Furman Engaged!

 The purpose of Furman Engaged is to “celebrate the wide variety of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creativity of our undergraduates” by showcasing undergraduate research in varying types of presentations around Furman University’s campus. I personally perused through a variety of posters in the PAC and attended the International Food Festival. I experienced the purpose of Furman Engaged first hand by witnessing the eclectic mix of research ranging from river cleanups to Disney World ride times.

The International Food Festival was arranged as a “tour around the world” with stations piled with food from different cultures. Each dish celebrated the culture and history of its country.

  

The first station featured food from the Middle East and India. Puff pastries and spicy chicken imported the mind directly to the Taj Mahal. 

         The second station featured traditional drinks from Mexico. Horchata, a sweet, spiced rice based drink was showcased. Other drinks included Limonada, sweetened lime juice rich in pulp and rinds, and Mango juice which also included pulp. The inclusion of pulp and rinds in these juices surprised me, considering American's usual aversion towards pulp.

                                   

        The Korean food station provided insight into one of the Korean traditions: drinking seaweed soup, miyeokguk, on birthdays. According to legend, this tradition started in the Goryeo Dynasty when people witnessed whales consuming seaweed after giving birth. Now Koreans drink miyeokguk on their birthdays in order to remember the hard work their mothers did birthing and raising them.

                                

        At the Japanese station, I learned that the uncut sushi is actually called ehomaki. They are also called fortune rolls and eaten on February 2, facing the year's lucky direction. The Japanese make wishes for the new year in silence while eating them during the festival of Setsubun. 

                                   

      The Russia station featured crepes, or Blini with fresh fruit. I was somewhat surprised that such a delicate dessert was a tradition in Russia. According to legend, the first blini was created by a weary traveler accidentally leaving oat jelly on the skillet, creating the first blini.

                             

      The last station featured spicy ground beef and rice from Cuba. This type of food likely originated after the introduction of cattle by its conquerors from Europe. This particular recipes symbolizes the spices of Cuba mixed with the cattle of Europe. A true mixture of cultures was represented in this dish that occurred from the Columbian Exchange.

      From this experience of tasting foods from many cultures of the world, I saw the influence of history and tradition in the preparation of each. The significance of each food is celebrated in each culture's festivals and holidays. 

Article Links:

http://russiapedia.rt.com/of-russian-origin/blini/ 

http://crazykoreancooking.com/recipe/miyeokguk-korean-seaweed-soup 

http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japanesefestivals/a/setsubun.htm