OIS teaches students to make their own Thanksgiving dinner

Take eight parts curious internationals, one part neuroscience graduate student/amateur… Take eight parts curious internationals, one part neuroscience graduate student/amateur cook and one part unprepared Thanksgiving fare. Mix well.

It was the recipe for a good time last week, as a small group of international students gathered in the Cathedral of Learning’s 12th-floor kitchen for an interactive cooking demonstration sponsored by the Office of International Services.

“This program has been one of the most successful since I’ve started,” said Jamie Rayman, international programming coordinator for OIS, “because it is centered around something people in every culture do – eat.”

The demonstrations provide an intimate setting in which students can learn about different styles of cooking while meeting new people – with food serving as the icebreaker.

“For international cooks, it’s a great experience for them to practice their English in a comfortable setting,” she added.

In the past, the demonstrations have featured Turkish, Japanese and Italian cuisines. But this time, it was an American affair, as neuroscience graduate student Anne Stetler taught the assemblage how to properly prepare a Thanksgiving feast.

Clustered around the island in the middle of the kitchen, the eight-person group observed as Stetler discussed the proper techniques for making classic Thanksgiving staples – turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. Amidst an array of pots, pans, cans, spices and utensils, she doled out jobs to the eager participants, and soon the kitchen resounded with the busy sounds of mixing, beating, boiling and laughter. While the turkey cooked and an assortment of pots simmered on the stove, the attendees socialized and marveled at the tasty treats materializing before their eyes.

“This was ambitious, doing a whole dinner in an hour,” said Natasha Bhogal, a graduate student from Montreal. Bhogal said she comes to the demonstrations to see if she is “doing the right thing” and plans to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with her roommates this year.

Mako Araga, a staff member in the epidemiology department, is also planning to host a celebration of the holiday this year. Carefully observing the turkey-stuffing procedure on the counter, she said that she planned to invite many guests to dinner after learning how to properly prepare the essentials of the meal.

The turkey also garnered attention from Yoshiki Kato. “It’s great,” he said, as a fellow participant carved the bird. “Smells good. We don’t have big turkeys like this in Japan.”

When the moment of reckoning – eating – finally came, the group assembled at a long table set with the fruits of their labor. If the quiet that settled over them as they sampled their creations was no indication of the event’s success, then the carefree conversations taking place between the new friends certainly was.