(The following article originally appeared in the March 8, 2009 Anniston Star)

International Flavors Abound
At Taster's Fair

By Megan Nichols
Staff Writer

Jacksonville State University students piled their plates high Saturday with foods many had never tasted, but couldn't get enough of.

Nick Johnson, 19, made his way through a plate filled with samplings of 28 countries' cuisines.

"I don't really even know what I'm eating anymore," Johnson said, munching on a rice dish. "I just know it's tasty."

He was one of many students who flocked to Leone Cole Auditorium Saturday night for a taster's fair hosted by JSU's International Student Organization. It was the final event of the university's International Week.

Students from all over the world prepared and served dishes popular in their home countries. Many also dressed in their country's customary style, such as the Chinese students who wore brightly colored silks.

Many students made dishes that are comfort foods in their home countries. Those foods, they said, remind them most of good times at home.

Martha Wako, president of the organization, was happy to see long lines of students filing into the auditorium and waiting to sample the savory smelling fare.

Wako, who is from Kenya, made pilau, a rice and beef dish that tastes similar to Louisiana's Cajun cooking. She said her mom makes the meal all the time back home.

"My cousin (who also goes to JSU) tasted this and he said 'Oh, this makes me want to go home so bad,'" Wako said.

Yasir Khalili, who is from Iraq, made ground beef kabobs and served them with rice flavored with olive oil, parsley and other herbs.

"Cuisine really reflects a person's culture, so I think this is a really good way to get to know the world," said Khalili, a senior studying biology.

Camila Gonzalez piled pupusas on plates, the triangular corn tortillas stuffed with cheese a popular item.

Gonzalez, who is from El Salvador, couldn't make her pupusas just like her mom does because she couldn't find the right cheese. But she said mozzarella was a decent substitute.

"We love these back home," she said. "I really think people will like them." And they did..

 

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