Everybody eats. Whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, people around the world have turned one of mankind’s most basic necessities into an art of enjoyment. That being said, the way in which different cultures eat can vary tremendously. These differences inspired the International Student Assembly (ISA) to organize a celebration of our global community here at USC.
At 11 o’clock, hungry lunch guests started trickling onto McCarthy Quad, where various ISA representatives had set up stands with different dishes from all over. Guests were invited to try food ranging from Ethiopian stews and injera (a regional sourdough flatbread) to Korean Fried Chicken and Brazilian rice, meat, and fried plantains. The Chinese table had set up a series of colorful dishes, while the Japanese table delighted guests with a selection of really good sushi. One table went so far as to combine Eastern with Western cuisine, as it plated up its Asian fusion tacos.
By early afternoon, the steady stream of Trojans had become a lengthy queue of people waiting to part take in the highly popular event. By 2 o’clock, there wasn’t a scrap left in sight! The bottom line to this is of course that most people do not turn down free food. On a more fundamental level however, students’ curiosity and interest in each others’ cuisines formed the main takeaway from this event. Eating together and trying new things provides a tremendous opportunity for students to embrace a different cultures in a fun and exciting way!