Flags wound around the edges of the walls of the gymnasium as children ran from table to table, dragging their parents behind them.
Beneath the flags, a child, his hands just grazing the red bottom stripe of Chile’s national flag, leaped on the stage in the back.
“I caught it,” he said.
The flags welcomed parents and students to Templeton Elementary School’s “Templeton Eats Global” event Wednesday. The event featured the cuisines of countries including Costa Rica, France, Eritrea, Mexico, India and Iraq.
Volunteer Kasia Rydel-Johnston manned the “Bridges: Children, Language, World” table.
She said the event aligned with the goals of Bridges — to promote cultural understanding and to get children in Bloomington interested in languages.
“Food introduces children to a new world of culture and language,” she said. “It gets them excited to learn.”
She said encouraging this excitement is especially important at a young age when children can learn languages more quickly.
Beside Rydel-Johnston, trays holding 516 pieces of baklava lined the table as fourteen baskets overflowed with colorful hard candy and chocolate from Turkey, China and Uzbekistan.
She said food is a universal language that can create bridges between cultures.
“Food is food no matter where you come from,” Rydel-Johnston said.
IU graduate student Kexin Chen also attended as a Bridges volunteer. While Rydel-Johnston served baklava and halva, Chen taught students how to use chopsticks.
Chen said the chopsticks, terra cotta warrior figurines and Chinese snacks served as representations of her culture.
She said China is especially known for its food. As a result, food is often the best way to introduce children to Chinese culture.
“It’s a gate to open up cultures to people who are just starting to learn,” Chen said.
At the next table, children’s drawings of sloths, toucans and fruits were scattered across the wall. A child ducked behind the table to touch a traditional Costa Rican dress, complete with red, black and white ruffles.
Meanwhile, parent volunteer Illiana Abbott scooped rice and beans onto plates.
Before the fair, Abbott spent two days cooking two tables stacked with food, but the work was worth it, she said.
“I get to show people what Costa Rica is all about,” she said. “They’ll leave knowing just a little more about my country and who I am.”
Volunteer Belaynesh Beyene served beef zigney, an Eritrean stew, and injera, a spongy type of flatbread, for attendees to try.
She said the students started out at the more well-known countries, but she is happy so many had moved on to try Eritrean food.
“It’s always good to try something different,” she said. “It broadens your horizons.”
But most of all, she was happy Templeton Elementary School was introducing children to different cultures at such a young age.
Beyene said these efforts made it possible for children to move beyond their bubbles.
“It makes it so that they’re not blinded,” she said. “They may have their own cultural community that they stick to, but this introduces them to the real world beyond that.”
Three tables down from Beyene’s table was a map with the words “Templeton Travelers” plastered above it. Under it were instructions for attendees to place stickers on the map: a blue sticker for where they’re from, a red one for where they’ve been and a green one for where they hope to go.
While the map started out empty, it was speckled all over with blue, red and green dots by the end. Most of them were green, representing where the children hoped to visit in the future.
“The event just really gets the kids excited to explore different countries and cultures,” Beyene said. “It opens a new world for them.”
