Mariam Alatto, a student at the University of Michigan, has stated that the best thing to do when you have free time is to try a new food. As a Middle Eastern person that grew up eating dishes from her own culture and others, she mentions how she believes food is a universal key that can open doors to all kinds of different cultures and experiences. She says that despite anything, even a language barrier, people can bond and form connections over the shared experience of eating food. As she completes her bachelors degree in Ann Arbor, Mariam can be expected to often be found enjoying a cultural dish at a restaurant, from eating Kubba at the Middle Eastern restaurants of her own culture, to traversing the foods of cultures from different continents. It is her favorite thing to do.