DINNER SOCIAL CLUB x Sissi Chen: Food & Identity

The upcoming edition of DINNER SOCIAL CLUB is hosted by Sissi Chen, Berlin-based culinary consultant and author of Einfach Chinesisch.

This dinner experience brings together two of our favorite topics: food and talks across cultural and physical borders. Sissi will share her experiences growing up in a multicultural, multilingual environment and how these influences shape her work as a blogger and writer. Can cooking and sharing food help us connect with our own and other cultures? Food often becomes central to how we understand and express our identities, allowing us to explore the world and its cultures in new ways. What is it like to grow up in a family where you constantly switch between Chinese, German, and English?

This dinner offers an informal yet deep exploration of the complex theme of identity. The evening will begin with a conversation with Sissi Chen, moderated by Katja Hellkötter, who has more than 15 years of experience living and working in China.

Following the talk, there will be a tasting of various Chinese snacks brought back from Sissi’s recent trip to China, including Chinese 5-spice peanuts, Shaqima, sweet hawthorn flakes and garlic peas. This is also an opportunity to meet and exchange stories with other guests.

For the main course, Sissi will prepare two versions—meat or vegan—of Zha Jiang Mian (Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles). In Beijing, everyone has their own take on this dish, but Sissi will be using her grandmother’s cherished recipe.

?️ Ticket price: 49€

Your ticket includes all the vegetarian snacks, the main dish, a small bite for dessert, and a welcome specialty tea, along with access to the full program.

*Ticket prices might vary each Dinner Social Club Evening, depending on the actual costs and financing opportunities.

Sissi Chen

Sissi Chen explores food in context of culture and identity. She writes about different cuisines and approaches cooking by understanding how tradition and heritage have influenced what we call “authenticity” in food. Many of her recipes can be found online at Zeit Magazine or in her first cookbook “Einfach Chinesisch.” On her Instagram @eatinginberlin she focuses on representing cuisines that are often not covered by mainstream media and that are easily overlooked in Berlin. Beside her culinary projects, she loves to travel and challenge her view of the world by listening to other perspectives. Photo: Claudia Gödke

Katya Romanova

Katya is a program and communications manager at C*SPACE and curator of the DINNER SOCIAL CLUB. She has got a degree in Teaching Languages and a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communications at HTW Berlin. Since 2019 Katya has been coordinating cultural, urban, youth and design projects, including the re:imagine your city network. Katya sees cooking as a powerful way to bring people and contexts together, and is on her search for various food design formats for neighborhood activation and community engagement.

C*SPACE is a purpose-driven creative space for co-working, projects and events in Berlin Weißensee. We also initiate cultural and learning programs, co-creating and connecting ideas and encounters across borders. C*SPACE is a hub for social innovation, where global and local neighbors come together across cultural and sectoral boundaries to develop critical awareness and solutions for new forms of regenerative work and learning, as well as celebrate cultural diversity and exchange.  C* stands for curiosity, courage, community and collaboration. Instagram, Linkedin.

Host or Publisher C*SPACE