Asian Food at Lakeside

I walk quickly to the lunch line, hungrily anticipating today’s mouthwatering meal: Chicken bibimbap. But when I finally sit down and take a bite, it doesn’t taste like what I expect. I’ve found similar problems in other Asian foods, not just East Asian foods, the school cafeteria serves. I often go to Asian food as comfort food, or for its unique and different tastes. However, when it’s made with inauthentic ingredients and techniques, it doesn’t leave me as satisfied as it could. 

The school cafeteria tries to make a variety of food in an attempt to embrace all the cultures and aspects of our community, and we really appreciate this. However, when the food they make is inauthentic, the significance of the food feels diminished, and people may even feel offended if the cafeteria does not have the proper tools/recipes to accurately represent their cuisine and heritage.

Lots of foods represent aspects of culture and history. To some people, Asian food isn’t just food. Asian food is a reminder to connect with their Asian culture and their family. Tasting the wrong food feels like erasing that part of someone’s identity.

But high-quality Asian food doesn’t only affect Asian students. It’s also about exploring and appreciating different cultures, their tastes, and their customs. Learning about Asian food expands our understanding of the diverse people in our community, helping us foster cultural awareness and, hopefully, encouraging people to try cuisines from around the globe. If first-time Asian food eaters' perspective comes from the cafeteria, they might draw the wrong conclusions about what Asian food is.

The cooking staff has to cook food that is nutritious and economical for a few hundred people with a wide range of tastes every day, so they have to make compromises in terms of ingredients and preparation. 

However, they can still do things to improve their Asian food. They can survey the school to see what they need to improve on and what type of Asian food they especially need to focus on. Then, they can take that feedback and start to work on and experiment with new recipes and techniques. They can also search online for recipes or tips and tricks to cook Asian food.

So, to conclude, while we appreciate the school cafeteria trying its best to make the most nutritious meals they can for all of us, they need to make sure that students feel that what they’re eating truly represents them. I would welcome the chance to share our ideas and learn about how the food here is made.