Fountain Dining Hall welcomed a slice of Latin American culture Thursday evening as a part of Hispanic Heritage Month. With foods such as fried plantains, lechon asado and roasted chicken with mole sauce on the menu, “A Taste of Latin America” showcased the diversity of Latin American food.
The event was a collaboration between University Dining and Multicultural Student Affairs, who worked to make this event culturally appropriate and sensitive, according to Nelson Santiago, assistant director of Multicultural Student Affairs. Santiago said this is the first time they have held such an event.
Kevin Kelley, University Dining’s food service supervisor said “A Taste of Latin America” was a success, considering more than 1,900 people attended.
“Our expectations were to end the Hispanic Heritage Month with a bang and feature one of our themed meals again,” Kelley said. “[Based on the] feedback I got from the students so far, I think everything was pretty well-received. Our numbers met our expectations, so that was good, particularly with it being the opening night of the fair.”
Students and staff all came to experience a taste of Latin American culture.
“I came here tonight because I love South America in general, and I love their food,” said Lucile Nambotin, a graduate student studying business. “Since I was little I was attracted by this culture; it is a part of the world that makes me dream.”
The dinner demonstrated that Latin American food is not only about tacos and salsa, but instead includes a great range of diversity.
“The food was something a little more upscale than what everybody was used to,” Kelley said. “We put a lot of time and a lot of energy into it in the front of the house, the back of the house and with management planning everything.”
According to Kelley, themed dinners such as this one take a lot of planning, preparation and production. He said everything is ready to be served at the dinner only because of the months of preparation beforehand.
“It’s all about preparation,” Kelley said. “Preparation was done a week in advance and planning was done months in advance. Our food preparation, the cooks and the chefs have been doing that all week. So when it came to the production, actually putting it out for service, it was smooth. I don’t think we ran out of anything up until maybe the last 15 to 20 minutes, so we were pretty much spot-on as far as what we needed to prep for everybody. I don’t think we turned away anybody hungry.”
Luana Pasetti Vanin, a student studying science mobility, said she was a big fan of the fruit Fountain offered during the themed meal.
“I loved the passion fruit,” Pasetti Vanin said. “I’m not sure if it’s just from Brazil or if other parts in Latin America have it. And I’m taking home a papaya, or a mamão, in Portuguese.”
Dinner also came with a show, as NC State’s Latin dance team Sube Ritmo performed three times throughout the evening.
“The performances went very well,” said Miguel Migliore, a senior studying computer science and Sube Ritmo dancer. “I thought the fact that University Dining gave us the opportunity to showcase our talent and our culture was very respectful of them, especially on the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month.”
The dance group performed a bachata dance by JR, called “Amarte Sin Amarte.” Migliore and Anh Doan, a senior studying biological sciences, said the crowd was very excited about their performances.
“We got a lot of really good feedback,” Doan said. “A lot of people came up to us afterwards and complimented us, which was really nice.”
Students and staff alike enjoyed the dance performances, according to Kelley. Not only did students watch, record and applaud Sube Ritmo, but some even danced along.
“[The dancers] went around the building from what we call the large side to the small side and danced,” Kelley said. “People participated with them and jumped in, so it was really fun. You wouldn’t have necessarily expected it with college kids I guess, but they did it, and they had fun.”
The overall atmosphere was also a major part of the event, as the dining hall was covered with flags of Latin American countries, maps of countries that included facts, vases with multi-colored flowers and colorful, hanging pompoms.
“It’s clear that some good work was put in,” said Pedro Ramos, a junior studying chemical engineering and paper science engineering. “It was a good way to end Hispanic Heritage Month.”
Along the walls of Fountain included individual maps of countries with a few interesting facts about them. Santiago said this event was not only meant to be a cultural experience, but an educational one as well.
“University Dining and [Multicultural Student Affairs] had a conversation about education taking place everywhere on our campus,” Santiago said. “So students here should not only be educated when they go to classroom — students should be educated even when they go dine.”
However, according to Crayton Garrell, director of Food Service, the flags acted as more than decorations for some students. They symbolized their identity and heritage.
In addition to representing and displaying the array of Latin American foods, the event illustrated the “building of partnership with Multicultural Student Affairs,” Garrell said.
The Cinco de Mayo event hosted by University Dining in spring 2014 received backlash for being culturally insensitive, but the Taste of Latin America dinner was well received.
Nicky Relyea, a senior studying fashion and textile design said unlike at the Cinco de Mayo event, she did not feel offended at all and suggested that University Dining and Multicultural Student Affairs host more events like this.
“They should continue to do it with other nations,” Relyea said. “Food is an easy way to discover new cultures.”
Roasted corn cobbettes with chile-lime butter and cotija cheese along with a couple of more dishes native to Latin America were a part of University Dining's themed dinners. This event took place in Fountain Dining Hall on Oct 15, 2015.
