Brazilian ambassador hosts farewell

Ambassador of Brazil Claudio Lins and his wife Zu Lins hosted a farewell party days before their departure from Pakistan to their next posting, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

Sharing his sentiments on the occasion, Ambassador Lins said: “My feelings and those of my wife are of profound humility about everything that could be accomplished given the old ties of friendship between Pakistan and Brazil. From a professional point of view, what was done in my tenure was done to the best of my abilities and with a profound love for Pakistan, the people of Pakistan and its ancient culture, and for everything that Pakistan truly means.”

The couple traveled across Pakistan and shared that they had purchased many beautiful things that are now part of their home, including furniture and carpets.

The ambassador added: “Our house is a true Pakistani house and wherever we go in the future, we will have a part of Pakistan with us to show our friends.

The guest list included members of the diplomatic corps, business community, academia and many others who had come to know the departing couple over their four-and-a-half year stay in Pakistan.

The ambassador said the time had been a richly rewarding experience for both of them, adding, “the people who are here have great meaning for us. Each one of you means much to us, and we thank you for the support you gave us during my tenure.”

Typical Brazilian cuisine was served including, beef with Brazilian-style rice, baby potatoes, Chicken Satay and Schnitzel with Cranberry Sauce followed by numerous bite-sized desserts.

Cuisine of Brunei introduced

Wife of the High Commissioner of Brunei Datin Soraya Dato Hamid hosted an introduction to the cuisine of Brunei and lunch for members of the Asian Study Group cuisine club.

Retired Brigadier General Dato Mahmud Saidin began the morning with a short description of Brunei.

He welcomed the guests, saying, “Brunei is a tiny state neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia; you can visit in about eight hours. The population is 440,000, which is very small compared to Pakistan. Our culture is very similar to Malaysia and Indonesia with minor variations, so our cuisine and language is Malay. Interestingly, 90pc of our population is concentrated in the Brunei district, in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan.”

The event included a demonstration of cooking popular staples such as Nasi Ayam, that is chicken rice with ginger spring onion sauce, chili garlic sauce and soy sesame sauce, Kerabu Timun, a cucumber and egg salad with coconut dressing and Bubur Ubi for dessert.

The Malay dessert featured pearled sago, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, bananas, coconut cream, pandan leaves and palm sugar.

President of the Asian Study Group Perveen Malik thanked Ms Soraya Dato for opening her beautiful home for the demonstration and sharing recipes with the cuisine club. She presented Ms Soraya Dato with a traditional ajrak and Multani pottery.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2020