Authentic stories from Asia

Natsagdorj Nyamtsooj and his wife Adiya Narvoo call themselves modern nomads. They live in Mongolia, more precisely in the Altai Mountains. However, they have been coming back to Berlin for Grüne Woche and the Bazaar for more than ten years now. Their children live and study here in Berlin. At the fair, the whole family will be presenting Mongolian culture and products such as wild herbs, mountain salt, vodka made from glacier water and colourful woollen socks, blankets and hats made from yak and camel wool in Hall 10.2/Stand 161.

"These yak socks are made from the best material you can have socks made from," enthuses Frauke Wettrau. She travelled through Mongolia last year and has just convinced her friend Pia to buy Mongolian socks too. "I'm not a fan of ordering on the internet," says Pia. That's why she loves events like Grüne Woche. "Here you can talk to fellow countrymen and learn authentic stories," she says.

The opportunity to do good

The DoiTung Development Project (DTDP) is exhibiting in Hall 18/110. DoiTung is located in the centre of the Golden Triangle, the border region between Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Just 30 years ago, the area was one of the international centres for the cultivation of drug plants. Most of the villagers were stateless and lived in poverty. DTDP was initiated by Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra and is run by the Mae Fah Luang Foundation under royal patronage. Princess Srinagarindra recognised that the causes of social problems lay in a lack of opportunities. Her statement: "Nobody wants to be bad, but some do not have the opportunity to do good" is also a guiding principle of the project.

The DTDP developed measures in the areas of health, livelihood and education. It promoted the mutual and sustainable coexistence of people and forests. The people in the region now earn a stable income from five business areas: Food processing, handicrafts, coffee, tourism and agriculture. At the Green Week, DoiTung coffee products, woven bags and macadamia will be sold, among others.

News from the homeland

Traditional Thai dishes are available at the Thaipark Berlin at the head of the stand. In the mid-1990s, when many people from Asia came to Germany to work, they met with their families in Preußenpark in Wilmersdorf to eat their favourite dishes in private and exchange news from their faraway homeland. What began as a small gathering of friends developed into a weekly event over the years due to great demand from park visitors and increasing popularity. Those who want to enjoy Asian food after Grüne Woche can visit the street food market in Preußenpark between April and October.