North Korea does not have a reputation for culinary excellence. While there is increasing choice if, say, you want to eat out in Pyongyang, it’s a long way away from the world-renowned cuisine you can find south of the DMZ.

On Monday evening, members of the Philadelphia, Chinese and Mexican communities got together to have dinner with some of the city's Mummers. As the latest in a string of after-hours, invitation-only dinners, they each prepared a dish unique to their culture. A Chinese chef demonstrated how to make pork dumplings, traditionally made for Chinese New Year. The Mummers shared their own New Year's tradition, made with the same meat: an Italian stuffed pork loin. Rocco Gallelli demonstrated how to make an Italian stuffed pork loin.

The UAE and India have enjoyed historic and cultural ties for over 350 years. As both nations share centuries-old ties of commerce, culture and kinship, the UAE has derived a number of cultural elements from India. Most significant was the food. If there's no Indian meal in the modern Emirati house - which rarely happens - there's Emirati food influenced from India. Chicken machboos, for example, is similar to the Indian chicken biryani, which is widely popular among Emiratis.