The bustling scent of March

This year, the March 8th celebration for students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities seemed more joyful and unique thanks to a culinary competition for students called "Fragrance of March." 14 teams from 14 faculties and departments participated in the competition on March 6th, 2009.

This year marks the first time the university's Student Union has taken the initiative to organize a culinary competition to affirm and celebrate one of the indispensable qualities of young women in life: resourcefulness and competence in preparing delicious, nutritious, visually appealing, and meaningful meals for their loved ones and families. Despite being limited by a price ceiling of 100,000 VND per dish, the students' entries were still diverse, vibrant, and appealing.

[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2009/03/09/img_0077.jpg" border="0" alt="Each team only has 1 chef and 2 assistant chefs, while the audience is countless" title="Each team only has 1 chef and 2 assistant chefs, while the audience is countless" width="480" height="320" ]

[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2009/03/09/img_0031.jpg" border="0" alt="Political Science Department Team and the 'Carp Gazing at the Moon' dish" title="Political Science Department Team and the 'Carp Gazing at the Moon' dish" width="480" height="320" ]

Many teams chose rather elaborate dishes such as: phoenix patties (Psychology), stuffed chicken (Information - Library Science), carp hot pot (Political Science), shrimp salad (Journalism), braised eel with galangal, ginger and fermented rice (Tourism), coconut patties (Philosophy)... Some teams chose dishes that were familiar in everyday life but creative in their presentation, such as Russian salad (International Studies), banana flower salad (History), mixed vegetable soup (Archival Studies and Office Management)... It's commendable that regardless of the dish, the teams made great efforts to create visually appealing arrangements and combinations between the main dish and other decorations to create an attractive "scene" alongside the already fragrant aroma. Accompanying this were self-given rather fancy names that diners might not be able to guess without seeing them firsthand. These names include:Women and Springfor stuffed tomatoes (Literature),Motherly lovefor stuffed chicken (Library Information)Carp gazing at the moonfor carp hot pot (Political Science),Vietnamese essenceFor shrimp salad (Journalism Department), Phoenix spring rolls (Psychology).

The Faculty of Tourism Studies impressed everyone with its chef in a white shirt and white hat, showcasing a professional style and a flavorful braised eel dish, beautifully presented with a charming little carrying pole holding the braised eel, giving it a distinctly Vietnamese feel.

[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2009/03/09/img_0154.jpg" border="0" alt="Braised Eel Dish from the Faculty of Tourism Studies" title="Braised Eel Dish from the Faculty of Tourism Studies" width="480" height="320" ]

The talented female chefs from the Journalism department presented a refreshing and unique shrimp salad, skillfully served with hot rice and fresh tea. The Oriental Studies department also showcased an eel dish, but its presentation was striking: a large, exquisitely carved flower made from white papaya, drawing admiration from many students. The phoenix-shaped patties from the Psychology department delighted viewers with their beautifully crafted phoenix head, carved from a vibrant pink carrot.

[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2009/03/09/img_0188.jpg" border="0" alt="Decorative flowers carved from carrots by the Department of Oriental Studies" title="Decorative flowers carved from carrots by the Department of Oriental Studies" width="480" height="320" ]

The Department of Library and Information Science presented their dish alongside a small vase meticulously crafted from a pumpkin. Furthermore, their stuffed chicken dish was considered one of the most impressive in terms of presentation. The image of a mother hen with her chicks clearly conveyed a message of maternal love and warm family togetherness. The Sociology Department's colorful glutinous rice dumplings were visually appealing with their shades of pink, white, and green, accompanied by a compelling presentation about the meaning of life and love conveyed through these colors.

[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2009/03/09/img_0165.jpg" border="0" alt="The vibrant Russian Salad of the Faculty of International Studies" title="The vibrant Russian Salad of the Faculty of International Studies" width="480" height="366" ]

The mixed fried rice from the Linguistics Department team had a rather whimsical human face shape. The stuffed tomatoes from the Literature Department gave viewers a feeling of youthfulness, fullness, and completeness. The carp gazing at the moon dish from the Political Science Department awakened everyone's senses at the competition with its rich, fragrant aroma that somewhat overshadowed other dishes. The mixed vegetable soup from the Archival Studies and Office Management Department was considered very nutritious due to the combination of various vegetables, fruits, and meats...

[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2009/03/09/img_0194.jpg" border="0" alt="Besides scoring, the judges also gave specific suggestions so that the dish would be more delicious and visually appealing next time" title="Besides scoring, the judges also gave specific suggestions so that the dish would be more delicious and visually appealing next time" width="480" height="320" ]

Finally, after carefully considering factors such as presentation, cooking technique, and presentation style, the judging panel awarded first prize to the dish.Carp gazing at the moon(Political Science); second prize forEel from Nghe An(Oriental Studies) andVietnamese essence(Journalism); third prize forBraised eel(Tourism Studies)Coconut sausage(Philosophy) andPhoenix sausage(Psychology). In particular, the dish that won first prize this time was judged by the jury to be quite complete in both its appealing flavor and beautiful, harmonious presentation. This dish was also awarded by many students as the most appealing, easiest to eat, and most... delicious dish.