Save a swipe on your meal plan or some Dining Dollars this afternoon and give yourself a taste of culture instead.
The Critical Languages Center is hosting its annual Exotic Food Tasting Tour from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in B.B. Comer Hall Room 200.
“Language is part of the culture, and food is part of a culture too,” said Ning Wang, a Ph.D. student who works in the CLC. “We want the students to have a chance to experience the culture, which makes them want to learn a language.”
Anyone planning to attend must bring a minimum of a $6 donation to B.B. Comer to get a ticket, or “passport.” The CLC recommends getting your passport as early as possible in the day because there are a limited number available.
“If they come during the event we may not have enough passports and we may have to turn them away,” said Ilyas Ileri, a graduate student who works in the CLC. “We don’t want to run out of food.”
The Modern Languages and Classics Department, which includes the CLC, offers courses in a total of 30 different languages. The CLC is a part of the department that offers courses in 20 languages not typically taught at the collegiate level such as Croatian, Farsi, Norwegian and Thai.
With 14 different countries being represented this afternoon, the tasting is an opportunity for students to learn more about these programs and many of the cultures they represent.
The tasting has grown every year since it started five years ago, both in the number of cultures represented and the number of people who attend. Last year, 12 different cultures participated, and almost 200 people showed up to eat.
“It’s getting really big,” Ileri said. “Next semester this place might not be big enough.”
The tasting will be set up down the hallway outside of B.B. Comer 200, and attendees will get the chance to try every country’s cuisine. The passports keep track of the countries that attendees visit through the culinary trip, and each country will stamp the passports after students have sampled their food.
“We want people to be able to taste all the different samplings,” Wang said.
To enhance the experience for everyone involved, the tables will be decorated and many of the professors will be dressed in traditional clothing. This not only makes the experience more enjoyable for attendees, but it also makes the tasting more of a learning experience.
All of the food is being prepared by natives of the country they represent, making this an ideal opportunity for students to learn outside the classroom and to try many new and different foods from around the world.
