Walking into the Andrews University gymnasium, I am hit by a wash of colors, savory smells and a hum of voices. Elaborately decorated booths outlining the gym’s perimeter represent 15 international student clubs ready to sell their culture’s staple dishes to hungry attendees.
For 60 years the International Food Fair at Andrews University has brought food from all over the globe to Berrien Springs, Michigan. Andrews University, a Seventh-day Adventist institution, has students from over 90 countries. U.S. News & World Report ranked Andrews first in the nation for campus ethnic diversity in 2023, due largely to Adventist outreach in countries across the world.
Silmara Ferreira, director of International Student Services, has been organizing and working the food fair since 2002. “The idea of the fair is to showcase the cultural richness that we have here on campus, and to collect money so the clubs can have activities for the students,” she says.
At the entrance we buy a strip of tickets for $1 apiece, then pick up disposable plates, silverware and napkins at the front of the gym. Inside, tickets are exchanged for food and drink items. My companions and I are given maps that show where each club’s booth is and the dishes they are serving. Overwhelmed with the variety of options, we decide to take a look around before spending our tickets.
My ears perk up when I hear “mandazi” at the Kenya booth. I buy one for three tickets and eat it right away, satisfying a nostalgic desire for the triangular fried dough found in East African countries (think a less sweet, no-frills doughnut). Joshua Ortich, a student from Kenya, is working the club’s booth for the second year. When I ask if he enjoys the event, he laughs and says through a smile, “It is hard work.”
Ferreira says the clubs usually sell foods that are culturally important—holiday favorites or popular street food. All the food is vegetarian, as vegetarianism is encouraged and common for Seventh-day Adventists.
Ready to sit down and eat, I enjoy a delicious samosa from the South Asian booth and yummy pão de queijo (cheese bread) from Brazil. I try sobolo, a hibiscus juice with ginger and pineapple—a refreshing complement to the spicy jollof rice from the West Central Africa booth.
As we sit and eat, the gym is filling up with people of all ages. Some school-age kids sit in large groups on the floor. Last year’s attendance estimates were 7,000 people. The population of Berrien Springs proper is 1,910 (according to the 2020 census). Ferreira says she meets people from Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Chicago who travel to the fair every year.
Some countries, like South Korea and Brazil, are constants at the fair. Myanmar is a first-time participant this year. I try Mandalay htoe mont, a gelatinous rice cake that is chewy, soft, sweet and delicious.
Daena Holbrook, a junior, holds a tray of ube brownies next to the Filipino Club’s booth. Ube is a purple yam originating in the Philippines, often incorporated into sweet dishes for its vibrant color. She says that over the years people have come to expect two items: pancit (traditional noodles) and lumpia (spring rolls with a thin pastry crust). “If we don’t have it, they ask where it is,” Holbrook says.
Given the event’s seven-hour runtime, one could arrange to get lunch and dinner from the fair. Maybe next year. For now, my companions and I leave behind a packed gym and say goodbye to a beaming Ferreira, who had told me earlier that she looked forward to this moment in the course of the event: “When the gym is filled with people, I get so excited to see them enjoying their time, fellowshipping and talking about the food. It’s very loud, a lot of people, but for me it’s the best part of the fair.”
Andrews University is a private university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Visit https://www.andrews.edu/about/ to learn more.
Gwynneth Hurley works as a freelance editor, writer and nanny in South Bend, Indiana. She graduated from Indiana University in 2019 with degrees in cognitive science and journalism.
She loves to travel and learn about the world through different perspectives. She can be
reached at [email protected].
