{"id":53957,"date":"2023-03-29T04:54:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T08:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=53957"},"modified":"2023-08-08T12:10:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T16:10:47","slug":"photo-essay-emus-9th-annual-international-food-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2023\/photo-essay-emus-9th-annual-international-food-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Photo Essay: EMU’s 9th Annual International Food Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Rain did not stop the International Food Festival from drawing in crowds on Friday, Mar. 24, 2023. Students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered in Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s Hall of Nations for an evening of international cuisine, music, dancing, and fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each attendee was given several white tickets for food and one red ticket for voting. The winners, who were decided by the number of red tickets, were as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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1st place: Black Student Alliance (BSA)<\/strong> representing African American culture with fried chicken wings, mac and cheese, and sweet tea<\/li>\n\n\n\n
2nd place: Mohammad Khatiri<\/strong>, representing Saudi Arabia with cheesecake and fettuccine<\/li>\n\n\n\n
3rd place: Wendell Shank, <\/strong>with Mexican-style chicken tamales and posole<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
BSA won several years in a row before the festival took a two-year hiatus due to COVID. When the food festival returned last year, BSA did not compete. This year, BSA picked their winning streak back up.
Members of the team included Sha\u2019Dymon Blanton, Nia Boyd, Kylik Bradshaw, Donesha George, Nardos Haile, Royale Parker, Brii Redfearn, Rachael Saeli, Merry Yirga, <\/strong>and advisor Celeste Thomas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe’re proud of our team. It was a long day of cooking and a collaborative effort filled with lots of fun and laughter,\u201d said Haile (middle). \u201cWe’re happy to bring African American cuisine to a wide range of people,” added Yirga (left). “We’re very proud of each other, and we love our team.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn Saudi Arabia, we admire food so much that we try anything new. If we don\u2019t like it, we add and change ingredients so it tastes better to us,\u201d said 2nd place winner Mohammad Khatiri<\/strong> (left). \u201cWe love changing recipes and trying new ones, which is why there are a lot of small businesses in Saudi Arabia selling food in food trucks, in small restaurants, or even on Instagram.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khatiri gave crowds a taste of his cheesecake and encourages anyone who did not get to try it or who wants more to order from his Instagram, @Khatir_khakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
EMU language and literature professor Wendell Shank <\/strong>(far right), <\/strong>3rd place winner, made Mexican-style tamales and posole. “EMU is an international community, and this festival is a wonderful way to have people come out and show food that they’re proud of, that they’ve experienced and enjoyed around the world, and that brings them pride and joy,” Shank said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Hebron Mekuria<\/strong> (left) and Noel Abeje<\/strong> (right) of Ethiopia made tibs, kitfo, and siga wot. Aman Seyoum<\/strong> and Ruth Seyoum<\/strong>, also representing Ethiopia, made tibs, tikil gomen, and shiro, which is what they \u201cwould eat at home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEMU is kind of my second home now because we\u2019re international students,\u201d Aman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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