Get ready to take a trip to several different countries. There won’t be a plane or a passport involved, but there will be the one thing college students can’t say no to — free food.
AU’s International Student Organization (ISO) is hosting its annual Peace Dinner on Sept. 22, in the Student Center’s ballroom.
The dinner features foods from six of the more than 50 countries represented on campus.
“It’s definitely an educational experience,” said Nourah Fait, president of ISO. “It’s not only a visual experience, you’re actually eating their foods, you’re enjoying your time with them, your talking to them.”
This year’s event will feature foods from many different countries like Japan, China, India, Turkey and Korea. Desserts will be made by the Muslim Student Organization.
The peace dinner first started Sept. 26, 2001, after 9/11 and has become a tradition.
Although it has been running every year, it was not until the dinner which occurred on the first anniversary of 9/11 that it was decided to be an annual event.
“Everybody liked the program, liked coming and eating, you know just tasting different foods and finding out about different countries,” said Nejla Orgen, adviser for the ISO. “We started calling it peace dinner, hoping we would promote peace and that our students are our future.”
People who attend the program are given a menu in which they are able to choose which country they want to eat from. Menu in hand, they are then given a sticker with the country’s flag on it. Guests then proceed to the chosen country to get their food and converse with individuals from that country.
“The peace dinner is about introducing the tastes of different cultures to different people in Auburn,” said Arun Kumar (Arun) Jayakeerthy, vice president of Web and Coordination Committee for the Indian Student Association. “Food is an entry point to a country. If you go to a place that you’ve never been before, what is the thing you try out the most? The food is the first thing you try.”
The ISA will have five different dishes, which will highlight the best of Indian Cuisine.
The area will be decorated to give the feel of a traditional ceremony complimented by posters of dancers and garments. Each country has a designated area. Here they can play music from their country and show pictures from that area of the world.
Also, donation boxes will be available at the dinner for attendees who want to give to the War on Hunger.
Participants for the program are pulled from some of the individual ethnic organizations on campus in an attempt to make sure the cooking and preparation is not overwhelming.
Many of the groups are having the food catered to provide the best quality. The Chinese food will be catered by Village Wok.
“The most important part is the food,” said Fengming Huang, president of the Chinese student organization. “We have no such tolerance for poor cooked food so we needed the help.”
The China portion of the dinner will also have Chinese artwork and a video showing a traditional Chinese opening ceremony.
Some traditional favorites chosen by the members of CSO will be served as the main course.
The next big event that will be hosted by the ISO is the World Fair Nov. 6.
Different countries participate by helping to educate people about their culture. Passports will be given out as attendees gather handouts, maps and other information about the country, including videos.
This event invites not only students on campus, but also elementary and middle schoolers.
“I think that the most important thing is to appreciate the countries and enjoy it and at the end of the day, understand that we aren’t all so different,” Fait said. “After all, we’re all the same.”
