At Athens’ International Street Fair in the spring, patrons are always steps away from cuisine from around the world.
However, curious Athenians don’t have to wait until the spring to experience the flavors of the world; instead, they can head to the Baker University Center Ballroom on Saturday for the International Student Union’s Annual International Dinner.
ISU is an umbrella organization that comprises 23 organizations that either represent a country or region of the world or have an international focus.
Not every organization submitted a recipe, but 25 dishes will be served Saturday, said Camila LeMaster Esquivel, vice president of ISU and a senior studying political science and history.
For the first time, Student Senate submitted recipes for the dinner.
“We invited Student Senate to cook with us this year because we like to coordinate with other organizations on campus,” Esquivel said. “We try to have a variation of dishes, and it depends on what the members want to make.”
ISU works with Culinary Services to coordinate the cooking and prepares the meals in Jefferson Dining Hall.
Gathering the right ingredients and coordinating with chefs is important for the success of the event, said Dyah Hening, the graduate assistant for ISU and a graduate student studying industrial and systems engineering.
“The end result is (the) promoting and understanding of culture,” Hening said. “If you want to taste food from other countries, this is a good melting pot for you.”
Also for the first time, six performances are scheduled, said Indu Sharma, a programming coordinator for the dinner and a doctoral student studying communication media arts and studies.
Five dances are planned for the gathering and the Taiwanese Student Association will be singing.
Attending cultural events is important, Sharma said, because the experiences can help enrich a life and help explain why people behave the way they do.
“When I came to America, the culture was a foreign culture, and I was not aware of things I know now,” said Sharma, who came to the United States from India.
“These kinds of events helped me learn about America, and I know it can help students learn about the world.”
ao007510@ohiou.edu
