Associated Students of Riverside City College hosted its annual Taste of Nations event in celebration of International Education Week with over 1,500 people in attendance. There were many fragrant aromas as students waited in lines to get samples of food at their booths of choice. At the Mexico booth, a representative wore a Jalisco Ribbon Dress with hues of pink, blue and white, which is a costume typically worn by Mexican ballet folklorico dance performers.
Students, faculty and staff came to experience food from around the world at RCC on Terracina Drive. Over 18 food vendors represented multiple countries at the Nov. 20 event.
Spanakopita, a “spinach pie (was) really good (and) very savory,” said volunteer David Johnson, as he ate the Greek dish.
Booth volunteer David Sosa said the Chinese kung pao chicken and fried rice was pretty good.
Countries that were represented by food vendor booths were from all over Europe like Greece, Italy and Germany. A few others were Asian countries such as China, Philippines, Japan and Thailand.
Middle Eastern dishes were served such as babousa, dolmas, baklava, falafel, pita and hummus.
Beverages included Japanese iced matcha, Vietnamese iced coffee, chai from India, agua fresca from Mexico and lemonade from the U.S.
Megan Bottoms, ASRCC adviser, explained that this event was held to represent nations of students of all different origins through foods from all over the world.
The event six years ago only showcased six food vendors, but it has continued to grow since then, Bottoms said. They are always willing to add more to honor every culture.
Charelle Anderson, a Polynesian food vendor gave a rundown of their menu from their Norco restaurant North Shore Plate Lunch.
“Poke, raw fish, spicy mayo poke (and) musubi, which is the Hawaiian steak sandwich,” said Anderson.
Pulled pork, mac and cheese and coleslaw were served at the U.S. booth.
This event was not possible without the immense amount of support.
“Faculty, staff, administrators and student clubs generously volunteered their time to serve and assist,” said Bottoms in an email received by Viewpoints.
RCC grounds crew set up the event space, while the Printing and Graphics, Food Services, Makerspace, Marketing and Holden Student Life and Leadership departments all contributed as community restaurants and business vendors were there to support, Bottoms added.
Students checked in and were given a Taste of Nation Passport where they got to experience up to 10 booths, for free, said Taylor Taitano, ASRCC senator and pro tem.
As students meandered from booth to booth, experiencing food and flavors from multiple countries, stickers were placed from each country on their passports. Once their passports filled up, students could purchase another for $5 if they wanted to experience more booths or go back for seconds.
Faculty and staff were able to purchase a passport for $5, unless they were volunteering, then it was free, Taitano added.
Along with tasting new flavors, students could also play a prize drop game at the Cuban booth and had a chance to win temporary tattoos.
Ethiopia, Bahamas, Nigeria and China were among those that displayed cultural artifacts at their informational booths.
