Hundreds of people, many in colorful, ethnic outfits, live musical performances of various styles, a bluegrass band, flags and foods from dozens of nations around the world, a global train station designed to take you on a quick trip to countries you never thought you would visit, all assembled here in Arkadelphia for two hours next week.
The International Food Festival, which has been an annual celebration of the many cultures and nations represented at Ouachita since the early 1970s will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 19 from 6-8 p.m. Tickets for the festival will be $5 at the event.
A team of nine dedicated students and two staff members in the International Office has been working on putting the festival together since late last October. The team consists of international students, missionary’s kids, and also American students who want to be a part of it.
“There’s quite a bit of stuff going on so it’s helpful for us to start in the fall so that we’re not just running around trying to pull it all together in the spring,” said René Zimny, assistant director/grant center coordinator of international recruiting. “We plan for three or four months and so that evening it’s just a lot of fun and it’s great to see how it all comes together. “
Zimny, a former international student from Namibia, has been working in the International Office for the past three years. He is co directing the International Food Festival with Sharon Cosh, lecturer and coordinator of the English as second language department.
“It’s different every year because the students are different and the community is different,” Zimny said. “We do some of the planning and stuff but the students do all of the leg work, and it’s kind of nice to see them be so willing to take their own time to do it. They have their own thoughts and so every year the theme is different and they bring their own thing to it.”
This year’s theme, Global Junction, a global train station, was chosen by the students of the planning committee who have dedicated their time to this project. One of these students did not even plan originally to participate in planning the festival, but has enjoyed the experience nonetheless.
“They had their first planning meeting and were thinking about who else they could get to join,” said Abby Thomas, freshman English and history major. “One of my friends sent me a text message asking if I wanted to join the committee to help plan the food festival, and I said ‘um, I don’t really know what that is, but sure.’ It’s been fun. Everyone working on it is so different and comes from [very] different places.”
Thomas is serving on the committee as co-coordinator of catering, and has been in charge of finding volunteers to help at the festival, finding people to cook and finding kitchens for all the students who are cooking to use.
The students contributing food to the festival include international students making food from their countries, students who have studied abroad or missionary’s kids and other students who have lived in other countries or have an interest in other countries.
“I want people to know about Brazilian food,” said Catarina Figeiredo, freshman biology major and international student. “Here I’ve been having difficulty because [America] doesn’t have good food. I miss the food from my country. It’s an opportunity. If you aren’t going to Brazil then Brazil is coming to you.”
Figeiredo will be bringing two dishes to the festival. One of which, Brigadeiro, is a small, round, chocolate desert.
“Brigadeiro is something that in Brazil, if you have a party, you have to have,” Figeiredo said. “It’s impossible to go to a party and not have Brigadero there.”
In addition to Brigadeiro, students can expect nearly 50 dishes from over 30 countries, including the United States, because after all, American food is international to someone.
For more information about the International Food Festival or the Department of International Education, contact Zimny through email at zimnyr@obu.
