鈥楽haring Experience鈥 helps promote diversity, inclusion at MSU
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擮rganizers of a special spring-semester workshop at Mississippi State are deeming successful the multi-part cultural experience that brought together a diverse group of university students.
鈥淪haring Experience: Heritage, Home and History鈥 was the title of the research project made possible by an interdisciplinary grant from MSU鈥檚 Office of Research and Economic Development. Co-principal investigators were School of Architecture assistant professors Emily McGlohn and Andreea Mihalache. Mihalache now teaches at Clemson University.
Other co-principal investigators included two faculty members in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences鈥 food science, nutrition and health promotion department鈥擱en茅e Matich, who coordinates the expanded food and nutrition education program, and assistant professor Terezie Mosby, who directs dietetic internships. Also participating was assistant professor Muey Saeteurn of the College of Arts and Sciences鈥 history department.
To launch examinations of culture and diversity, the nearly two dozen students brought along personal recipes from their respective homes. With them, each began researching the origins and foodways鈥攖he cultural, social and economic practices of production and consumption鈥攐f their recipes鈥 various ingredients.
Each of the workshop鈥檚 three sessions involved a 鈥渇ocus food鈥; in this case, rice, maize and wheat. At each session, an informational lecture by a workshop鈥檚 organizer was followed by a multi-course meal of cultural dishes featuring the 鈥渇ocus food鈥 of the day.
All meals were organized and prepared by Marion Sansing of 无尽资源采集, a recognized authority on international culinary traditions.
Bringing together students from diverse backgrounds to share personal memories, recipes and a meal in the context of their unique cultural backgrounds proved a fun and enriching way to build empathy and promote cultural and global awareness, McGlohn said.
鈥淪haring a meal is a sensitive, respectful way to understand, learn and start a conversation about our heritage, home and history,鈥 she explained. 鈥淲e gained a better understanding of each other鈥檚 heritage through our culinary traditions, and we also learned about each other鈥檚 history and background through stories shared around the table.鈥
Using the 鈥渨heat鈥 session as an example, McGlohn said the main dish was lamb tagine with couscous. For dessert, students enjoyed topfenpalatschinken, a sweet, filled pancake of Austrian heritage that is similar to a French cr猫pe. Workshop participants also were served mote con huesillo, the national drink of Chile made from a blending of wheat berries and dried peaches in water flavored with cinnamon and lemon rind.
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Learn more about MSU鈥檚 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and its food science, nutrition and health promotion department at ; the College of Arts and Sciences and its history department at .
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