In celebration of International Education Week (IEW), the Colgate University Office of International Student Services (OISS) organized its annual international cuisine luncheon at Frank Dining Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 8. The takeover, which was open to all community members, boasted several dishes from across the globe.
Colgate’s international students, faculty and staff submitted their favorite recipes to the OISS coordinators, who then shared them with the Frank Dining Hall staff. The Frank team made their selections based on available ingredients.
The dishes offered included Nepalese chicken curry, miso soup, kimchi pork stir fry and completos, a Chilean hot dog served with tomato and avocado.
Associate Dean and Director of International Student Services Kerra Hunter views cuisine as a meaningful way to embrace and celebrate the myriad of cultures represented on campus.
“A large part of any culture is the food. Food is comfort. It brings back memories of home and family,” Hunter said. “We include this event as a way of bringing a tiny piece of our cultures to the dining experience and to share it with the campus community.”
Colgate Dining Services Marketing Manager Tiffany Simmons thought the takeover was a meaningful success.
“[The event] not only breaks the monotony of college dining but also gives the organization a sense of ownership of the event. We always want our students to be proud of what we are doing, and offering them a chance to have a say is vital in that,” Simmons said. “A number of students talked to myself and the team about how they had never heard of some of our offerings before and were very excited to try them.”
The event brought a frenzied lunch rush, the entry line stretching past Stillman Hall into the residential quad. Inside, it was jam-packed with students, faculty and families — no seat went unused.
Lily Gamburg, a first-year student, appreciated the food and the atmosphere at the event.
“It’s easy to get caught up in everything going on in our daily lives, so it was really nice to have a shared reminder and celebration of how differently we all see, think, feel and eat,” Gamburg said. “I loved how much excitement there was around the new dishes. Not to mention, the food was delicious.”
The week was packed with OISS-hosted events. In addition to the Frank takeover, there was a student guzheng performance, an international student alumni panel, a karaoke night and a Jamaican cooking class.
“Our events where we offer student groups or organizations on campus [the chance] to create the menu are some of our most popular events, and we hope to continue to build on this relationship across campus and host other collaboration nights,” Simmons said.
