bonjuk news #13

Name: stuffed eggplants with rice & cherries
Yield: Serves 4–6
Ingredients: 18–20 dried eggplants; 180 g rice, rinsed; 2 onions, finely chopped; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses; 1 tsp dried mint; ½ tsp ground allspice; ½ tsp black pepper; 1 tsp salt; A small handful of parsley, finely chopped; 100 g pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen; 200 g pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen; 300 ml hot water; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses; 1 tsp tomato paste; A pinch of salt; 1–2 tsp sugar, only if the cherries are very tart

11 minutes ago

5 min read

i am you deer jade & friends retreat 12 - 19 oct

We are excited to collaborate with our dear friend Deer Jade, to host her new event series - I AM YOU in Bonjuk Bay.

I AM YOU is a retreat for curious souls, open hearts, and moving bodies. It’s a gathering in a magical playground where time softens, music becomes medicine, and every encounter feels like a gentle reminder of yourself. An exciting program of activities and electronic rhythms guide us through days and nights of connection, and collective flow; where laughter fills the air, and strangers quickly feel like family.

I AM YOU is a celebration of togetherness in all its forms. A space to play, to feel, to dissolve the lines between me and you. Through sound, movement, and shared presence, we remember that what we see in each other has always lived within us.

Come dance with your reflection.

Come laugh with your mirror.

Come lose yourself, and find yourself, in the collective.

Because in the end…

I am you. You are me. And we are here to rise together!

programme preview

Sunrise Pranayama & Meditation - Daniela Posada

Capoeira - Ray Rizzo

Bee Breath Journey - Joffrey Delplanque

Improv Comedy - Ole Ukena

Yin Yoga - Deborah Lassoen

Ecstatic Breathwork - Vajra

Yoga Nidra - Vajra

Kundalini - Aslihan Konez

Tao & Voice Activation - Mason Toryen

Primal Moves - Ray Rizzo

Soundhealing - Meriç Fıratlı

Asanas - Daniela Posada

Human Design Workshop - EMJIE

music

Alma Linda

Analøg (Kate Zubok&Jøey)

Arno

Cioz

DEBORA

Deer Jade

EMJIIE

Evrim de Evrim

Gab Rhome

Isi Audi

METAFLORE

Philou

Robbie Akbal

Chat with us on WhatsApp

weekly tunes

Deer Jade is a Swiss-French DJ and producer known for her energetic, emotionally driven sound. With releases on labels including Innervisions, Diynamic, and Kompakt, she brings a unique blend of groovy beats and heartfelt energy to the dancefloor, creating sets that connect deeply with the crowd and keep the energy flowing.

We're excited to welcome Jade to I am You x Bonjuk, happening 12-19 October at Bonjuk Bay, where music, movement, and community come together for five unforgettable days.

bonjuk bites

stuffed eggplants with rice & cherries

Dried eggplants filled with rice, herbs and warm spices, then cooked with sour cherries. The fruit gives the dolma a bright, tart finish that balances the richness of the olive oil. Best served warm or at room temperature, with plenty of sauce to spoon over each plate.

*Serves 4–6

Ingredients

For the dolma

•⁠ ⁠18–20 dried eggplants

•⁠ ⁠180 g rice, rinsed

•⁠ ⁠2 onions, finely chopped

•⁠ ⁠3 tbsp olive oil

•⁠ ⁠1 tbsp tomato paste

•⁠ ⁠1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

•⁠ ⁠1 tsp dried mint

•⁠ ⁠½ tsp ground allspice

•⁠ ⁠½ tsp black pepper

•⁠ ⁠1 tsp salt

•⁠ ⁠A small handful of parsley, finely chopped

•⁠ ⁠100 g pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen

For the cooking sauce

•⁠ ⁠200 g pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen

•⁠ ⁠300 ml hot water

•⁠ ⁠2 tbsp olive oil

•⁠ ⁠1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

•⁠ ⁠1 tsp tomato paste

•⁠ ⁠A pinch of salt

•⁠ ⁠1–2 tsp sugar, only if the cherries are very tart

Method

STEP 1 — Soften the eggplants

Boil the dried eggplants for 8–10 minutes, until pliable but still firm enough to hold their shape. Drain and rinse with cool water.

STEP 2 — Make the filling

Cook the onions in olive oil until soft. Stir in the tomato paste, then take the pan off the heat. Add the uncooked rice, pomegranate molasses, mint, allspice, pepper, salt, parsley and 100 g cherries. Mix well.

STEP 3 — Fill and arrange

Fill each eggplant about two-thirds full; the rice needs room to expand. Fold the open ends gently and arrange the dolma snugly in a wide pot, with the openings facing inward.

STEP 4 — Cook

Mix the sauce ingredients and pour over the dolma. Place an upside-down plate on top to keep them in place. Cover and simmer gently for 35–45 minutes, until the rice is tender. Add a little hot water if the pot becomes dry.

STEP 5 — Rest and serve

Let the dolma rest in the pot for at least 20 minutes. Spoon the cherries and their cooking juices over the top before serving.

Bonjuk Bites note: Make these a few hours ahead if you can. The sour cherry sauce settles into the eggplants as they rest, and the flavours become fuller.

what happens after the experience

We talk a lot about having meaningful experiences. We travel somewhere new, attend a retreat, meet people who change our perspective, spend a week living differently, or simply have one conversation that makes us see something we hadn't seen before.

But an experience and a change are not the same thing.

Between the two is something called *integration*.

Integration is the process of taking what we felt, understood or discovered in one environment and finding a place for it in ordinary life. It is the difference between saying, “I felt completely different there,” and asking, “What was different about the way I was living there, and what part of that can I continue?”

This matters particularly with experiences that temporarily remove us from our usual environment. When our routines disappear, different parts of ourselves can become easier to access. Maybe we communicate more openly. We approach strangers without so many assumptions. We dance without thinking about how we look. We spend less time behind screens. We ask for what we need more directly. We eat with other people, spend more time outside, or realize that we don't need quite as much structure and control as we thought.

Bonjuk can create some of those conditions. But the point isn't to become a different person while you're here.

The interesting part begins when you leave.

Integration doesn't mean trying to recreate Bonjuk in your apartment or maintain the emotional intensity of a particular weekend. It means identifying *what made that version of you possible.*

If you found it easier to connect here, perhaps you can initiate more conversations at home. If you felt freer, maybe there is one place in your everyday life where you can stop managing how you are perceived. If communal meals reminded you how much you enjoy sharing a table, perhaps dinner with friends becomes something you organize rather than something you wait to be invited to. If being surrounded by nature changed the quality of your attention, maybe spending regular time outside becomes part of your week.

The actions can be surprisingly small.

In fact, integration usually works better when it is small. A realization doesn't need to become a new identity, a morning routine, five rules and a promise to transform your entire life. Sometimes integration is simply behaving differently the next time an old situation appears.

Because eventually, every extraordinary experience ends.

The question isn't how to keep the experience going forever.

It is *what deserves to come home with you.*