Food fair brings cultural understanding for Pitt

Anyone passing by the William Pitt Union Ballroom Wednesday afternoon surely smelled it. It… Anyone passing by the William Pitt Union Ballroom Wednesday afternoon surely smelled it. It was an unusual odor, one uncommon for that part of the building. Delicious aromas of chicken, pasta and spices, to name a few, filled the air and enticed passersby to enter the Ballroom.

The smells wafting from the Ballroom were coming from the “Differences Among Cultures Using Food as a Guide” food fair, part of the second annual Diversity Week, hosted by the Student Government Board Multicultural Committee.

One of the many events included in Diversity Week, the food fair showcased food prepared by members of a few of Pitt’s many ethnic student groups, ranging from the African Student Organization to the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association.

The fair’s mission was to represent the many cultures present on Pitt’s diverse campus by way of food. Carrie Sulosky, president of Pitt’s Italian Club, said the event was a great way to serve the students, especially given the United State’s current situation with Iraq.

“We want to promote unity in the face of war,” she said, as students scooped heaping piles of baked ziti and gnocchi from oven pans onto their plates.

On the other hand, Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Society president Natasha Khan noted how the food fair would be important, regardless of the impending war in Iraq.

“Even without war, this type of cultural education should be promoted and participated in,” she said.

The atmosphere in the ballroom was anything but war-like as students laughed and joked, all while precariously balancing paper plates overloaded with food from Poland, Italy and Nigeria, among other countries, on their laps.

An hour into the event, approximately 100 students had sampled the ethnic foods. Shortly before the event wrapped, it was estimated more than 200 students had been to the fair.

Along with the food, knowledge was also served to students. Ann Follette, a member of the Native American Student Organization, not only served corn spoon bread, she also presented recipes for other Native American dishes.

Follette, who works at Hillman Library, was pleased to see the event had a successful turnout despite the fact students usually have very busy schedules.

“It’s hard to get full-time students [to come to events],” she said. “I should know, I’m a full-time student myself.”

Courtney Richardson, chair of the SGB Multicultural Committee, noted how the event was a great way for students to introduce themselves to cultures unfamiliar to them.

“Students are stuck in their own culture,” she said. “[The food fair] is all about the exposure.”

As Richardson examined an empty dish of baklava, one of the last dishes left, she smiled in knowing that the event was a success.

“To see people sit down and talk, even thought they may not have things in common – that’s refreshing,” she said.