“There’s something really special about sharing your favorite dish with other people,” said Junior Alana Young at the International Food Fair (IFF). At the IFF, the Aragon community came together to share food, culture and entertainment. This year, the (IFF) was held in the newly remodeled South Gym from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 23.
It featured food from Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, France, Italy, China, Korea, India, Japan, Ireland, the USA, Cuba, El Salvador, Greece, Austria and the Middle East. Irish bread and edamame, spring rolls and Austrian desserts were some of the night’s attractions. Flags from different countries hung from each booth. Several new countries were added to the food fair this year, including Austria, Cuba and Ireland. Aragon students, families and friends had the opportunity to sample new and different foods for one dollar a dish.
Freshman Crystal Ge says, “My favorite food would probably be the Greek falafel, because the cheese that was used was really good and [it] was really nice and crispy.”
Junior Dean Kaplan says, “A lot of people in America have no idea what like Greek food and Iranian food are. Those are new experiences for them.”
In addition to food, the IFF hosted entertainment from the Aragon Jazz Band and Chamber Orchestra. Greek, Polynesian and Filipino dances were also performed.
Junior Nicole Sanchez, a member of the Filipino club, performed a Filipino dance called Tinikling with three other students. Sanchez says, “[Tinikling is] a traditional Filipino dance. It was made in the provinces and it was usually for fiestas.” The Filipino club rehearsed this difficult dance for a week before performing it at the IFF. Sanchez says, “I think [the IFF] is a great opportunity to share cultures.”
The IFF hoped to present food as representing not only sustenance, but also culture and community. Nancy Cerreta, Aragon parent and co-chair of the IFF, says, “I think [the IFF is] one of the only events at Aragon where all of the different families from diverse cultures can come together.”
Grace Ge, Aragon parent and volunteer at the IFF’s Chinese booth, agrees that food plays an important role in culture. She says, “I think [the IFF is] a great way to promote different cultures. Food is the easiest thing for people to know each other, to accept each other.”
The IFF originally began as a way to share school spirit and culture. Founder of the IFF Mike Loy explains why he started the IFF and says, “There was no interaction between kids at school… So what I did was started saying ‘Well, How can we get more spirit in the school?’” Loy’s solution was the IFF.
Loy says, “You just feed them and they’ll follow you, you know. And the best way to get people together was through food.”
Head of Student Services Dounia Kardosh says, “It has grown to be quite a big event.” The International Food Fair was organized by over 80 parent volunteers, Aragon staff, and Leadership; students also helped at some of the booths. The PTSO, Asian Parent Group, Latin Parent Group, Aragon parents, and the IFF’s co-chairs worked together to find volunteers, making an effort to reach a diverse group of people.
Countries for the event were decided on a volunteer basis, and were generally coordinated by one or two families. Some booths cooked their own food, and others bought food from local restaurants. The IFF was sponsored by Pasta Pasta, Tannourine, The Miriam Chirko Group, Astaria, and Amici’s Pizzeria. Kardosh says, “[The IFF’s] also good advertisement… We have many families here [at Aragon] who have restaurants.”
The IFF also served as a fundraiser for the PTSO. Although entrance was free, the PTSO made money from food sales, selling 3221 $1 food tickets, raising $3,221. There was also a Fair Share booth set up at the IFF to acquire donations for the PTSO. Cerreta says, “It’s a great time for the event because the PTSO has been fundraising and I think they’re down significantly from what their goal was.”
Sophie Perisic, co-chair of the IFF and Aragon parent, says, “It reminds me of the Olympics, you have all the countries that are together to have a good time. The food at each booth is very representative of the food of each country. In one night you can basically go around the world.”
