On April 24, the OGE Squad hosted the first-ever TMU international cooking competition, “Flames of Flavor: The Fusion Challenge,” bringing together students from Taiwan and seven other countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Malawi, and Guatemala. The competition aimed to promote cultural exchange through the fusion of traditional cuisine from each country and Taiwanese cuisine.

Prior to the start of the competition, Dean Kuei-Ru Chou gave the contestants a warm and welcoming speech to encourage their creativity and show them great support from OGE. Participants had a 3-hour cooking session at the nutrition laboratory and later moved to Room 3101 for the interactive judging session, with more than 120 TMU faculty and students cheering them on. The judges, Prof. Tsung-Rong Kuo, Prof. Susan Chang, and Prof. Liu Fang, happily tasted food from all countries and were amazed by the contestants’ creations and the presentation of the dishes.

“Team Garuda” from Indonesia and Taiwan took home the first prize of NT8,000, while “Chatgpt nos dio la receta” from Guatemala and Taiwan and “A-ROY” from Thailand and Taiwan received second and third place, respectively, along with cash prizes of NT5,000 and NT3,000.

The event was a great opportunity for participants to showcase their culinary skills and create new friendships across cultures. One participant, Marco Diaz, expressed his gratitude for making lifelong friends with Taiwanese students 魏廷翔 and 羅心盼 (Winston and Hope). Another student, Jean Shiao, a local Taiwanese student who attended to watch the judging session, said that the dishes from other countries were interesting, and that the competition helped her grow closer to her fellow international students.

The competition not only promoted cultural exchange but also improved participants’ time management and teamwork skills. It allowed them to learn about dishes from other countries and grow closer to their fellow international students. One student’s favorite part was the enthusiastic cheering as contestants showcased their dishes to the judges and audience.

Overall, “Flames of Flavor: The Fusion Challenge” was a success in promoting cultural exchange and appreciation through food. The OGE Squad hopes to host more events like this in the future.

“We’re thrilled to participate in this cooking contest. With our international friends, cooking various cuisines from other nations alongside creating an entirely novel unique fusion menu has been an exciting and unforgettable experience. Before the event, we had multiple rehearsals, and as the saying goes, “practice makes perfect”! Alhamdulillah… It is truly quite challenging to coordinate things between academic and extracurricular obligations. We are grateful to the OGE squad team for this wonderful opportunity to showcase our creativity and culinary talent while also fostering international friendships. “  – Team Garuda

All teams have submitted a behind-the -scene video showing their creating process of the dishes and their culture background, follow OGE Squad on Instagram to vote for your favorite fusion by 5/5, the winning team will be given extra cash prize! VOTE HERE➝ @tmu.ogesquad

Congratulations to the winners!