One highlight of our prep school is the international atmosphere: students from around the globe sharing their cultures and lifestyles with their U.S. dorm mates. Last Thursday, this culture exchange was culminated in an annual event known to the Tabor community as Asian Dinner.
Asian Dinner is a special dinner cooked and prepared by international students and their U.S. helpers featuring various Asian dishes.
While many of the more well-known countries, such as China and Korea, cooked their amazing and well-known meals, other lesser known countries such as Kazakhstan and Thailand showcased their offerings as well. These meals are worked on and prepared for a whole week, with massive efforts put forward in finding ingredients and cookware.
Students eagerly await the highly anticipated cuisine; many line up early to be first in line at the 5:00 pm opening. The dinner helps breaks up the monotony of school life.
Asian Dinner, like Christmas Breakfast and Super Bowl Dinner, is another special dining event that offers a little change of pace. However, unlike other events, Asian Dinner is unique in that it is a student-operated event. From advertisements to the servings, Asian Dinner is created entirely on the cooperation of kids from different countries who share a love for their culture and cooking.
International students and their helpers discover the huge effort put into cooking for the whole school; although their participation is time consuming, the process is rewarding for both international and U.S students.
For Asian students, it is an opportunity to display their culture and show their classmates the traditions of their native food.
For U.S. students, Asian Dinner gives them a chance to learn new recipes and treats while working with friends.
“Asian Dinner was so fun to be a part of because I have never cooked Thai food before and to have the chance to get to do it with Thai girls was awesome! I loved the whole experience of having people enjoy the food that I cooked and to eat what other people cooked,” Tabor junior Alexandra Spirtes commented.
And for the rest of Tabor Academy, Asian Dinner is a delicious and highly entertaining meal that comes but once a year.
By Jake Farias