Russian banquet brings culture to USU
The Russian club at Utah State University will be hosting its annual banquet Monday in the Ballroom of the Taggart Student Center.
Jason Tomlinson, president of the club, said the event is an opportunity for students and others to sample Russian culture and food.
“Russian food is some of the best out there,” Tomlinson said. “The borchst, the salads, the dumplings.”
Marina Thomas, a Russian who is studying international relations at USU, said the food being served at the banquet is holiday food central to many Russian holidays.
“In Russia, it’s not a real party without some of this food – like the winter salad [made of diced potatoes, carrots, peas and ham].”
Thomas said another item being served was pilmeni, holiday dumplings filled with meat and cabbage. She also said a handful of the pilmeni would have no filling in the them, and anyone who got an empty pilmeni would have good luck.
In addition to the food, a band will play traditional Russian songs, and there will be both a silent auction and one run by an auctioneer. All the money made from the banquet will go to a Russian charity. Last year the money was given to the group Utah Mother’s for Russian Children, which works with children’s hospitals and orphanages in Russia.
The banquet starts at 6:30 p.m. in the TSC Ballroom, and the cost is $8 for students and $10 for non-students.