Zag Dining Invites Gonzaga Students to Celebrate Diversity
Come September, any observer of dining halls across the country can see a common sight: students from varying cultures, warily eyeing the offerings in the dining hall seeking something that looks and tastes familiar and might provide a measure of comfort. Similarly, one can also see the student who has not ventured far from Mom’s cooking curiously viewing the menu items with unusual names, exotic spices. Perhaps he or she has heard a roommate or friend order similar from a takeout menu and wonders what it could add to the plate.
With this year’s Heritage Series, Zag Dining speaks to both of those groups, bridging the gap between cultures, offering students who may be homesick for their own unique cultures the opportunity to savor traditional cuisines, and offering students unfamiliar with them to try the menu items in a low-risk environment.
Without having to venture off campus to a restaurant or risk pricey takeout options, Zag Dining offers fresh and healthy menus centered on many different heritage themes including, but not limited to: Hispanic, Native American, Black History and Asian Pacific.
From the earliest times (think “breaking bread”) food has been the great equalizer. Enjoying a great meal is a shared experience, it brings people together and allows them to teach each other how to appreciate and savor tastes and textures. Nowhere is this more applicable than on a college campus. In the last two decades, campus populations have become more and more diverse. Even if students have not come from far-flung destinations, chances are they have studied or played sports with someone who hails from a particular culture.
Zag Dining is proud to help forge understanding and awareness of different cultures and cuisines. Whether you are homesick for the comfort of Mom’s cooking or you are breaking free from the conservative palate of your family, Heritage Month will have something for you. If there is a heritage you would like us to celebrate or have any suggestions, please feel free to email sarah.clifford@sodexo.com