International Food Spotlights: a “Crêpe” Way to Celebrate

Sesame ginger broccoli, kung pao chicken, and an entire crêpe station were available to St. John’s University’s students on the Queens, NY, campus as a variety of cuisines were featured for the International Food Spotlights in Montgoris Dining Hall during International Education Week, November 13–17.

St. John’s hosts students from more than 100 countries, so cuisines highlighted during the week included food from Bangladesh, India, Tobago, and Trinidad. The plats du jour from China, France, and Italy were featured because they are among the top 10 countries of St. John’s international student population. 

Other activities during the week included courses in Italian and French, and a tour of the United Nations General Assembly and its various council chambers, to name a few. “Several events are very popular; our UN tour and “crash course” events were full,” said Christina Quartararo, Assistant Provost for Global Initiatives. “Our international snack giveaway was also a big success.” 

Ms. Quartararo oversees the Office of International Education on the St. John’s Queens campus, as well as the St. John’s campuses and locations abroad. Her goal is to promote St. John’s global mission and ensure that the community is aware of how St. John’s is engaged internationally. 

“It was important to us that the events of International Education Week take place not just in classrooms or conference rooms, but in the places where students gather—like Monty’s—to drive home the idea that ‘global’ is a general part of the fabric of St. John’s,” she said. 

Susan Peterson, Associate Director of Global Engagement, added, “The purpose of these international food spotlights is to encourage students to find something they have in common—their love of food—to strike up a conversation with someone they may not know. Simple actions like beginning a conversation with a new person during the spotlights help the students at St. John’s connect with the international students on a more personal level.”

Throughout the week, St. John’s celebrated the culture and diversity that international students bring to the University. “International Education Week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the breadth and depth of global activities and global learning at St. John’s—and the collaborative effort it takes to make them happen,” said Ms. Quartararo.