Worldfest Food Tour: Come for the Culture, Stay for the Cuisine

From: UC News

Few events on campus offer an opportunity to indulge your palate quite like Worldfest. Here's your quick guide to the more eclectic eats and appetizing aromas that will be wafting across campus April 23-29.

Date: 4/18/2012 12:00:00 AM
By: John Bach
Phone: (513) 556-5224

Photos By: Lisa Ventre, Photo Services

   
UC's Worldfest is best known for the International Festival that will take place on McMicken Commons at lunchtime Thursday, April 26. But multicultural events actually span the entire Worldfest week. And like the International Festival, many events include plenty of tasty (often free or low-cost) ethnic dishes. 

Here's your guide to some of the international flavors you can sample throughout the week:

The Dish: Sweet treats and appetizers from around the world
Menu: Vietnamese spring rolls and fresh rolls; Indian gulab jamun, samosas, pakoras; Jamaican plantains, chicken and vegetable patties; Ethiopian beef and vegetable sambussa; Mexican tres leches cake and flan; plus Greek kataifi and baklava
When and where: 4 p.m., Monday, April 23, @ TUC's Great Hall
Served up by: Worldfest committee
Event: Worldfest Kickoff  Celebration

The Dish: Latin dishes and desserts
Menu: Tacos and fajitas with sopapillas
When and where:  Noon, Tuesday, April 24, @ 555 Steger Student Life Center
Served up by: Latinos en Accion and Ethnic Programs and Services (EPS)
Event: Tacos on Tuesday

The Dish: International Festival (of food)
A foodie's tour of some of the McMicken Commons booths at lunchtime, April 26

• Arabic Club: Baklava
• French Club: Crêpes and madeleines
• German Club: Pretzels
• Hillel Jewish Student Center: Birthday cake (to mark Israel's birthday)
• Identity: Smoothies
• Indian Student Association: Samosa chat
• International Friendships: Oranges, apples and nuts
• Japanese American Student Society: Yakisoba
• Latinos en Accion: Churros, niño envuelto, conchas, jarritos
• Muslim Student Association: Falafel, hummus, pita bread and samosa
• Taiwanese Student Association: Fried rice, Chinese sausage, fried dumplings and bubble tea
• Turkish Student and Scholars Association: Pogaca, feta borek, lentil ball, pumpkin dessert, grape leaves, tabouleh, Turkish coffee

When and where: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, April 26, @ McMicken Commons
Served up by: UC International, Mainstreet and SALD
Event: International Festival

The Dish: Shabbat dinner
Menu: Traditional Israeli food including hummus, falafel, barekas and pita
When and where:  7 p.m., Friday, April 27, @ Stratford Heights Pavilion
Served up by: Cincinnati Hillel
Event: Challah, It’s Shabbat Dinner!

The Dish: Northern Indian cuisine
Menu: Samosas, pakoras, gulab jamun, vegetable biryani, saag paneer
When and where:  4 p.m., Saturday, April 28, @ Sigma Sigma Commons
Served up by: Ethnic Programs and Services, Asian American Association and Hindu Yuva
Event: Holi Festival

The Dish: Taste of India
Menu: Nan, paneer butter masala, aloo gobi, pakora with chutney, kheer, rice and vegetable biryani
When and where:  2 - 5 p.m., Sunday, April 29, @ TUC's Great Hall
Served up by: UC's Association for India's Development
Event: Taste of India

Beyond the food
Get complete details on all UC's Worldfest events April 19 through April 29.

Writing on the Wall Snapshots

We've finished the first part of Writing on the Wall - three hours on TUC Commons collecting writing from around 100 students. The prompts were intentionally general so that we could get a wide variety of thoughts and feelings: How do you feel about UC? What makes you feel welcome? What makes you feel unwelcome?

Some snapshots of the time are below:

Tynisha (RAPP XX) contemplates what to write on the wall.

As the wall starts to fill, Anthony (XXV) and other students start writing on the bottom.

Some of the several pieces of "RAPP Love" on the wall. :)

The wall got filled on all four sides by a wide variety of thoughts and feelings. In the background, you can see Latoya, Lisa, and Mykea (all XXIV).

Keisa and friend finishing up the wall before we moved it.

Writing on the Wall was organized by the African American Cultural and Research Center, Ethnic Programs and Services, Hillel, and Student Activities and Leadership Development.

The Writing on the Wall

This Friday the AACRC, EPS, Hillel, and SALD are all collaborating on a two-part program called the Writing on the Wall.
Part One:
From noon to 2PM on the TUC Plaza, come write on the wall. Record things you've overheard, things you've done, or things you've seen that have impacted our UC community. What has made you sad or unwelcome in our community? Or, conversely, what have you seen/done that has made you proud to be a Bearcat?
From 4pm to 5pm in 419 TUC, come see the wall in total and discuss what you see there? Are we truly a just community? What has helped make us so and what has held us back?

This interactive program is bound to be thought-provoking and informative. Come to either or both parts!