Fairchild Hall hosted its annual International Food Luncheon (IFL) in Huddleston Hall Ballroom on Friday, November 9. University of New Hampshire (UNH) students had a chance to enjoy food from all over the world, cooked by Fairchild Hall residents. The luncheon featured dishes from China, Italy, Mexico, India, Greece, Korea, Thailand, Japan and Brazil, as well as traditional Jewish food. 
     “Everybody loves food,” sophomore Spanish and Justice Studies major Lindsey Wood, the Fairchild Hall Council president, said. “This is a great way for people of different cultures to come together and chat, and to learn about what’s different between our cultures. Most of this food, as an American, I wouldn’t eat it on a regular basis, but then even for us through the process of cooking it, it was great to facilitate a discussion about different cultures.” 
    “I love the IFL; this is my third time,” senior economics major Haemee Choi said. “I love the food. I love Nigerian food that they don’t have this year, but I tried it here for the first time.” 
     Every year, Fairchild Hall organizes the event, from choosing the meals to preparing and serving them.  
     “This year, the hall council and some volunteers have been running [IFL],” Wood said. “First, we brainstormed recipe ideas, we reached out to international students in the hall, they submitted ideas and told us about recipes and what they thought would be great to have. Then, we narrowed it down to the menu. Then it was just planning, getting the ingredients and making the food ahead of time, and then having people come back and taste it and tell us if it was good and how they remembered it from their culture. And then, today, serving it.” 
     International Food Luncheon was a part of International Education Week (IEW), which takes place every year in many American colleges. This year, the Native American Cultural Association’s POWWOW opened the IEW on Saturday, November 3. Alongside Cultural Connections, International Education Week aims to facilitate connection between American and foreign students. 
     “It’s International Education Week, and obviously, UNH is such a diverse place,” Wood said. “You can always learn more about the cultures that are on campus, especially because Fairchild is an international hall, and we are very diverse there. We do a lot of cultural exchange, so it’s important to us to share it with campus and educate people about the different food and the different cultures.”