Hundreds sample exotic cuisine at McNutt Dining Hall

The McNutt Quad North Dining Room was filled with people of all ages waiting for one thing: free food. The room was also filled with Indian music and bits of conversation in many different languages while people of all ages waited in the 25-minute line. In all, there were eight restaurants, each offering a different dish representative of its culture. Along the back wall, representatives from a variety of international organizations offered information about their programs. Many of these were study abroad programs, but others were representing lesser known majors and minors at IU. One of these representatives was Karen Boschker, assistant director and advisor of the West European Studies minor.\n"An e-mail came around asking people if they were interested in participating in the cookout," Boschker said. "It seemed like a good way for people to learn about the minor. Many students complete the minor without even \nrealizing it."\nGrad student Kevin Utt came along with his wife after she told him about it. The line did not deter them as they finally came to the area which offered food from Bombay House, Legacy of the Incas, Red Sea, American Chopstick, Chow Bar, Esan Thai, The Irish Lion and La Charreada.\n"I'm sure I've had some of the food before but a lot of it will be new to me," Utt said.\nEsther Tristani, director of campus involvement and diversity for the Residence Halls Association was in charge of putting the International Cookout together. She gathered many different cultural dishes, including Peruvian, Irish, Mongolian, Chinese, Indian, Bangkok and Thai. \n"The dishes are from many different restaurants, it varies greatly," Tristani said. \nFrom the restaurant Red Sea, there were Samosas, which are fried dumplings filled with broccoli, potatoes and peas. They were then topped with a green cilantro-based sauce for some kick. Next was La Charreada which serves burritos, tacos and tamales.\nThese were just a few of many dishes offered, some of which ran out in the first half hour of the event, said Director of RHA \nJohn Palmer. \nThe event, which lasted from 5 to 7 p.m., was so popular that the line had to be cut before it ended.\n"We will have to cut the line down or we won't have enough food to feed everyone," Palmer said to Tristani during the event. "I would say there have been five to six hundred people here tonight."\n-- Contact staff writer Cecelia Wolford at cwolford@indiana.edu.