Curious appetites spoiled for choice at food festival

Fishballs, pearl milk tea and Vietnamese coffee were enough to tickle the tastebuds of famished first years yesterday.

The smells and scents of cuisines from 11 different student clubs filled the air at the International Food Festival, held on the Tuhura Otago Museum reserve yesterday.

The event brought this year’s Orientation Week activities to a close in a mouth-watering fashion.

Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) marketing and communications manager Ingrid Roding said the event was very well-attended and a phenomenal fundraiser for all the clubs and societies.

While the event catered for University of Otago students, it also appealed to anyone with an inquiring appetite, Ms Roding said.

University of Otago students Noa Isip (left), 22, and Hanna Corre, 24, eat Philippine barbecue...
University of Otago students Noa Isip (left), 22, and Hanna Corre, 24, eat Philippine barbecue skewers and rice at the International Food Festival, at the Otago Museum Reserve, yesterday. PHOTOS: PETER MCINTOSH
"It’s one of the events that’s not only for students - the greater Dunedin community also gets in on it.

"It’s open to everyone and obviously the food is absolutely delicious from a variety of different cultures."

Ms Roding said the festival was one of the most popular events of O Week, and this was the second year it had been back since the pandemic.

Among the clubs on display were the Otago Singapore Club, Indian Students’ Association and the Muslim University Students’ Association.

The pandemic had prevented some international students from getting to Dunedin, and it was great to now have all the clubs back in full force, Ms Roding said.

Crowds gather to try food from around the world at the International Food Festival.
Crowds gather to try food from around the world at the International Food Festival.
While she liked noodles, satay and the occasional sweet treats, it was hard to single out one dish from the festival, she said.

"It’s a difficult one because you go down and you’re really hungry but you can’t eat from everybody — and trust me, I have tried.

"There’s something for everybody, that’s for sure."

tim.scott@odt.co.nz

 

 

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