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Comfort Food: Partnering with Dining Services to Enhance

the International Student Experience

Ask anyone who has lived in another country to name three things they missed most about their home, and at least one will surely be a food item. Food is a source of comfort, often connected with feelings of belonging and even love. Food also serves as an easy, fun way through which a person can experience new places and bond with new people. In a recent NAFSA study, Bridging the Gap: Recruitment and Retention to Improve International Student Experiences, international students identify meal plans and dining services as one of the top four areas with which they are least satisfied when studying in the United States. It is important for international educators to partner with dining services on and off campus to respond to an increasingly diverse student body and potentially help bridge the cultural gap. Together, educators and dining service staff should find ways for students to use food as a means to relate to one another and bring a sense of diversity and cultural appreciation through a shared experience and common reference. Examples of Programs and Services Offered to International Students When the Dining Hall is Open

Request that dining services provide a program during orientation, or around that time, that covers the different food options available on campus, and addresses common dietary restrictions (e.g., allergies, religious, etc.).

Consult with dining services on the possibility of offering a culturally diverse menu or rotations of different types of cuisine. The whole campus community can gain a broader perspective of food choices and unique meal preparations. This can be made into a social event such as a food tasting, cultural performance, book signing, or guest chef for the day.

Host an international night in the dining hall during International Education Week where the menu has a variety of international dishes. Give all of the students “passports” that can be “stamped” as they try different international cuisines. Have representatives of different countries at these food stations to explain their ethnic dishes. Have copies of the recipes available.

Discuss with dining services the feasibility of offering kosher, halal, vegetarian, or vegan meals. If these options cannot be adequately provided, query whether these students can be released from purchasing a mandatory meal plan.

Ask dining services if they would be willing to cook halal or kosher meat brought in by the students, or if they already have vendors that offer halal or kosher meats.

Create a welcoming atmosphere. Have flags from all the countries represented at your school hanging in the hallways or in other social gathering places.

Encourage staff to eat lunch once a month in the student cafeteria, especially if international food is offered, and invite international students to sit with them. These shared meals offer a friendly and casual way to meet with students and give them the opportunity to talk about their favorite foods.

Incorporate international holidays and festivals into dining service meals. Ask international students for a list of holidays they celebrate and the type of meal or dessert served. Have students from that country prepare an information sheet on the holiday and place them on tables in the dining hall and post them on school websites.

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Ask dining services if international student groups can use the dining service kitchen to prepare food for celebrations traditionally honored in their home countries.

During Ramadan, request that dining services remain open after sunset or offer take-out boxes to accommodate Muslim students. Be sure to advertise these special efforts to the student body and provide assurances that the food complies with the religious principles.

Don’t forget breakfast. Dining services can also try to incorporate specific breakfast items into the menu for international students, such as congee, a very common staple in Chinese breakfast.

Request that dining services have a large commercial rice cooker so that students can help themselves to rice at all meals. Rice cooked in a rice cooker tastes very different.

Have chopsticks available at the cutlery station. Almost 30 percent of the world’s population uses chopsticks.

Offer a wide variety of international condiments including: Nutella, Cholula hot sauce, sriracha, chutneys, soy sauce, etc. Having these condiments and flavors available for the students can also help to mitigate reverse culture shock for students returning from study abroad or an overseas experience. Here is a fun travel article written by a student that mentions a few more global condiments.

Consider forming a student-run food committee to provide feedback to dining services. This is a good way for students to feel involved and take an active role in student life and the campus culture.

Have a suggestion box in the dining hall where students can give feedback or leave recipes they would like the kitchen staff to consider.

Have international snacks available for purchase in the campus bookstore.

If your residence halls allow small electrical cooking appliances, consider allowing small rice cookers. Have these available for sale in the campus bookstore or know which local stores sell them.

Examples of Programs and Services Offered to International Students When the Dining Hall is Closed Typically, this scenario affects international students who do not or cannot afford to travel when schools are closed for breaks.

Provide catered meals during Thanksgiving, winter break, or anytime the dining hall will be closed for an extended period of time. Students can participate by paying a fee (if necessary to cover costs).

Request that dining services donate food staples (e.g., cereals, bread, yogurt, milk, eggs, rice) to the Intercultural Center. Students can come by and pick up some items to prepare in their residence hall kitchens.

Give students a list of grocery delivery, off-campus food delivery, and take-out services, or local ethnic restaurants that are easily accessible by public transportation.

Coordinate shopping trips to the local supermarket, or if possible, ethnic and specialty markets so students can stock up. This can also be a fun time for students to swap recipes or create an impromptu dinner club when school is closed.

Reach out to campus student groups as they can be a resource to help the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) office in supporting students who cannot travel. Activities could include helping with grocery store runs, hosting a food-centered social gathering, or providing tips on how to order take-out.

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Collaborate with local community programs or churches that offer free or discounted meals, events, or programs during the holiday breaks.

Alert students two to three months in advance if they need to vacate their residence halls and the school does not offer an alternative. Constant communication is imperative so students and families can make informed choices.

Provide a list of alternative places, such as a local hostel, where students can stay if the residence halls close completely.

Coordinate a community visit program where international students can stay with local families so students can experience American culture, food, and holidays in a family atmosphere. Reach out to your campus community as well as the local community.

RECOGNITION The 2014 Knowledge Community of International Student and Services (KCISSS) Committee would like to recognize the following contributors for their work and assistance in developing this resource: Amber Cordell, Janet Ray, Jane Brown, and Charles Liu. This resource was developed as part of the KCISSS annual work plan, and in accordance with the NAFSA Strategic Plan, to develop timely and useful resources for international educators. ACCEPTABLE USE GUIDELINES No part of this resource or any of its contents may be modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the author. You may quote extracts from the resource with attribution to the author. Electronic resources are provided for the benefit of the international education community. However, commercial use and systematic or excessive downloading is prohibited without written consent of the author. For further reading on this topic, visit these links: Adawe, Ismail, and Amber Cordell. July 2014. “Campus and Community Programming during Ramadan.” NAFSA Campus and Community Programming Resource Library. Washington, D.C.: NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Alamo, Sebastian. February 2014. “Dining Services adds dishes to menu to accommodate Chinese student population.” The Daily Free Press. Boston University. “Bringing Thanksgiving to International Students .” October 2013. NAFSA News. Washington, D.C.: NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Choudaha, Rahul, and Paul Schulmann. 2014. Bridging the Gap: Recruitment and Retention to Improve International Student Experiences. Washington, D.C.: NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Gates, Tom. February 2010. “Best Condiments in the World Right Now.” Matador Network. International Education Week. U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural

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Affairs. Kinnison, Dani. September 2009. “CDS accommodates Muslim students during Ramadan.” The Maneater. University of Missouri. “Kosher Meals Now Offered At Wilson Dining Hall.” Eat at State Archive. Michigan State University. McDonald, Michelle. March 2014. “Mason Global Center Will Offer New Dining Options.” News. George Mason University. Washington, Aaricka. April 2013. “Students request ethnic food in dining halls.” The Indiana Daily Student. Indiana University. Zhu, Yiyun. December 2013. “Costly trips keep some students on campus over break.” The Chronicle. Duke University. NOTICE OF LIABILITY The information in this resource is provided on an “as is” basis. Neither the submitter(s) nor NAFSA shall have any liability to any persons nor entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this resource. Please note that while the author verified the website links included in this resource, NAFSA cannot guarantee that every link will be current at the time of download.