Multicultural Feast offers chance to try new food experiences
It was a melting pot, of sorts -- the Puerto Rican potatoes, the hummus with olives, the all-American green bean casserole.
And the way you knew it was all good was the way people steadily scooped more and more of it into their mouths, commented on the spices in the salsa and marveled at the barbecue flavor of the pulled pork.
"It gives you a chance where you can taste other food where (normally) you wouldn't get a chance to try it," said Greg Thomas, a student at Henderson Community College on Tuesday.
He and his friends decided to dip their forks and spoons into the college's annual Multicultural Feast in the Fine Arts Center. The event was in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month.
It was a chance not only to learn how different cultures approach food, but also to catch up with others.
At a table relatively near the offerings, Waverly resident Darrell Beaven laughed and joked with his friends, at least one of whom had worked with him at Rayloc.
After he got laid off, he decided to go back to school. Now he's working on a degree to become a clinical lab technician.
Beaven said this was his first multicultural feast, and it was hard for him to choose his favorite dish.
But Barbara Barness had no problem with that assignment.
"The mixed vegetables and the pulled pork," she said immediately, adding that the pork was prepared by Bill Dixon and his wife.
She said she is a student in the Adult Learning Center, where she is studying to be a drug counselor.
"I think it's very interesting because of so many difficult cultures and tastes," Barness said.
Henderson resident Nancy Clark, who is studying to be a medical assistant, had worked at Gibbs for 38 years before she turned to Henderson Community College.
"I liked it all," she said, adding that her favorite was a dish she didn't know the name of but that was fried and looked like a burrito.
Student LaDawn Chambers of Henderson said she liked the fact that so many cultures were brought together at one event.
"This is the month of February, but they brought in not just black history but different cultures," she said.
Mike Nixon, a student whose background is in preparing meals, said he was especially impressed with the flavor of the pulled pork.
"I used to be a barbecue cook for 21 years," he said of his time at Peak Bros. Pit Bar-B-Q in Waverly.
Lori McGuire, who is studying introduction to computers, said she enjoyed the event because "you can be surprised by what kind of heritages people have in their background."
A look at the table of food was evidence of that. While not every plate had an accompanying description, the college's director of cultural diversity said he estimated that between eight and 10 countries were represented.
"I think it went very well," he said. "The learning community that sponsored it was very pleased, and it's always a favorite activity of the college."
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Meanwhile, other events scheduled during Diversity Week include Thursday's International Tea Time at 5:30 p.m. in the Cyber Cafe in the Sullivan Technology Center. Also on Thursday is the 6:30 p.m. film "To Kill A Mockingbird," with discussion to follow in Room 310 in the Sullivan Technology Center.
On Friday at 11:30 a.m., HCC will hold its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Program. The keynote speaker will be Bobbie W. Jarrett, executive director of the Housing Authority of Henderson, on the Fine Arts Center stage.
The President's Award for Diversity will also be presented.
These events are free and the public is invited. For more information, contact Dixon at 831-9650.
