ASB collaborated with nine of Northwood’s cultural clubs for the Prom Food Fair on April 24 to share traditional dishes with students.
Held at the Oak during lunch, the event aimed to celebrate cultural diversity and bonding among students. Foods such as the Federation of Jewish Students club’s latkes and gimbap from K-Media Club were served during the event. To ensure safety regulations, clubs displayed notices for major allergens such as peanuts and eggs.
“The idea was that prom brings us together physically, and we wanted to bring the idea of how the food fair would bring us together culturally,” ASB community liaison senior Jacob Huh said. “We realized food was a good way that brought everyone together, and that’s something that the student population really liked. We thought this event would be a great opportunity for [students] to bond together and also enjoy the food of all the clubs across campus.”
Planning for the fair began roughly two months in advance, with Huh and junior class president Matthew Lee personally reaching out and coordinating food selections with club presidents. To incentivize participation, clubs were offered a catered lunch of their choice.
According to Huh, the event, previously known as the Cultural Food Fair, was held two years ago but was dropped due to low club participation and poor communication. This year, earlier outreach and deliberate planning made the fair possible.
“I want people to know what Turkish culture is since there’s [not] a lot of Turkish people at our school,” Turkish Club president junior Sevda Oten said. “I think it’s good that people can learn in different ways, whether through our club or when we share our food.”
The continuation of the Prom Food Fair will depend on decisions made by the incoming ASB cabinet, although Huh expressed interest in sustaining collaborations with cultural clubs through similar events for the remainder of the year.
“It’s nice to learn about people’s cultures,” freshman Noor Saleh said. “You see how every culture has different types of food that they enjoy … because then you learn about everyone and everyone feels included.”
