The Plates of Life event took place on Friday, Nov. 12, in the Rowan Boulevard apartments, hosted by the resident assistants (RAs). They spent the night cooking various dishes from either their culture or just a food that they like.
The event started off with a Zoom meeting between the RAs and everyone else participating. Both RAs and residents alike shared their screens to showcase the dishes they were preparing for the night.
Once everyone finished their dishes, they headed to a meeting room and set their dishes up on a long table. Attendees were able to grab a plate and utensils to sample all the delicious meals. There were many types of foods, including rice, pasta and even cheesecake.
The potluck coincided with laughter and conversation while everyone enjoyed the food. The RAs who cooked dishes were more than happy to let everyone know what was in it and how they made it, in case attendees wanted to recreate their dish at home. The night ended with people taking home plates of leftovers and saying goodbye to the new friends that were made.
“It’s so nice to have programs, such as Plates of Life, where Resident Assistants and residents come together,” Erica Iraheta, a junior psychology major and an RA at the Rowan Boulevard apartments, said.
“Often, residents do not get to meet other RAs besides their own but programs like these allow for residents to become more familiar with other RAs. Plates of Life also gave RAs the opportunity to share a little bit of their culture through their dish, Iraheta said. “I made my childhood favorite dish, arroz con gandules, which is rice with peas. I was so happy to have the opportunity to share this with my RA staff and also with residents.”
“This event gave us an opportunity to share our own cultures and our interest in the various cultures besides our own,” said Sydey Poole, a Rowan Boulevard RA,.“We used the event to bond with both residents and staff and create an opportunity to spend time with one another, share our recipes, and communicate through the universal language of food.”
Plates of Life was a fun event filled with friendship, laughter and, of course, delicious food. It was amazing to be able to taste many different dishes from cultures around the world and to hear people’s stories behind some of their favorite meals. At the end of the day, everyone got to go home with a full stomach and newly formed friendships between the staff and the residents.
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