The University of Maine’s annual Taste of the World event was held March 27, giving students the chance to sample different flavors and learn about the cultures the cuisines came from. Each residence dining hall featured foods from a different part of the world: York featured Indian, Wells Central served Moroccan and Hilltop dished out Italian.
In 2005, the then-ailing Taste of America program was replaced by Taste of the World in an attempt to broaden students’ palates and minds. Every year, each dining hall on campus decides to feature a different culture.
“We try to break down the borders and let the students taste the world,” said Glenn Taylor, UMaine’s culinary director, who oversees the operation of the dining halls.
Taylor oversees dining hall operations. He relishes the opportunity to show students different culinary tastes. Every year, he and UMaine’s executive sous chef, David Noonan, attend the Culinary Conference at the University of Massachusetts, along with chefs from around the world. It is here that they pick up various techniques that different cultures use when preparing dishes. This is only part of a yearlong process, which involves extensive research into the cultures that are chosen to be represented in an attempt to create the most authentic experience possible.
“It’s a step-by-step process,” Noonan said. “We try to make it as authentic as possible and bring the students something they’ve never had before.”
Each dining hall had two trial runs while students were away for winter and spring break. These trial runs involved serving the dishes to up to 75 gathered campus employees. The purpose of this is to make sure that the recipes could be mass-produced while retaining their authentic flavor.
“If a Moroccan student tries any of the food [in Wells], I want him to think it’s authentic,” Noonan said.
Changes weren’t limited to the menu; each dining hall took extra steps to create an atmosphere to represent their respective culture. Wells featured a replica of a Moroccan farmers market, with spices and vegetables that were all used in the actual recipes. York was decorated with Indian celebratory tapestries, as well as a number of props from UMaine’s theatre department; Indian pop music was also heard throughout the building. This year, York has entered into the running to receive an award from the National Association of College and University food services for special events.
Susan Pond, who acts as the dining-service manager at York, was very excited to host the event.
“This is my last event, and I wanted it to be more than just about the food this time,” Pond said.
To make sure that everything was perfect, Pond enlisted the help of Sugandha Shankar, an Indian graduate student who is pursuing her Ph.D. at UMaine after graduating from college in India.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Shankar said of the redesigned hall and menu. “They did a good job.”
Pond considers Shankar’s input essential to portraying Indian culture accurately.
“This is the first time I’ve contacted a student for something like this,” Pond said of Shankar. “She educated us.”
The attention to detail was evident. The lamb stew at York was a South Indian dish with a bold spicy flavor that was very distinct; the mango apricot chicken served at Wells also had a distinct, tangy flavor; and students enjoyed the diverse flavors on hand, with many praising the spiciness of the Indian food in particular.
In the next few months, research will begin again as the dining halls prepare for the festivities featured at next year’s Taste of the World.