Film screening: Meer dan babi pangang


In Meer Dan Babi Pangang, Chinese-Dutch documentary filmmaker Julie Ng examines the success and looming decline of the Chinese-Indonesian restaurant, using Golden House—her father’s restaurant in Rozenburg—as a starting point. What begins as a quest to discover the origins of the dish Babi Pangang evolves into a personal and emotional exploration of her own cultural and culinary identity as a Chinese-Dutch person. Why do Chinese-Indonesian restaurants serve dishes that Chinese people themselves do not eat at home? What does this reveal about assimilation, public perception, and the way cultures relate to one another? And why do so many Dutch people primarily associate "Chinese restaurants" with Babi Pangang—a dish born from the cross-pollination of three cultures: Chinese, Indonesian, and Dutch? The dish has Indonesian origins and a name to match; it was adapted by Chinese restaurateurs and tailored specifically to the tastes of their Dutch clientele. Meer Dan Babi Pangang is a tribute to the first generation of Chinese-Dutch immigrants who, through hard work, established a fixture of the Dutch streetscape. At the same time, it is an invitation to look beyond the takeaway menu.

The screening of the film (71 minutes) will be followed by a panel talk and Q&A with filmmaker Julie Ng, Cherren Tang and Bastiaan Nugteren in Dutch. We will discuss the film, its wider context and discuss the current and historical state of Chinese-Dutch identity in the Netherlands.The film screening is open to the public. The film's original languages are Dutch and Cantonese and the film will be screened with English subtitles. Co-sponsored by the MA Asian studies and D&I Expertise Office at Leiden University.

Please register to attend.

Date: Thursday September 24, 2026
Time: 17:30-20:00
Location: Leiden University, Lipsius 0.19

Please contact Adam El Amraoui with any questions you may have: a.el.amraoui@hum.leidenuniv.nl