Horizons Online Edition

Issue date: 3/10/06 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Judith Mikes Students and faculty join the ISA for international delights

Food is one of the many things that can bring together so many people of so many different cultures. And at the International Student Festival, held this last Saturday in the Eagle Gym, there was plenty of food to go around. Though food was not the only thing present at this event; music was playing almost continuously, and there were several dances performed by the Prescott International Folk Dancers and others.

Simply put, the food was excellent. Though do to the large amount of people that showed up, you were limited as to how much you could have. When you entered you were given a small "passport" which you were allowed to get stamped up to five times at the different tables. While there was a large amount of food made, the amount of people that arrived at the event made it necessary to instill such limitations Cuisines from more than a dozen different countries were exhibited at the event, countries like Brazil, Malaysia, and the Philippines. I sampled foods from the Netherlands, the Philippines, India, and Mauritius, all of which was excellent. I also spoke with others attending the festival, and they all seemed to agree that the food was superb. Another interesting thing to note is that all the food was cooked and prepared by the students themselves.

The setup of the Eagle Gym really lent itself to the festival's activities. As you entered you first encounter a table, where you get your "passport" and can pick up some free items. Directly beyond that was the "stage" where the dancers performed during the later half of the event. Towards the back end of the gym were three long tables where all the food was set up. Along the far wall, members of Alpha Sigma Tau were doing face paintings and there was a huge table full of pamphlets, small books, and brochures full of information. Along the walls were advertising posters for various nations. Stringing from the basketball hoops to the walls were large streamers with the flags of various nations hanging from them. And in the center of the gym, the tables and chairs were laid out in a semi-circle fashion around the stage area. Overall, the place was setup well and things went smoothly the entire time.

The music played almost continuously during the event, in both modern and traditional styles of diverse cultures. And about halfway through the event, the Prescott International Folk Dancers took the floor in their fourth performing for the festival. They performed eight different traditional folk dances, including the Bhangra from India and Yaylalar from Turkey. Their performance went well, even though it was slightly longer than expected. I had seen their performance last year, and was still impressed at their knowledge of the varying dances from the different cultures. They were also not the only one's to perform. The Hawaiian club performed a hula that they also performed at the recent Luau they hosted. While these concluded the main events of the festival there were also several drawings for various prizes, such as a free haircut from the campus barber, gift certificates to restaurants and even tickets to Harkins Theaters.

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