Anyone roaming the Old University Union on Friday evening might have gotten a hint of a mouth-watering aroma in the halls. Those who attended the African Student Organization’s (ASO) annual food fair were lucky enough to try out delicious, traditional African dishes.
Audibly excited to try the different foods available to them, students started forming a line at 6:30 to get food at this first-come, first-serve event. Once the doors were fully unbolted and people could enter, a rush of delectable smells were unleashed. On one side, there were tables lined up next to each other with several trays of food being served by ASO members. The other side was set up with places to eat.
The first trays held different kinds of rice. Jollof, a West African rice dish stewed with peppers, onions, tomatoes and seasonings such as paprika and red pepper flakes, was one of them. It was a spiciness of the dish is not unusual for West African cuisine, said Florence Nkrumah, a freshman majoring in nursing.
“We just want to give the people a little feel of what to expect for the banquet,” she said.
Following the Jollof was a choice of vegetable fried rice or regular white rice. Although not traditionally African foods, they were a great addition to the buffet. After the rice, members served fried plantains. The savory fruit was vivid with flavor, and as spicy as the Jollof. Though many cultures share plantains, these were prepared in a West African style, seasoned with paprika and hot pepper. A spinach stew in the next tray was one of the best dishes of the night. It wasn’t spicy, yet it was prepared with garlic and was deliciously wholesome and filling. Mac and cheese was in the last tray, showing the blend of American and African cultures the ASO brought to this feast.
Elizabeth Acheampong, secretary of the ASO, helped to manage the event.
“We do the food festival every year in the fall semester and what we do is just expose everyone to African culture,” said Acheampong, a senior double-majoring in human development and African studies.
She explained that the ASO has traditional drumming and dancing at other events, like their annual banquet during the spring semester.
“We blow it up to a bigger aspect so we have pieces of our culture everywhere,” Acheampong said.
When people sat down to eat, everyone in the room was invested in the food in front of them. Members and non-members alike sat near each other and conversed over their African meals. James Shih, a junior double-majoring in economics and philosophy, politics and law, gave a thumbs-up when asked how he liked the food.
“I like these events because the point of college is to break out and explore groups you normally wouldn’t go with,” Shih said.
After the room was heavy with people, ASO members quieted everyone down. They brought out Oyindamola Lawal, the vice president of ASO and a junior majoring in political science, to sing her happy birthday. She blew out her candles and then the ASO provided cake to their guests. The unexpected dessert was questioned by no one, as everyone lined up to get a slice.
For those unfamiliar with traditional African foods and tastes, this event was clearly an eye-opener and palate enhancer. ASO delivered with slices of cake, but even more so with a slice of culture.