By Do, Ngan Kim (2006 MPP)

The International Food Festival is an annual event where all the different countries represented at the KDI School gather to share their unique food and culture. The event was held on November 3, 2006 in Lincoln Hall, KDI School. Faculty members, staff, guests from embassies, and other organizations were all invited to enjoy the various foods made by the KDI School students.

Students from approximately forty countries were divided into seven groups to decorate their exhibition spaces and to cook famous dishes of their countries. Posters and brochures were provided to introduce the many countries of every team. Each group presented five to six dishes which were representative of the typical foods of their countries.  The menu included Vietnamese spring rolls, Mexican burritos, Korean pizza, Russian salads, Middle Eastern fish and curries, and many others. Presentation was also important and layouts were planned in the most attractive ways to encourage guests to vote for specific teams. Each guest could vote once for best food and then also once for best cultural presentation. Prizes were awarded to the groups with the most votes.

After the welcoming remarks from the organizers and a student representative, groups made presentations and played traditional music from each country. Many students wore their country’s traditional clothing, adding to the authenticity and ambience of the festival. People from each team, in their traditional costumes, explained the meaning of each food, as well as its ingredients, and of course, how to enjoy the traditional food.

While dining on the food, students sang, danced, and made more presentations. Guests, faculty members, staff, and students linked hands to dance in a solidarity circle to the rhyme of “Se-le-me”, led by Woldegiorgis Solomon Aberra (MPP student from Ethiopia).

At the end of the activities, awards were announced by Prof. David Behling, Jung Kwon, and Hahm Sang Moon to conclude the Festival.