Things You Won't Forget If You Were A Participant Of The 7th GHC: Food

Despite Finland being one of the most expensive countries in the world, participants of the 7th Global Health Course, especially the Filipinos, will never forget the gastronomic experience they have. Of course, one of the things we immediately noticed is their love for coffee and "pulla".

It was common for a GHC participant to buy some cheap stuff from the nearest grocer and cook breakfast or dinner. This we did, and more. We discovered a place called Rax which actually is a Pizza Buffet place. For 9.50 euros, you can eat unlimited pizza, chicken wings, salad, sausages, meatballs and drinks. If we were very hungry, Rax was a saving grace, even when we went to our first visit to Helsinki.

But what is food without company? What made them so delicious was the fact that they are shared with new found friends. The conversations over breakfast, lunch, dinner and even coffee breaks were actually priceless, worth than the food itself. I won't forget the first group dinner of all GHC participants. It was actually more than just dinner; it was an ice breaker for all of us. And it wasn't the last of its type either. During lunch, we would talk about almost everything: from our personal insights on the lectures of the day to silly hilarious stories.

Of course, the Filipino group considers meal time as bonding time. Whether it is over a plate of sandwiches we made or kebabs or even just coffee, meal time is almost considered sacred. Perhaps it is an inherent Filipino trait, to always gather in a meal. When we went to Estonia, we had our first "expensive" dinner in Olde Hansa and we enjoyed that moment. It was my first time to taste schnapps. The motif was medieval so the utensils and even the food were medieval inspired.

Sometimes we would gather with our new found friends and a meal with them would consist of a glass of beer or cider. And since it is World Cup Season, a meal would sometimes be accompanied by TV or a Laptop with internet connection, watching the latest match. One memorable food trip was the "spontaneous picnic inside" the flat in Laapinkari.



The food itself is delicious although most of us Asians would complain of blandness and would start searching for salt or pepper. But still, like I said, it isn't the food that actually matters.