Bringing people together through food.
That was the goal of ONU’s World Student Organization when they hosted the first ever “Around the World” dinner on Monday, Nov. 10.
The dinner, which was held in the McIntosh Ballroom, provided a buffet of different cultural dishes from around the world. Options included South Korean beef “sushi” and fried rice, Indian vegan potato curry, Egyptian macaroni with meat and cream sauce, Brazilian rice and beans, and Brazilian chicken stroganoff. There was also German apple cake and Brazilian brigadeiros (chocolate balls) for dessert.
Aaron Salwan, WSO president, said the organization’s goal was to allow American students to step out of their comfort zones and try something new, in addition to providing the international students on campus with a little taste of home.
“Food is a great way to learn about cultures because it is something we all share,” he said.
The dinner also gave international students a chance to represent and share their cultures through food—and music.
Two students performed during the course of the dinner, and when performances were not going
on, international music played in the background. American student Kaylee Schoepe sang soulful renditions of songs like Wondergirls’ “Nobody,” and Vinicius Bastos of Brazil sang several Portuguese tunes as he strummed on his guitar.
Aaron admitted that he was pleasantly surprised by the turnout of the event, which boasted over 100 attendees. Considering not many pre-sale tickets were sold, there was some initial doubt as to whether or not people would actually come.
Diego Cabral, WSO secretary and exchange student from Brazil, said that none of the food was catered. Instead, everything was made by the WSO members.
He said that they spent over 12 consecutive hours cooking on the Sunday before the dinner, and even more time was spent in preparation before that.
“It was very tiring overall, but I am proud with the result,” Diego said.
Diego and his friend Daniela worked to prepare the Brazilian chicken stroganoff that ended up being the most popular dish of the night.
“Unfortunately, even with all of this preparation, the food ran out pretty quickly,” said Aaron. “So there were even more people who wanted to attend, but had to be turned away due to the lack of food. The amount of people seeking to try the cuisine was a little overwhelming,” he admitted.
However, “the fact that attendees enjoyed themselves and had good feedback made it all worth it,” Diego said.
“It wasn’t so easy, because we didn’t have a lot of help [from others], but I would totally do it again,” he said.
Aaron added that, although it would have been ideal to be more prepared, WSO is still happy with the outcome. The organization has learned a lot and hopes to improve upon this for a second installment next year.
“The idea was great, and the execution will no doubt be improved,” said Aaron. “I hope to see this lead a legacy of diversity.”
By getting more students involved and having enough food, he looks forward to seeing it be even more successful next year.