International Night

One of the many joys of living on a college campus is having access to culturally rich (and oftentimes free) cultural events and activities. This past weekend, for example, we found ourselves at a hilarious and totally professional student improv-musical ($3!!) and the next night at a free staging/workshop of Stew's (of "The Negro Problem) Passing Strange. Sometimes these events come in the form of food, the focus of this lively blog, and I feel it's my duty to share the inside scoop on what some of you might be missing.

International Night, sponsored by Stanford's Graduate Student Association, pulled in a crew of polo shirt, tie-dye, and sari-sporting students and happy, hungry tag-alongs. After waiting in a loooong line (hey, we're talking free food and college students!), each of us received 4 coupons, redeemable for four food samples. Waiting in line was one thing, but real challenges awaited...how to spend 4 coupons in a sea of twenty countries?! I ended up in India, partly because I love the food, but mostly because their portions were far larger than the rest. A friend of mine, who was sorely nibbling at a tiny French pastry mused that the overarching philosophies of nations could be sensed through the culture of their foods. Your thoughts?