Sherman Law Cheuk-man - a clubhouse receptionist - calls himself a "disruptor in the kitchen".

"I seldom cook and when I do, I would break something or mess up the dishes," he explained with a grin.

But his amateurish cooking techniques did not stop him from winning a cooking-themed trip funded by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) to Russia - a country seen as a vital link between China and Europe under the Belt and Road Initiative.

"HKFYG wanted us to think outside the box during the trip. So, instead of routine exchange activities, like field visits and discussions, we did cooking exchanges with families in that country," said Law. "We believe food can help overcome barriers in communicating and understanding among peoples."

The team got in touch with the host families through VK - Russia's largest social network that's akin to Facebook.

Among the HKFYG groups that joined the Back Packers pilot program, Law's five-member team was the only one that focused on food exchange. The team spent 13 days in Moscow and St. Petersburg, introducing Chinese dishes like Hakka-style stewed duck, cucumber salad with garlic and chili, steamed chicken and steamed egg to their hosts.

According to Law, with the exception of cucumber salad, the other dishes take time to finish and require the cook to pay close attention to how to control the heat. Hakka-style stewed duck needs seasoning like Sichuan pepper, dried tangerine peel and fermented soya bean curd, which are hard to find in Russia.

The host families, in return, taught them how to do quick cooking. Law said he would never forget okroshka - a classic cold soup served mainly during summer in Russia. The dish is a mix of raw vegetables, boiled potatoes and eggs, and cooked meat with kvass, a non-alcoholic drink made from fermented black or rye bread.

"Frankly, I myself don't like the soup as I felt full after taking a few gulps but felt hungry again after an hour," Law said. "But, it's part of their food culture and I was glad to learn it from first-hand experience."

The trip was not entirely trouble-free though. A teammate lost about $1,000 in Moscow and lodged a report with the local police. She said the police had to rely on Google to do the translation so that they could understand each other.

"It's an experience that's good and bad," Law said, adding that Russian people are not as sturdy and tough as some media organizations had portrayed them, but are nice and ardent, always ready to help.

Law admitted he had limited knowledge of the Belt and Road Initiative before joining the Back Packers program which gave him a glimpse of the strategic project, and he wanted to explore more.

(HK Edition 08/15/2016 page7)