You’re walking in the halls of MBHS, after finishing up your math exam in office hours when you hear a loud roar… what was that? You panic and freeze. Oh wait. That was just your stomach growling. After all, it’s been 240 minutes since lunch and you’ve been counting down the seconds until you can get home and eat dinner. Suddenly, as you grab your jacket from your locker, the smell of empanadas, kimchi, and paella stops you in your tracks. Another grumble. You follow the scent and it leads you to room 322. When you open the door, the aroma smacks you harder, blowing you off your feet. Then your head hits the wall, POW! Luckily, the leaders of the new Food History Club are there to pick you back up, greet you and offer you a slice of tres leches to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!
Food History Club is a new club cooked up by seniors Cherish Li, Michelle Li, Maya Ruiz and Brant Jiang. The club aims to tour the world through a variety of different cuisines, starting with fare from Latin America. For Hispanic Heritage Month, the club members researched the history behind the region’s food, diving deep into the origins of tacos and arepas. They also learned the history behind why the month became officially recognized to celebrate Hispanic culture. The previous week long celebration, from September 15th to October 15th, got signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson to honor the history and contributions of Hispanic Americans! The club’s leaders created a slideshow to walk students through the timeline of the evolution of Latin foods, and then hosted a brief trivia game to test the attendees.
In the meeting I attended, the screen lit up green to announce the winning team. Senior Madeleine Jograj-Johnson’s group has officially won the trivia! She was festive, wearing a mac-n-cheese inspired costume. She jumped up on the table with glee, thanking her peers for their help, ran towards the food. Her prize? Being the first in line for the buffet. Had you been in attendance, you too could be holding your paper plate, eagerly waiting to pick up your share of taquitos, nachos and tres leches for dessert. The food was prepared by the Cherish’s parents at their restaurant, “Top Taco & China” on Sheepshead Bay Road. Another lucky winner of trivia claimed, “The food was delicious and authentic!” The self-proclaimed connoisseur of Latin cuisine explained, “I get Hispanic food every week so my review is very sought after.”.
Students did not just leave the club meeting with full stomachs, but also with heads full of newly acquired knowledge. Which is exactly what the leaders intended in starting the club. “I like everybody coming together to learn things about one another’s cultures,” shares club leader Michelle Lin. The club plans to feature foods from cultures like Indian, Brazilian, and Vietnamese at future meetings. For the leaders, it was more than just serving the food, but the process of making it which stood out the most. “I enjoy spending my time making food,” Lin says. “And I want people to come to love it too.”
