Students gathered at the University Student Union on Friday, Dec. 1 to enjoy sweet treats from around the world.
A Sweet Escape allowed students to develop multicultural taste palates through free food samples, food-related crafts and an informational guessing game.
The Beach Pride Event was hosted by ASI and was open to all students who wished to take a break from studying and join in on the festivities. The event consisted of various food sampling stations that students could visit to try a dessert from a culture other than their own.
Oma’s Poffertjes, a local family-owned business, operated a booth at the event in hopes of familiarizing students with Dutch culture. They offered freshly-made Poffertjes, a popular dessert in the Netherlands that resembles miniature fluffy pancakes.
“When you try different foods from different cultures, it’s a whole other experience,” Vivian Lokhorst from Oma’s Poffertjes said. “You’ll find that the world is a very large place, but at the same time, a very small place. You often find a variation of the same foods in every culture.”
In addition to Poffertjes, students had the option to choose from a variety of pastries and candies, including French croissants, Mexican candy and other popular foreign desserts.
Although students mostly attended the event to try new foods, many decided to engage in the other activities that were offered.
Attendees left the main table with a sweet treat of their choice and were asked by an ASI member to play a candy-tasting game to introduce them to candies from different cultures around the world.
Students uncovered one of the many cups laid out on the table and tasted the candy underneath it. If the student correctly guessed the name the candy’s country of origin, they received a raffle ticket for a prize that would be revealed at a later time.
The game proved to be a win-win situation, as participants were able to keep the candy regardless if their guesses were correct or not.
Some attendees passed time at the arts and crafts table, which was adorned with instructions and materials to create a variety of food-themed origami designs.
“I feel like food is the language of life,” Civil Engineering major Maddy Mathis said. “You share with other people and they understand how your life is, what you’re eating, what you’re buying, how you function and everything like that.”
A complete list of future Beach Pride Events can be found at the calendar on ASI’s website.