Bringing Cultures Together With Food

Apr 24, 2013

cooking You can tell a lot about a person’s culture based on the food they eat and how he or she eats it. 

Students in a Food in Global History class were assigned to look at the relationship between food and culture by interviewing an international student and preparing a favorite dish from that person’s country.

Kate Monger ’13, Bozeman, Mont., interviewed Aashik Olety ‘16, an international student from India.

“Getting to know Aashik’s culture and learning how connected he still is to his heritage was a great experience,” Monger says.

Monger prepared a popular Indian dish called paneer butter masala, which is made with Indian cheese and a creamy sauce served over white rice or with naan.

Students in the class concluded the assignment with an international dinner where they talked about the food they made, the culture behind it and were able to taste each other’s dishes.

Dr. Joy Lintelman, professor and chair of history, says her favorite part was watching students gain an understanding of different cultures through examining their food ways.

“Students really immersed themselves in the cooking,” she says. “Food is a great way to learn about other cultures and to get to know other people.”



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