International Banquet helps bring the world to Logan
From a Mexican salsa to the sounds of an Armenian folk rhapsody, audience members experienced an evening showcasing cultural expressions and cuisine from around the world Saturday night.
Community members, Utah State University students, faculty and staff came together for the annual International Banquet and Culture Show, hosted by USU’s International Student Council. The banquet featured a dinner with recipes submitted by students and utilizing “real, authentic spices” from Salt Lake City, said Maribeth Evensen-Hengge, OISS adviser and culture show coordinator.
“I love the food because you can’t get it from any one local restaurant,” she said.
The banquet has been a tradition for USU international students for more than 25 years, Youssef Filali, ISC president, said. This annual event allows the international students to not only come together for an evening of exotic cuisine and performances from their peers, but to share their culture with others.
“This is probably the best way for the international students to share their cultures with Americans,” Filali said. “If people don’t have money to travel they can come here.”
Prior to the culture show, audience members where not only able to visually experience other culture’s traditions, but were able to enjoy an array of cultural flavors.
Students spent four hours Friday in preparation for the five-hour cook-off for the banquet, Evensen-Hengge said. During dinner, a projected visual slide show of scenes from around the world, accompanied by music, offered more than 300 audience members a glimpse into other cultures. With a low tone of people talking among themselves, the silverware constantly clinked on plates as people tried the various concoctions of other worlds such as Chinese garlic chicken and Hath-Maluwa, a vegetarian dish from Sri Lanka.
The culture show began with opening remarks by USU Economics Professor Basudeb Biswas. Biswas described this eclectic gathering as a “miniature world” that provided the audience with an opportunity to reach outside of their culture and experience “how others express themselves.”
Providing comic relief in between performances were emcees James Ocean Kontoh and Janelle Egli. Kontoh, a USU student from Ghana, entertained the audience with exaggerations about Africa, while Egli introduced many of the acts.
Kontoh, the first runner up in the Mr. International pageant, introduced the opening act, the African Dance Ensemble, by explaining a brief history of the role the drum plays in Africa.
“Often we beat the drums for war, but this time were beating for the dancin’ pleasure,” he said.
The ensemble included 13 female dancers showcasing their talent to the rhythms of an array of African drums on stage. As the drum beat increased, so did the liveliness of the audience through cheers and clapping.
The audience was also excited when USU students Amanda Garcia and Tom Fullmer took the stage with their “high octane Mexican salsa.” Incorporating traditional salsa moves, Fullmer tossed Garcia about the stage wowing the audience with their spins, tosses and slides.
For those who missed USU’s production “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,” audiences members were entertained with three of Brel’s cabaret songs. These performances featured three of the performers of the USU production, Christian Shiverdecker, Lindsay Boucher and Tyson Smith.
Mister and Miss International were both present during the culture show, which highlighting Miss International’s, Mami Matsumoto, talents on the violin. Matsumoto performed “Czardas” with accompaniment by Armenian pianist Aram Arakelyan.
The night highlighted the “joyful cultural exchange” by students, Egli said. The banquet is for a reason for the international students to come together and express their cultures through an artistic or edible form. USU has 93 countries represented by its student body, Filali said, with about 1,200 students. And the evening showcased at least one performance from most continents, he said.
The evening’s end received applause and cheers from the audience. Kontoh, in his traditional African shirt, said he was pleased with the outcome of the event and attributed its success to everybody giving their best.
-kcashton@cc.usu.edu
“Arma-Indian fusion,” a song performed by William Pollet, Amy Nguyen, Todd Milovich and Shyam Kumar, was one of many performances from around the world a the International Banquet Saturday evening. (Photo by Michael Sharp)
Professor Basdeb Biswas discusses the need to not fear what is different during his welcome to guest at the International Banquet Saturday in the TSC Ballroom. (Photo by Michael Sharp)