People of many backgrounds gathered in the Frith Community Center at Jardine Apartments on Saturday for the Taiwanese Food Festival.
“With a lot of what’s happening with diversity in the K-State community, anything we can do to promote other cultures being embraced as part of the K-State Family is good to see,” said Ethan Wood, sophomore in operations and supply chain management. “I think it’s important to promote friendship and bonding through the community, especially cross-culturally.”Related:
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Wood said attending such an event was a good way to be exposed to different cultures and how they interact with other people.
“You can see how people interact over a meal,” Wood said. “There’s different cultures when it comes to dinner.”
The Taiwanese Food Festival showcased a variety of traditional Taiwanese food such as pork rice cake, braised cabbage and fried rice noodles. Attendees could enjoy refreshing boba tea while engaging in Taiwanese trivia.
“You get to hear about the other parts of the world, the students … get to know what their life is like back at home,” said Dietra Sober, sophomore in social science and international studies. “I love learning about different cultures and trying food from different cultures.”
Carol Shanklin, dean of the graduate school and professor of human nutrition, also attended the event.
“It’s important that all of us get to appreciate each other’s culture and background, and celebrate with our colleagues from different countries,” Shanklin said.
Shanklin also said it is important for students to attend cultural events.
“They can learn more about their friends and colleagues in their classes, their countries and what’s important to them,” Shanklin said. “They can relate better to one another when they are talking about different things.”
Joey Huang, president of the Taiwanese Student Association, hoped for the event to bring people together in celebration.
“I just want to share our culture, have fun and celebrate,” Huang said.
