The year at Cotter doesn’t seem like it is officially underway until you have attended the first of the biannual international dinners at the Resident Center.

The international dinner aims to bring the Cotter family together at the dorm for a meal, which in part, is prepared by students in the dorm.

The event takes place once each semester. From three to five countries are represented at each meal, as students from a given country usually make a traditional dish from their homeland. This year’s dinner, which took place on November 19, featured food from Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States.

When guests entered the dorm, the first station they encountered was he United States. Jalapeno poppers, served by American dorm students J.J. Corn, and Katie and Greg Schultz, proved to be a popular and unique choice.

Vietnam, the second country station,  is usually one of the most popular with the guests. Serving Vietnamese spring rolls, Tri Nguyen stood as the lone Vietnamese server.

The next station, Taiwan, served green onion pancakes. Cotter students Sharon Chung, Annie Chang, Joseph Cheng and Josh Chu ran the Taiwan station.

While trying to show guests how to make the dish, they had a few problems, eventually setting off the fire alarm. Twice.

“The guests really liked it and they said that Taiwan’s was the best,”said Dave, the RA.

Sharon Chung, had this to say, “We were busy for a long time, but it was worth it. At least we worked really hard.”

The final station was  for South Korea. Mike Kim, Albert Oh, Sang Hyuk Lee, Hyeogmin Kweon, Eileen Shin, Wendy Bae, and Eric Cho helped to serve the traditional dish bulgogi, otherwise known as “Korean Barbeque.”

After the upstairs appetizers, everyone was ushered downstairs into the cafeteria, where Steakshop Catering served a wonderful meal consisting of foods from the four countries represented.

Attendance was strong, and guests look forward to returning in the spring for a second helping.