The biannual international dinner at the Residence Center once again delivered a variety of tasty options prepared by students and  lots of good conversation.

     As the sunset on November 13, the party at the dorms began.  Appetizers were offered from 5:30 til 6 and included samplings of foods from four separate countries.

     Patricia Ambros, a senior from Moldova, cooked baked apples, or “Mere Coapte” in Romanian. “Usually, we would have that at holidays when a lot of people come over,” Patricia said.

     Charlotte Chen, also a senior, led a group of Chinese students in preparing red bean New Year’s cake, or “Hong Dou Nian Gao”.   “Since this is the last dinner of this year, I wanted to give a New Year’s feel,”  Charlotte said, adding that lots of Chinese girls pitched in to prepare the dish.  “Last year we made wontons, so we wanted something different.  This is a cool event, we should do it more often,” Charlotte added.

     Tri Nguyen and Bao , from Viet Nam, made golden chicken, or “Canh Ga”,  spicy grilled chicken wings and legs.  “It’s a simple, traditional Vietnamese dish and I thought people would like it,” Tri said.  He was right, there was a steady stream of return customers at their station.

     The final offering were Pigs in Blankets, from JJ Corn and Natalie Smith, representing America.  This, not surprisingly, was a hit with many of the children in attendance.

     The student chefs all mentioned the help they received from the Resident Advisors (RA) in purchasing and preparing the food.

     Following the appetizers and socializing in the lounge, the crowd moved downstairs to the cafeteria at 6:00 to enjoy a meal prepared by the kitchen staff.  This meal featured white steamed rice, pork chops, more chicken wings, kimchi, and and Moldavian chicken noodle soup.

     Tri noted how much he likes this event and thinks it serves an important purpose, “It was a good and friendly night. We enjoy  delicious dishes from different cultures. I think that the  international dinner is one of the events that helps Cotter students get out of their comfort zone, show people new cuisine, and helps them to get to know their fellow classmates.”

Patricia noted, “I enjoyed a lot the dinner and the event. I think it was a great idea, and I hope people enjoyed it as much as I did. I wish we had more countries to represent, but otherwise, I think it was a success.”