It’s Vegie Time! – An Official BCV Multicultural Food Fair
27th September, St Kilda Town Hall.
Victorian Buddhist Community raises funds for Parliament of the World’s Religions Melbourne 2009
National Vegetarian Week started a day early this year, as Buddhist ‘Masterchefs’ from eleven temples and centres around Victoria came together and whipped up a tantalising array of dishes, including laksa, rice paper rolls, dumplings, curries, crepes and steamed buns, all made without meat.
“It’s Vegie Time” food fair, held on 27 September 2009 at St Kilda Town Hall was organised by the Buddhist Council of Victoria to raise funds for the upcoming Parliament of the World’s Religions (PWR) Melbourne 2009. Approximately $8000 was raised from sales of $5 and $2 coupons, which were exchangeable for mains and desserts.
Petr Svoboda, part of the organising committee and Program Associate for PWR Melbourne 2009 said the event was a success for both the Parliament and the Buddhist community in Victoria, creating a positive energy and atmosphere for all who took part.
The unfixed, round table seating allowed guests from different cultural and faith backgrounds to mingle together in an open and friendly environment. Guests were also invited to take part in traditional Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese tea ceremonies held in a room adjacent to the main hall.
Dishes were served with biodegradable or reusable plates and cutlery, and guests were encouraged to travel to the venue by public transport to minimise their carbon footprint. Volunteers from the Tzu Chi Foundation monitored waste disposal from 11am to 3pm, ensuring waste was sorted into food scraps, biodegradable material and rubbish.
The event was made possible by a generous grant from the City of Port Phillip to cover the cost of hiring St Kilda Town Hall, and the dedicated efforts of BCV organising committee members: Peggy Page (project leader), Rachael Wass, Laura Chan, Linda Marett, Petr Svoboda, Helen Richardson, Maureen French, Ranjith Soysa and Albert Chang, as well as Quang Minh Temple’s Venerable Thich Phuoc Tan and PWR volunteer Carey Rohrlach.
Special guests attending the event were Executive Director of Council for PWR Rev. Dirk Ficca, Team Leader of the Community Organisers for the Melbourne PWR Alex Butler, and Deputy Mayor of Port Phillip Cr Judith Klepner.
Venerable Thich Phuoc Tan OAM, Patron of PWR Melbourne 2009 and “It’s Vegie Time” committee member said, ‘The food fair provided an opportunity to promote PWR and co-operation amongst temples. It helps send a good image of Buddhism’s connection with health and the environment. Therefore, it should be repeated.’
The temples and centres taking part were: Buddhist Council of Victoria, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey), Buddhist Society of Victoria, Buddhist Tara Institute, Chan Meditation Centre, Melbourne University Buddhist Studies Society, Quang Minh Buddhist Temple, Sakyamuni Sambuddha Vihara & Buddhist Vihara Victoria Inc., Wat Thai Nakorn Melbourne and Yun Yang Temple, together contributing approximately forty speciality dishes from Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, China and Italy. (by Kim Lam)
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