The annual International Food Fair took place in Johnson Gym on April 6, 2025 from noon to 7 p.m. Hosted by the Office of International Student Services and Programs, many different countries were represented and there were about 16 booths with options to choose from.
Due to the event, the cafeteria was closed all day. The Gazebo ran on a modified schedule, open from 8-11:45 a.m., in contrast to their usual Sunday hours. Students with a meal plan were able to purchase tickets with their student IDs.
Johnson Gym was filled with colorful booths. Some had balloons, banners or flags from the countries they represented. Dishes included jollof rice from the West Central Africa Division booth, pão de queijo from the Brazilian booth and sesame balls from the Laos SDA Church booth.
The Pioneer Memorial church Evergreen Pathfinder Club also hosted a booth with familiar foods common in the U.S., such as burgers and hot dogs. Some of the booths made their food fair debut this year, such as the Myanmar booth. The booth was run by the Myanmar Student Association, a new club that was organized at the beginning of this school year. Matcha 4 U also ran a new booth selling decaf matcha lattes and other treats like matcha cookies.
A few booths ran out of food several hours before the fair’s end and closed down early. Other booths ran out of some popular dishes and asked customers to wait until they made more.
Angela Coppock (senior, aviation) said the Laos booth was her favorite. “I got the most amount of food for the least amount of tickets and I got to try a bunch of stuff,” she said.
Christen Li (senior, anthropology) added that it is also a cuisine that is harder to find in the U.S., so it was great to have the opportunity to try it.
Not everyone was fully satisfied, however. Some students voiced dissatisfaction with the decision to close the cafeteria and the Gazebo. They argued that community members also attended the food fair, which made it crowded and led some booths to run out of food. For students who rely on campus dining options, this did not leave them with any options but to brave the crowds and choose from what was left. The food fair also did not provide many safe options for students who have strict dietary restrictions.
“The food fest was super fun and full of culture–though I couldn’t eat much because I’m gluten-free,” said Tomek Chojnacki (senior, nursing).
He explained that it was hard to know which foods might have gluten and which were gluten-free, leading him to err on the side of caution and avoid many of the dishes.
Despite concerns, the food fair provides an avenue to celebrate the rich diversity at Andrews University and many people took advantage of the opportunity to explore other cultures and try new foods.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.