Ramesh Neupane, UNK International Student Association student adviser, 305.766.4488 or neupaner1@lopers.unk.edu
Roy Machamire, president of UNK International Students Association, machamirert@lopers.unk.edu
“Bring the World to Your Plate” is the theme of the 2012 Scott D. Morris International Food and Cultural Festival set for Sunday, March 4, at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
UNK international students representing more than 10 countries, including Benin, China, India, Japan, Liberia, Mexico, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Turkey, will participate in the event. Students from each country will serve three traditional food dishes and provide entertainment.
The annual international food festival will be held in the UNK Health and Sports Center from 4 – 7 p.m., and is free and open to the public. The event is sponsored by Scott Morris of Morris Press in Kearney, and complementary cookbooks will be available.
Among the dishes to be served include: kabsa, a rice and chicken dish from Saudi Arabia; Jamaican jerk chicken and conch fritters from the Bahamas; floor helva, a Turkish dessert; pastelles de viande, fried meat pies from Africa; and home-style beef and potatoes, and garlic eggplant from China, among others.
Entertainment will include Nepali music, a combination of African dances and performances by students from Japan and Korea. Students will wear the traditional clothing of their countries.
“I think it is a great opportunity for people to taste foods from different countries, while learning about the culture, values and norms of different countries” said Ramesh Neupane of Nepal. Neupane is the UNK International Student Association student adviser.
“It is a great pleasure for us, the International Students Association, to host this event, as it gives us an opportunity to showcase our different cultures, traditions and food,” said Roy Machamire, president of UNK International Students Association (ISA). “All UNK students, faculty and people in the Kearney community should attend this event, so they can share with us this important day.” Machamire is from Zimbabwe.
“We think of the Kearney community as our hometown,” Neupane said. “We like to show our gratitude to Kearney and UNK through the international food festival, while giving a glimpse of our different cultures.”
