http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/11/26/104011_ntnews.html

Sisterhood tastes good
KYLIE STEVENSON
NT News - November 26th, 2009

Every Monday, mouthwatering smells waft through Malak shopping centre.
But there is no restaurant here - this is My Sister's Kitchen, a Darwin Community Arts project that sees people from around the globe gather to cook and share a meal.
From Fijian curry to raw fish, Aussie baked beans to Burmese delights - even Vegemite on crackers - there's little they won't attempt, says co-ordinator Brenda Logan.
"The main reason for doing it is to try and prevent social isolation, in particular for refugee women and their families.
"What better way to share stories and be able to communicate with people than by cooking,'' she says.
Anywhere between six and 20 women arrive each week, arms laden with shopping bags. And when it comes time to tuck in, sometimes up to 100 people will turn up.
The program, running since February, has helped Bhutanese refugee Bhakti Maya Mainaly Dhamala not only to learn new dishes, but also to make friends.
"When people arrive here they sometimes have lots of bad feelings and are lonely but when they get involved in My Sisters' Kitchen they get enjoyment and refreshments and feel happier,'' she says.
Bhakti and her family fled Bhutan when she was just nine and spent the next 18 years in a refugee camp in Nepal. She's been in Darwin for six months now.
At My Sister's Kitchen as well as cooking traditional Nepalese dishes like rice, lentils, nepalese roti, broccoli and potato, she's also learned a few Aussie dishes.