch Dumplings Workshop Series is a chain of events held at several Dutch cities, aimed at using dumplings as a tool to open up conversations, and identifying how local residents see their relationship with the Netherlands as a place to call home. The feeling of home constantly shifts as we go through different time and space, and this is most noticeable in the everyday act of eating. Anas Chao founded the Ministry of Dumpling Affairs as he see the change in his feeling of home best reflected in dumplings — a dish that serves as his earliest understanding of home.
Through this workshop series, Anas shares his personal dumpling stories in exchange for others’ stories of finding and maintaining the feeling of home. This allows him to have a deeper understanding of th Netherlands, a place that he currently sees as his home. He also hopes that participants may look at
their cities from an alternative perspective, as the workshop may showcase unexpected relationships between residents and the city.
The workshop is not simply asking for recipes to answer the question asked in the title, “How do you make a Den Haag dumpling?” It is an invitation to the people that have shaped Den Haag into the way it is today, to contribute their thoughts on what defines the city and its landscape. Ultimately leading us to
have a more comprehensive and realistic knowledge of what forms the identity and a sense of belonging in the Netherlands.
