Students were able to travel to another country yesterday for lunch, without ever having to leave campus.
The Multicultural and International Student Services, with the Department of Student Services, put on their annual free food tasting with “A Taste of El Salvador” at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 30, in the mall area in front of the Lowman Student Center.
Students were able to enjoy an authentic four course meal from the Hispanic country of El Salvador.
“Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month, and we wanted to highlight a country in regards to that,” said Donielle Miller, Multicultural and International Student Services Coordinator. “We have done a few other things to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, and we were very excited to be able to put on this event.”
The lunch consisted of four basic courses from El Salvador; a salad, entre, vegetable, and dessert. The salad was a curtido, or spicy cabbage slaw, with deep fried plantains, also known as “platanos fritos.”
Students could choose between two main entres, pollo encebollad, which is stewed chicken and onions, and beef empanadas.
Herb roasted tomatoes were served along with casamiento, or black beans and rice. Dessert consisted of semita, a coffee cake with native guava and pineapple jam.
Students were also able to learn a little more about the general culture of El Salvador, as fact sheets with general information were handed out with every meal.
“We chose El Salvador because we wanted to highlight a country that is normally not recognized,” Miller said.
The Multicultural and International Student Services Department puts on a food tasting once a year, as a way for students to be able to enjoy the variety of different cultures.
“We want to get students involved, and give them to chance to experience a different culture,” Miller said.