Letter to the Editor: International Dinner
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Dear Editor,
The SAIS International Dinner is considered one of the can’t-miss highlights on the SAIS calendar, and this year’s event held Saturday certainly lived up to those lofty expectations.
Food remains one of the few things upon which every culture, country and region can agree. It’s a common denominator that brings people together like few things in the world can. Setting aside political and cultural rivalries (for the most part), students from Italy, Germany, Thailand, and Zimbabwe came together to cook an unbelievable and exotic feast.
The cooks were jubilant and proud of their creations and knew quite well all their hard work in the kitchen was going to bring delight to many patrons. Plates were piled high with Swedish meatballs, Greek spanakopita and fried rice from China. You could tell the night was filled with an electricity that other SAIS events don’t have.
Simply put, international Dinner celebrates not only cuisine, but also the diversity of the SAIS community. As a second-year student, it’s fair to say that I’ve never been surrounded by such an eclectic mix of people in my life.
Everyday, I take for granted that I sit next to Chinese and Taiwanese students in the library; I grab a chai latte at nearest Starbucks with friends from Korea and Brazil. And even grabbing sandwiches with my classmates who hail from Maine and New Jersey still brings a sense of excitement and wonder to me.
The fact that International Dinner brings all these amazing and diverse cultures under one event certainly makes it my favorite event on the calendar. Food unites us; it brings us together like a family – a SAIS family.
Sincerely,
Kevin Pang
Second-year at SAIS Washington
