International students at BSU to prepare foods from around the world at annual United Nations Day lunch

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) - On Saturday, October 20, students at Bluefield State University are giving their local community the chance to taste their way around the world.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the school’s international students will be serving dishes from their home countries for United Nations Day, which is observed each year on October 24. The event is open to the public and will be held in the parking lot across the Railyard and Raleigh Street Cinemas in Bluefield.

Close to 30 counties will be represented, including Columbia, Argentina, India and more.

WVVA spoke to two first-time participants to see how excited they are to share their culture with others.

“You feel like you should like do your best, you know, to make...the food very delicious and to represent, you know, your country and to share with other people because I consider food as an important part in the culture and not represent only the culture [but] the history, the identity in general,” shared Fatima Elanssara from Morocco. Elanssara says she will be making a dish well-known in both Morocco and Spain that involves rice, vegetables and seafood.

“In Germany, we say ‘love goes to the stomach,’ added Timo Ammann, who is making his grandmother’s favorite, goulash. “So that’s like an emotional thing with your food from your country and I really like to bring it to Bluefield...”

In addition to making the food, each student will also be dressed in traditional garments from their country’s history.

In the chance of inclement weather, the event will be moved inside of the Bluefield Arts Center.

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