On September 9, 2016, the 11th NAIST Tea Time^*1 was held with approximately 50 attendees, including NAIST faculty/staff and students, as well as their family and friends.

The event started with Ramarani Sethy (1st year doctoral student, Graduate School of Materials Science) giving a presentation on food culture in India. Then, she demonstrated how to make a simple version of lassi, a popular traditional yogurt-based drink from India. Participants had an opportunity to share cultural differences with each other over two different kinds of lassi (plain and mango-flavored) and Indian traditional sweets (“Gulab Jamun” and “Rasgull”). Some mentioned, “Lassi is a perfect drink for hot summer days!” and “Sweets in Japan are not sweet at all. We love sweets that are very sweet like these!”

Following this, two NAIST students from Paraguay delivered PechaKucha 20x20 presentations^*2. Juan Rodriguez Ramirez (1st year doctoral student, Graduate School of Information Science) first introduced geographical, historical, natural, and cultural aspects of Paraguay. Then, Miguel Patiño González (research student, Graduate School of Information Science) showed pictures and explained various festivals enjoyed in Paraguay. The participants were all fascinated with the culture and history.

The event was an excellent socializing opportunity for NAIST’s diverse community, and everyone enjoyed the presentations and interaction.

*1: NAIST Tea Time is a global campus event with the aim of strengthening ties and fostering mutual understanding among the NAIST’s culturally rich community of students, faculty, and staff.
*2: PechaKucha 20x20 is a short, lively presentation (20 second/slide x 20 slides = 6 minutes and 40 seconds total).

	Ramarani introducing the food culture of India
Ramarani demonstrating how to make lassi	Attendees enjoying lassi and Indian sweets
“Gulab Jamun” and “Rasgull” (Indian traditional sweets)
Juan describing the rich culture of Paraguay	Miguel introducing various festivals in Paraguay