Power of cooking — how Ukrainian refugees connected over traditional Japan cuisine with Cookpad
In May 2022, ten Ukrainian refugees gathered together in a kitchen in Yokohama, Japan, to learn to cook “Tonjiru” — a Japanese traditional miso soup, which uses some of Japan’s best-loved ingredients, including miso, radishes, burdocks, konjak, carrots, potatoes, and pork. Despite living in the same city for a number of months, this was their first time meeting.
Leading the Tonjiru cooking class was Takako Kotake, leader of Cookpad’s Ukrainian relief efforts. Takako wanted to welcome Ukrainian refugees to the city by hosting the class so they could learn how to use ingredients unique to Japanese cuisine and interact with each other through cooking.
“The recipe is only a rough guide,” said Takako. “So many people, so many ways of preparing dishes.” Takako’s beliefs around cooking closely align with those of Ukrainian people, that every person has their own style of cooking. After sharing a few instructions, participants got stuck into making their own unique version of Tonjiru, adapting quantities of seasoning and sizes of ingredients along the way. Some participants preferred to cook at their own pace, while others enjoyed chatting and tasting each other’s dishes. Such differences in cooking styles somehow mirrored their respective experiences of living in Ukraine and fleeing to Japan. After cooking, everyone sat down to eat their Tonjiru together at the same table. This illustrated how the cooking class transcended differences in backgrounds and brought them together.
However, the class didn’t end after they’d finished eating. One participant started playing the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute with five holes. Working as a masseuse, he had learned to play the shakuhachi from Japanese people when he was living in Russia. He explained how he played it to his customers as a form of meditation after their massages, and how he was eternally grateful to the Japanese people for their beautiful culture. He participated in the cooking class not only to learn how to cook Tonjiru, but also to express gratitude by playing the shakuhachi after everyone had eaten.
“This was a pleasant surprise for Cookpad team members, but for the other participants, it seemed quite normal,” said Yusuke Yokoo, who designed the cooking class alongside Takako. While interviewing Ukrainian refugees ahead of the cooking class, Yusuke realised that in Ukraine, food and music often coexist at mealtimes and play an important role in bringing families together. By connecting with other Ukrainian refugees during the day, participants found the purpose of the class by themselves. Takako summarised her experience of the day by saying “It was the power of cooking that brought these people together.” And, although cooking Tonjiru wasn’t the only achievement of the class, it was a vital trigger for collaboration between participants.
The Ukrainian dish Borscht is similar to Tonjiru in that they are both popular home cooking dishes in each country. Based on this similarity, Takako and Yusuke believe that this Tonjiru cooking class was just the beginning of participants enjoying Japanese food culture. Not only did they accomplish their goal, they also discovered the power of cooking, which can dissolve cultural differences and bring people together.
Words by Ryuichiro Kikuta (Ichi)
