Photo by Pinn Chirathivat/The Choate News
The international section: the dining hall’s source of Asian cuisine, a place where international students can find tastes of home away from home. It represents, according to the SAGE website, “the culinary traditions of nations bordering the eastern Pacific Ocean,” spanning places “from China, Japan and Korea in the North, to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia in the South.”
At least, that was the supposed intention of the station. Unfortunately, some — international students in particular — have spoken out against the station’s warped representations of Asian culture, claiming that the station does more harm than good.
First, let’s examine the food itself. Hailing from Singapore and having travelled about Southeast Asia, I would say that I have a good sense of how real Asian cuisine tastes. To me, the international section’s Asian food does not taste like authentic Asian food. The “Chinese” meal options — Szechuan-style Cauliflower Stir-Fry, Lo Mein Noodles, and General Tso’s Pork, to name a few — are inauthentic versions of American-Chinese food (which is, in itself, a poor representation of Chinese food anyway). Dumping generous amounts of soy sauce into a dish simply does not suffice. International students at Choate already have to invest double the effort to help others truly understand their culture, and SAGE’s misrepresentation of Asian culture only exacerbates this task.
To clarify, the food itself doesn’t necessarily taste bad. Sometimes, it’s even better than the options in the servery. But that’s the problem — the international food section is perceived as a place for extra food. If everything else that day sucks, why not try the international station? It isn’t a surprise that Meatless Mondays are accompanied by long lines of hungry students at the international food section, crowding the station not for an appreciation of the dishes but instead for a source of meat. A place supposedly representing a range of cultural traditions is relegated to nothing but a source of cooked meat.
I’m not the only one who holds these views about the international food section. Choate students have taken it upon themselves to come up with creative nicknames for this section of the dining hall such as the “Cultural Appropriation Station” or the “Asian Station.” While these names sound harsh, they aren’t without reason. SAGE advertises Pacific Thyme as a cultural experience, but by misrepresenting these cultures, SAGE inadvertently appropriates them. Sadly, these nicknames represent the student body’s perspective on the international station as somewhat of a joke. The food itself may taste quite good, but the ridicule of the international section’s purpose is an issue that must be addressed.
SAGE also offers Latin cuisine at the station. As someone who grew up on dumplings and noodles, I am not well-versed in the realm of tamales or ropa vieja. However, while I can’t comment on the authenticity of SAGE’s rendition of these dishes, it is important to note that SAGE advertises the Latin section as having “turquoise tiles and colorful spoons,” thus “broaden[ing] our understanding of Latin food and culture” — problematic, as the description relegates an entire culture to a singular aspect.
So what’s the solution to all this? For starters, SAGE must edit their website; their descriptions misrepresent culture for very obvious reasons. Ideally, SAGE would also hire chefs familiar with Asian and Latin cuisine. If not, however, SAGE could at least reach out to students who know about ethnic cuisines and get their input, suggestions, and recipes.
In honesty, I really appreciate some aspects of the international food station. I welcome the endless supply of white rice; I value the source of meat on Monday afternoons; I actually enjoy eating some of the “Asian” food that is made, whether or not it tastes like the food I know from home. However, I don’t appreciate the weak representation of international culture — especially in an environment comprised of so many international students. The station should only exist if SAGE commits itself fully to serving food truly expressive of Asian cuisine.
