Food festival celebrates multiculturalism with traditional, contemporary ethnic food

November 20, 2006 —

Traditional foods from 16 different countries were available in the RFoC last Tuesday during lunch hour at the International Food Festival. The festival was put on by the International Student's Club and sponsored by the ISC and TCF bank.

Each country had a booth with their food available. In addition, the stations were decorated with information about the food and country. National flags were also present at many of the booths, as well as lining the hall to the RFoC.

Many international students chose to wear clothing traditional to their country, which presented an even more diverse experience. Several girls even braved the cooling temperatures in traditional Indian saris and sandals.

Student representatives for each country, along with some members of the RFoC kitchen staff, selected, prepared, and served the food for the event.

The staff and students chose dishes that were not only traditional to that country, but also economic and easy to cook for the large number of students who dine at the RFoC.

A first year student at SVSU, Ji Hee Song of South Korea said that the dish she was serving was "pretty easy and really healthy, especially when people are sick; it is a pretty popular food" in South Korea.

Lindsey Riddell agreed that the food was authentic to the country it represented. "The Thai food is really, really good," she said. "I've been to Thailand and it's right on the spot."

Sarah Hunt, originally from Germany and now in her third semester at SVSU, felt that cooking for the event was "a lot of fun; it's a lot of work, but it's still fun. It's quite different to cook for that many people."

The event attracted many students looking for a few different choices in food. Bubble tea, prepared by the group from China and Taiwan, seemed to be a popular choice among the diners.

The students were generally not disappointed with the food or the event, as Megan Fuller said, "I like all kinds of food anyways. Usually I want this kind of stuff."